What A Shame: Mexican Artist Forced to Leave Cedar Rapids

I was so disappointed to learn this week that Mexican artist Leonardo Torcuato and his family must return to Mexico by June 4. It's hardly enough time to say goodbye. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

I first told you about this possiblity in February and am updating my Feb. 11 post here:

People like Leonardo make Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa interesting. What a shame for the racial diversity and function of Cedar Rapids that Leonardo, his wife, Ana and their son, Leonardo, Jr., 3, are forced to return to Mexico. After meeting them for the second time (I wrote about them in my Ramblin' column in the July 14, 2008, Gazette.), I can see that they are genuine, friendly, concerned, contributing members of the community. They see Cedar Rapids as “home” and make it richer for the rest of us who live here.

But, due to unfortunate circumstances, the first artist-in-residence at the Paul Engle Center for the Neighborhood Arts, 1600 Fourth Ave. SE, in Cedar Rapids, has to return to his native Juarez.

Ana lost her job in February. That means she's no longer a liaison engineer with Electrical Components International at the Maytag plant in Amana. It also means she lost the work visa that allowed her and Leonardo to live in Cedar Rapids.

After talking to an immigration attorney, the couple learned the only way they could stay in Cedar Rapids was to secure sponsorship. That meant someone had to offer one or both of them a job that comes with a work visa. Sadly, that didn't happen.

Leonardo secured his gig at the center - and the living quarters upstairs - because he had proved time and again  his abilities and interest in reaching out to the community.

At the Johnson School for the Arts, Leonardo painted a world map with students, watching with fascination as the children became immersed in the project.

He has worked with a group that wants to expand the speaking of Spanish in the community and hopes to teach Spanish speaking citizens how to paint.

He has opened up his home for a “Day of the Dead” performance and viewing of his artwork to accompany it.

He has displayed works at Kirkwood Community College as well as at the Paul Engle Center where he became the artist-in-residence last year while creating a huge, imaginative outside mural depicting his interpretation of Engle's lyric poem, “Song of the Cedar,” which praises Cedar Rapids throughout its history.

You can't help but be inspired when viewing Leonardo's eight oil paintings related to the Flood of 2008 that he created using soil from various parts of flooded Cedar River including Czech Village, Time Check and the southwest neighborhood near Riverside Park where Leonardo and his family were chased from their rented home.

“For me it means, like, the land on the water,” he says about using pink, brown and black mud. “The soil always gives us a memory of the flood.”

While sunflowers, a symbol of hope and growth, sprout from most of his paintings, the intriguing recurring theme is the Madonna or Virgin Mary, a symbol of hope in Mexico. In one painting she appears in her red and blue robes as she's a Superhero flying over the city.

As Leonardo says, she watched over Cedar Rapids to make sure nobody died in the flood. And maybe she is watching over Leonardo and his family move to Mexico with the dream of someday returning to Cedar Rapids.