The Bakehouse Art Complex (BAC), a non-profit arts organization, celebrating its 25th anniversary year, on Mar. 12 opened its first, juried printmaking exhibit, “Impressed,” with the works of 27 emerging and mid-career, contemporary printmakers.
The show continues through Apr. 1.
“This elite show includes varied types of prints: etching, engraving, intaglio, drypoint, silkscreen, lithography, monoprint, woodcut, wood engraving and linocuts,” said Lauren Wagner, director of exhibitions and curator of BAC. “Artists are from Palm Beach, Dade and Monroe counties and works were juried by Pavel Ouporov, Suzanne Sherer and Tom Virgin.”
Eddy Lopez is one of the outstanding artists whose works are included.
“Major artistic influences include the late Jeffrey Olson as well as Old Master painters — Velasquez, Goya, Rembrandt,” Lopez said.
Lopez emigrated to the United States from Matagalpa, Nicaragua, at age 9. He was sent to live with his much older siblings in Miami by his parents who wanted to protect him from the communist Sandinista regime’s draft of 12-year-old children.
His English vocabulary consisted of “thank you” and “blue,” but he soon entered the gifted program in elementary school. As an Advanced Placement student at Southwest High School, he gained remarkable proficiency with computer-generated as well as hand-created art, under the direction of his teacher, Rita Touzet.
Lopez thrived at Miami Dade College (MDC) with Alberto Mesa’s instruction, and at Florida International University with Richard Duncan, where he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts. Lopez now is a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Miami, studying printmaking with Lise Drost, MFA, and has been awarded a graduate assistantship beginning this August.
As marketing manager of MDC Community Education, he works in the area of design, rather than art. These are two distinct and separate areas.
“Art explores ideas, some controversial; has no set purpose and [is] not always appealing to everyone. Design has a purpose, carries a message and has mass appeal.”
His duties at MDC also include teaching responsibilities in which he enjoys giving students “the opportunity for growth to improve their lives and to help them gain an appreciation for the role of art and design in our daily living.”
Lopez encourages his students to take an active, participatory role in community life by attending any and all art and cultural events, as well as giving back to the community by donating time and labor to mural painting projects for the Latin Jazz Festival at MDC and the Dade County Police 9-1-1 Call Center. He also donates time every week to giving pro bono art classes for cloistered nuns at Holy Trinity Monastery Convent in Hialeah.
Lopez lives with Vincent, his white Maltese.
Prospective students may reach him at 305-237-2634 and or via email at elopez1@mdc.edu.
The Bakehouse Art Complex is located at 561 NW 32 St. and is open daily, noon-5 p.m. For more information phone 305-576-2828 or visit online at www.bacfl.org.
