The basic business unit (UEB in Spanish) Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales (FCBC) Las Tunas has reaffirmed its commitment to extol its slogan “Authenticity is our difference.”
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Despite the insufficient acquisition of raw materials, the exodus of part of the personnel, the energy contingency, and other obstacles faced during the past calendar, the institutional work did not stop, the artists promoted new projects, the entity grew in the face of adversities and, although it did not fulfill the technical economic plan as a result of the vicissitudes, it did not make losses.
Among the achievements in 2024 was the reopening of the Fayad Jamís gallery, with varied and quality exhibitions, which was also an open door to the commercialization of art pieces. Likewise, marketing studies were promoted, 56 contracts were signed with different clients, and the imprint of the creators was visible in the revival of important institutions in the province, such as the Casa Insólita (Unusual House), the Tunas Theater, and the hotel of the same name.
On the other hand, the traditional Art Fairs for Dad and Mom continued to be held, and one of great acceptance among the population was born under the name of “El Trompo”. The rescue of traditional games, the value of alliances, and the commitment to healthy recreation aimed at children were among its merits. In this context, wooden toys were also marketed, with a didactic character and at affordable prices for the population. In addition, the fruits of spaces such as these encouraged donations from the FCBC Las Tunas to people in vulnerable situations, such as elderly people from the grandparents' home and the home for children without family care in the capital city.
“We are satisfied that despite the situations faced last year, our artists did not stop, and the impact of their work on local development was noticed. Already in 2025, we have strengthened the economic and commercial staff of our UEB. We have a renewed start, but the challenges are still great. We are a self-financed company and we must organize ourselves at every step based on our commercial margin. We are still concerned about the material shortages of the artists (although we had some encouragement in this regard at the beginning of the year) and therefore we do not neglect the efforts, we seek new strategies and even dream of having in the future stores that facilitate marketing from the creative workshops themselves, of course, all this takes an infrastructure that is not yet ideal, but it remains on our agenda. “
“We are also encouraged by the opening of an importing and exporting company in Venezuela that, although it is still solidifying its bases, bets on boosting the commercialization process of visual arts, including handicrafts, from Cuba to there, and vice versa.
In addition to the forthcoming reopening of three stores in the country: western, center, and eastern regions (the latter would be in Holguín), we have a project with South Africa interested in buying guayaberas from us, and also in that country, we are negotiating with galleries. All this seeks to favor our processes; it gives us hope,” said Adelaida Madrazo Mejías, director of the FCBC Las Tunas.
In general, among the work directions of this entity proposed at the assembly are to promote institutional collecting, encourage educational toys, achieve more visualization of artists on digital platforms, strengthen institutional alliances, and create other marketing strategies.
