Culture Council of Palm Beach County Names Local Artist Hegina Rodrigues as 2018 Dina Baker Fund Recipient

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County has named West Palm Beach artist Hegina Rodrigues as recipient of the 2018 Dina Baker Fund for Mature Female Artists.

Rodrigues is a self-taught artist whose work has developed over decades, particularly from her travels. Not limited to two dimensions, she creates work with found objects into assemblage. Her process commingles with the art classes she teaches to children and adults around the world, including the Council’s Arts in My Backyard Afterschool program. 

"I am honored and grateful to receive this award," said Rodrigues. “Painting is my passion, so receiving this grant reassured me to keep doing what I love most. I am grateful to Dina Baker for bringing awareness to mature women artists like me, and the Cultural Council for opening doors through this grant and the opportunity to showcase my work.”

Thanks to the generosity of local artist and longtime Council supporter Dina Baker, the Dina Baker Fund for Mature Female Artists grants $10,000 annually to a female artist age 60 or older with financial need and recognizable merit. The artist may use funds for professional development, arts-related exhibitions, equipment and supplies, healthcare costs or basic living expenses. Each award recipient is also granted a solo exhibition in the Cultural Council’s gallery.

Rodrigues’ solo exhibition, “From One to Another”, is a retrospective on her path to abstraction—beginning with framed figures on canvas before evolving into a detonation of form and color on a loose, tapestry-like display. The exhibition can be viewed at the Cultural Council through Saturday, June 1. Visit palmbeachculture.com/exhibitions for more information.

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ABOUT THE CULTURAL COUNCIL OF PALM BEACH COUNTY

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. The Council provides grants to cultural organizations and professional artists, advocates for arts and cultural funding, enhances local arts education, offers support services to foster growth of the cultural sector and promotes cultural tourism.

The Cultural Council also serves as a venue for exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County, and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Downtown Lake Worth Beach. Also on the property are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring hand-crafted items by local artists; the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA-designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center; and the Project Space, an open-air area for live music and large-scale sculpture. 

The Cultural Council’s three galleries, store and visitor’s center are open to the public from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, including a complete calendar of cultural activities in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com. To learn about the benefits of individual, business, artist or musician membership to the Council, please contactdcalabria@palmbeachculture.com.