To visit Cuba as a student is to live an unforgettable moment in the most formative years of your life. Cuba’s culturally rich environment enthuses even the most wandering mind.
book nowTo visit Cuba as a student is to live an unforgettable moment in the most formative years of your life. Cuba’s culturally rich environment enthuses even the most wandering mind. On Cubartour’s Cubaism tour students will be immersing themselves into the cultural heart of the vibrant, awe-inspiring and spirited Cuban art scene. The package, consisting of various elements, balances an educational experience with classic tourist hotspots and things to do.
DAY 1:
After your flight, spend the evening checking into your hotel and getting settled before the start of the tour in the morning.
DAY 2:
Day 2 begins with a talk by University of Havana Art History Professor Mari Pereira. Professor Pereira has been teaching contemporary Cuban Art History at the University of Havana for over 15 years and will present a short lecture starting with the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes collection and continuing onto contemporary art. The talk will form the backdrop to the entire tour and will inform the rest of your experience in Cuba. After leaving the presentation, you will be taken around the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes by one of our fully qualified art professionals. Lunch will follow the morning session. The afternoon session will begin with a tour around the Taller de Arte Grafica. This will then be followed by a tour around the most important squares in Old Havana. The walk around will form part of the architectural study of the trip, it will also help students familiarise themselves with the setup of the city, making it easier to navigate themselves around for the duration of the trip. The evening will consist of a trip to La Cabaña where students will bear witness to the daily spectacular--the cannon show.
DAY 3:
Day 3 is an activities day. After two intensive arts days, students will get the chance to pick an activity and unwind or sightsee for the day. There are four activities available as part of the Basic and Premium packages:
BASIC:
Playa del Este:
The beaches located on Havana’s coastline present a perfect example of the stunning beaches Cuba is so well known for. A short drive outside the main city, you will be greeted by crystal clear waters and fine white sands. Along the beach, you will find various restaurants and drinks stands to quench your thirst throughout the day.
Hemingway tour:
Take a trip through Hemingway’s Cuba. It is widely known that Hemingway’s favourite place on earth was Havana. The historic writer, penned three of his most famous novels on the island: For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Moveable Feast and The Old Man and the Sea. The tour will first take you to the Hemingway’s house, La Finca Vigia and then to the writer’s favourite bars. You will finish at Ambos Mundo, where you will be able to see the room in which Hemingway frequently resided.
PREMIUM PACKAGE:
Viñales:
Take a trip to one of Cuba’s UNESCO heritage sights. Known as one of Fidel Castro’s favourite parts of the island, the lush greenery, the hilly highes and escape from the city will no doubt seduce you in the same way. The viñales valley, although predominantly celebrated for its stunning sceneries, is also home to some of the island’s oldest caves and last remaining features of the Cuban indigenous Indian population.
Playa Jibacoa:
Jibacoa, well known for its crystal clear waters and pearly white beaches, boasts perfect snorkelling sites and nature reserves. Situated between Varadero and Havana, the beach is the perfect start to the stretch of crystalline Cuban beaches and is easily accessible from the city. The tour includes a walk through the Yumuri Valley and the city of Matanzas. You will delve into the depths of the Caves of Bellamar and Saturno. Following a traditional criollo lunch, you will get the chance to snorkel in the virgin Punto de Maya. The opportunity to ride horses through the lush greenery will also be available.
DAY 4:
Day 4 will take students around some of Havana’s most important schools. Starting at the University of Havana, the tour will explore the grounds of one of the oldest universities on the island. Built in 1728, the university is comprised of 15 faculties and includes a National Science Museum. The University formed the backdrop to the 1959 Cuban Revolution, with Fidel Castro having studied there before embarking on his movement to overthrow the Batista government. From there we will go to the oldest art school in Latin America, the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro. Founded by Jean Baptiste Vermay in 1818, the school followed a very traditional European teaching, morphing into a more experimental institute post-Revolution. Following through the educational ranks, the tour will move to the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). Established in 1976, the Instituto Superior de Arte has shaped the Cuban contemporary art scene since its first graduates in 1981. Located next to ISA is the Museo Romerillo, founded by Kcho, considered by many to be a State artist. After a brief walk around the Romerillo, the bus will take students 45 minutes outside the centre of Havana to visit the historic film school Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television. The school has been frequented by figures such as Francis Ford Coppola, who famously included Havana in the Godfather epics and Steven Spielberg who last visited Cuba in 2002.
DAY 5:
Day 5 will focus on photography and architecture, tying the two tightly together. In the morning students will visit the Fototeca, Cuba’s most auspicious photography gallery. After seeing the latest exhibition, you will explore the facades and interiors of the Fototeca, which marks the beginning of the architectural tour. Whilst being shown the plethora of architectural gems Havana has to offer, students will be accompanied by a professional photographer who will teach students skills such as framing an image, manipulating light and choosing effective subjects.
DAY 6:
Day 6 is focused on showing students a more personalised and intimate insight into Havana’s contemporary art scene. The day will be dedicated to visiting artist’s studios around Old Havana. The first half of the day will consist of visits to Studio 66 (a privately run gallery space), the La Mina complex (a labyrinth of studios) and Adonis Ferro’s studio (young Cuban artist). After having lunch in the local area, the tour will continue to the studios of Jose Manuel Mesias and the studios of Nelson Dominguez and Choco. The two later artists make up a formative part of Cuban art history. Both active from the 60s onwards, Nelson Dominguez and Choco will take students on a journey of Cuban art over the last 50 years.
DAY 7:
Day 7 is an activities day. There are five activities available:
BASIC:
Playa del Este:
The beaches located on Havana’s coastline present a perfect example of the stunning beaches Cuba is so well known for. A short drive outside the main city, you will be greeted by crystal clear waters and fine white sands. Along the beach, you will find various restaurants and drinks stands to quench your thirst throughout the day.
Hemingway tour:
Take a trip through Hemingway’s Cuba. It is widely known that Hemingway’s favourite place on earth was Havana. The historic writer, penned three of his most famous novels on the island: For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Moveable Feast and The Old Man and the Sea. The tour will first take you to the Hemingway’s house, La Finca Vigia and then to the writer’s favourite bars. You will finish at Ambos Mundo, where you will be able to see the room in which Hemingway frequently resided.
PREMIUM PACKAGE:
Viñales:
Take a trip to one of Cuba’s UNESCO heritage sights. Known as one of Fidel Castro’s favourite parts of the island, the lush greenery, the hilly highes and escape from the city will no doubt seduce you in the same way. The viñales valley, although predominantly celebrated for its stunning sceneries, is also home to some of the island’s oldest caves and last remaining features of the Cuban indigenous Indian population.
Playa Jibacoa:
Jibacoa, well known for its crystal clear waters and pearly white beaches, boasts perfect snorkelling sites and nature reserves. Situated between Varadero and Havana, the beach is the perfect start to the stretch of crystalline Cuban beaches and is easily accessible from the city. The tour includes a walk through the Yumuri Valley and the city of Matanzas. You will delve into the depths of the Caves of Bellamar and Saturno. Following a traditional criollo lunch, you will get the chance to snorkel in the virgin Punto de Maya. The opportunity to ride horses through the lush greenery will also be available.
DAY 8:
After an art-filled week, Cubaism and Cubartours will bid you farewell at your hotel. Pre-arranged transport will take students to the airport, three hours before the flight.
please note: Lunch costs are not included in the tour price.
Camila López Rodríguez, having graduated from the University of Havana with a degree in Art History in 2015, is a young professor at the Faculty of Arts and Literature at the University of Havana, as well as an Art Consultant for Cubartours. Focused on art studies, she has taught courses on Appreciation and History of Music and Cuban Music in the University, as well as having shared teaching opportunities in subjects such as Contemporary Universal Art and Cuban Art.
Her experience ranges from Student Assistant at the Faculty of Arts and Literature, (University of Havana) to Professor of the Department of Art History. She has also worked on book presentations, catalogues and other publications. She has been a participant in the Staff Organizers of some events such as the presentation of the book The Inevitable Space Alexandre Arrechea (Jaca), of Cristina Vives at the National Museum of Fine Arts. She has also written for some of the platforms of Cuban contemporary art and has worked with them. She has received various art courses taught by Cuban and foreign teachers as well as text editing.
In her work as an art history teacher, she has lectured at the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) as well as having taught a group of Austrian students at Multicine Infanta. Camila is a member of LASA (Latin American Studies Association) and participated in New York with a lecture at the 50th Anniversary Congress of this association. She is constantly updated and immersed in the Cuban art scene and has a theoretical and practical knowledge of what happens both with the already consecrated Cuban art and with the new emerging generations. Camila works as an Art Consultant with Cubartours.
Samuel Puentes is a young architect graduated in 2015 from the Institute Jose Antonio Echeverria. He has been involved in diverse projects that go from remodel spaces to conceive new spaces in the city. He collaborated with the Architect Kiovet Sanchez in the project of the Hostal Santa Clara in Old Havana, and inside the project Arte y Corte he had the opportunity to restructure the school Jinete Chullima for children who live in the oldest municipality of Havana. During 2015 he worked as a professor in the Summer Workshop at Fabrica de Arte Cubano (FAC). Puentes wrote the article “Boxing Cuba. From the Backyards to Word Championship” for the German magazine Hirmer Verlag. In 2016 with a group of young architects created Studio Abierto, dedicated to the development of investigations, national and international contests, social and private projects. Samuel have been teaching the history of architecture from its must diverse point of views always related with the history of Cuba.
Beatriz Laffita works as a professor at the University of Havana since 2009. She finished her studies in Art History at the same center, and was selected as one of the best students to be part of the team at the Faculty of Arts and Letters. She has been focused in African and Spanish art and also knows profundly the Cuban art through its differents periods.
Beside the Art History she has exprerience working with Audiovisual Studies and Artistic Culture Theory. Also she works as an art critic where she developed writing skills. Also she has publish articles related with cultural studies and made presentations for a diverse public.
Beatriz will guide the participants in the tours around the main museums, galleries and art spaces in Havana. Beatriz is fluent in Spanish, English, French and little of German.
The tour was incredible -the most enjoyable thing I did in Havana. The artists you guys chose were so interesting and it was nice to see the broad spectrum of art in Cuba. I'm so happy I booked this, all the girls were so friendly and knowledgeable.
Jasmine curated one of the most incredible arts experiences we've had. Anyone who is a genuine art lover and interested in connecting with the source of these works should go on a tour. It is truly an elevated experience--5 stars all around!
The tour was insightful and interesting. We had the rare experience to see works of art up close and personal, as well as the chance to discuss those works with the artists themselves. An experience I never would have had if it were not for this tour.
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