¡Hola, Cuba! is an exhibit featuring 60 photographs by international photojournalist Barbara La Valleur, on view in the Social Hall at First Universalist Church Sept. 2 through Oct. 14. There will be an Artist’s Reception on Sunday, Sept. 16, from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Social Hall.

La Valleur culled her favorite photos for the exhibit from over 5,000, taken in early 2018, depicting Cuban people, places and scenes in Havana and Matanzas, a city on the north coast known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.

In a colorful series of canvas prints, ubiquitous American cars from the 1950s and 1960s that serve as today’s Havana taxis are highlighted next to a grouping of clothesline photographs hung cleverly on an actual clothesline.

Fidel Castro images are featured on a billboard as well as a striking image juxtaposed with a José Martí portrait. A sampling of images of Cuban people provides a window into the daily lives of the people on this Caribbean island.

Another series spotlights Callejon de Hamel, a popular two-block alley resplendent with funky murals, playful sculptures and artfully hung bathtubs which serve as canvases as well as seating objects, the work of Salvador González Escalona, a well-known Cuban Muralist and his artist friends.

La Valleur, a native of Ashby and Battle Lake, was the first person to major in Mass Communications at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. She worked at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, Carib Magazine in the US Virgin Islands, the Daily News of Wahpeton-Breckenridge before moving to Europe for 20 years. She lived in England for over two years before moving to Germany for 18 years where she also freelanced full-time for seven German newspapers. She currently lives in Edina with her husband.