El Grupo Bayate is a group of eight self-taught painters living and working in Mella, a small community about one hour from Santiago de Cuba. The group was formed offi cially in December 1994, out of a loosely-knit collective of painters. The idea for such a group came from Rodríguez Arias, who works as a baker in Mella.

The Center for Cuban Studies has been working with the group since 1996, and in 1997 presented the group’s fi rst show in New York City. As part of the Center’s 35th anniversary celebrations, six of the group each donated two paintings for our 2008 calendar.

The calendar is a luxury edition, printed on heavy stock in full color, as was our 2007 35th anniversary calendar with works by Manuel Mendive.

The calendar, when hanging, will be 22” x 15”.The calendar will be formally presented, together with an exhibit of works by all of the members of the collective, sometime in the fall.