Antonio Guerrero, Cuban 5, November exhibit at Homewood Studios

From November 4 to 30, Homewood Studios in north Minneapolis will be participating in the traveling exhibition of the prison paintings of Antonio Guerrero, one of the Cuban 5 held in U.S. prisons. The exhibition, titled, From my Altitude, was most recently shown in New York City and at the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit. The Minneapolis event will include several public events, described below.

A black-and-white flyer is attached. Color posters are available for print-out or pick-up at Mayday Books. See www.minnesotacubacommittee.org for more information.



Friday, November 5, 6p to 9p
Opening reception
Tuesday, November 9, 7p
The paintings, their content, technique and meaning

Friday, November 19, 7p
A conversation on the politics of freedom in Cuba and the United States


The gallery is open Tuesday, 5p to 9p; Wednesday and Friday, 1p to 6p; Saturday, 1p to 4p. Viewing is also available by appointment; contact 612-721-8440 or MNCuba@gmail.com. The exhibition will run November 4 – 30.
Homewood Studios, 2400 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis, 612-587-0230
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September 12, 1998 — the beginning of the unjust imprison­ment of the the “Cuban Five.” On that date, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Lab­a­ñino, Antonio Guer­rero, Fernando González, and René González were arrested by the FBI and framed up on federal charges in Miami, Florida. They were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage against the United States, and were tried in the highly-charged anti-Cuba atmosphere of Miami. They were convicted in 2001.
The Cuban Five never committed espionage nor did they conspire to do so. Their actions were not directed against the U.S. or its government. Instead, their mission was to fight terrorism. The Cuban Five infiltrated Cuban-exile terrorist organizations in Miami, which have carried out attacks on Cuba for decades, in order to stop their plots.
Since 1959, Miami has been a base of these operations against Cuba and its revolution. The attacks have devastated many lives. 3,478 Cubans have been killed by bombings, assas­sinations and biological warfare. Most of the attacks have been waged from Miami.
Washington ignores Cuba’s numerous appeals to stop the terrorists. This is why the Cuban Five came to Miami: to prevent terrorist crime.
After their arrest, the Five were subjected to massive prejudicial news coverage in Miami; they were held in solitary confinement for 17 months, and the judge denied their requests to move the trial out of Miami. Convicted in 2001, they were sentenced from 15 years to double life. Although their convictions were overturned in federal appeals in 2005, the Bush administration appealed, and the verdicts were upheld. Appeals continue in the case and a worldwide campaign for their freedom is being conducted by hundreds of union, community and legal organizations and Latin American and European parliament members.
October 13, 2010 — Amnesty International seeks review of case.
In the latest breakthrough, Amnesty International has asked for a federal review of the fairness and impartiality of the trial in light of the “pervasive hostility to the Cuban government” in Miami.