The Learning Lab
The Learning Lab is a non-profit educational department created in 2015 by the Cruz-Diez Foundation team with the aim of providing educational tools for anyone interested in art, color and the enjoyment of the artwork of Cruz-Diez. The organization produces workshop manuals, videos and other pedagogical materials to be used in the context of exhibitions, in the classroom or at home.
The ethos behind the Learning Lab stems from Cruz-Diez’s desire to share his research with young people, explaining how color behaves to open their minds and stimulate thinking outside the box. For Cruz-Diez, his most receptive audience is children, and those that are children at heart, as children are not polluted with learned concepts about meanings, symbols and compositions - they just see.
Our activities and advice are meant to guide educators to strengthen their own educational activities. We have partnered with institutions across the world such as Museum of Fine Art in Houston, Museo del Barrio, Pasquart, Daelim Museum, Casa Daros, amongst many others.
'Lightopia', Design Museum Gent, Ghent, Belgium 2014
'La couleur où est-elle ?', Le Musée en Herbe, Paris, France. Workshop for children during the exhibition “RVB” in 2012
Kite workshop on the occasion of the opening of the retrospective “Carlos Cruz-Diez: El color en el espacio y el tiempo” 2011
'Lightopia', Design Museum Gent, Ghent, Belgium 2014
Educational Workshops
Our activities work best in solo or collective exhibitions as an accompaniment to the classical works of Cruz-Diez. We have created a pedagogical handbook that provides a general introduction to color and activities related to each of Cruz-Diez’s investigations.
The activities kits, produced by the Cruz-Diez Foundation in conjunction with Cruz-Diez’s workshops, are available in several languages. They are intended for use in exhibitions, art centers, and schools. Please contact us for more information.
Cruz-Diez en blanco y negro/Cruz-Diez in Black and White (English/Español)
Vivir en arte, recuerdos de lo que me acuerdo [Living in Art, Memories of what I remember] by Carlos Cruz-Diez (Español)
English, Spanish, French, German
Cruz-Diez en blanco y negro/Cruz-Diez in Black and White (English/Español)
Publishing
The mission of the Cruz-Diez Foundation is to spread the reach of the work of Cruz-Diez, inviting people to know more about his works and contribution to the history of art. His artworks, research on color and philosophy of life can be inspiring. Publishing books in multiple languages, both in print and digital formats, is one of the ways the Cruz-Diez Foundation transmits Cruz-Diez’s artistic and conceptual legacy.
So far we have published three books independently; Cruz-Diez In Black and White (2013), Cruz-Diez: Vivir en arte: Recuerdos de lo que me acuerdo [Cruz-Diez: Life in art: Memories of what I remember] (2014) and 10 Years, Cruz-Diez Foundation (2015). We have also produced 11 books in collaboration with various institutions including Cruz-Diez Reflection on Color (2009), Cruz-Diez: Color Espacial (2014) and Cruz-Diez: The Autonomy of Color (2017).
Our new collection, Conferences and Studies (2017) has launched its first title, The Autonomy of Color by Ariel Jiménez, which is now available in digital format. This collection publishes the writings of art critics and art historian graduate students that have contributed new thinking on Cruz-Diez, kinetic art or reflection about art movements that changed the history of art in the 20th century.
Receiving the Turner Medal at City University in London, United Kingdom 2015
On the occasion of the exhibition “Radical Geometry: Modern Art of South America from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection” 2014
On the occasion of the exhibition 'Carlos Cruz-Diez : Didaktik und Dialektik der Farbe', Das Kleine Museum, Weissenstadt, Germany 2015
Receiving the Turner Medal at City University in London, United Kingdom 2015
Conferences & Talks
The Cruz-Diez Foundation is always open to organizing and participating in talks about Cruz-Diez. We are happy to discuss his works, research, and concepts and are well versed in sharing his knowledge with a wider audience.
We have contributed to talks with the artist around the world and more recently, Adriana Cruz, daughter of the artist and President of the Foundation has participated in conversations and round tables and delivered talks about Cruz-Diez, notably the conversation Encuentros con el Arte with curator Osbel Suárez organized by the Museo Würth La Rioja in 2018; the panel by the Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative/AEFI in 2020 titled “How Can Artist-Endowed Foundations Fulfill Their Charitable Purposes as Museums Pull Back?”, and diverse talks about the artists for museums and institutions like the Asociación de Amigos Museo Caraffa or the Houston Independent School District (HISD).
Interactive Random Chromatic Experience, 1995
Interactive Random Chromatic Experience, 1995
Interactive Random Chromatic Experience, 2011
Interactive Random Chromatic Experience, 1995
The App
Interactive Random Chromatic Experience
Cruz-Diez had always been interested in new technologies, discovering new solutions to further his work and involve the public. It was back in 1995 that he originally created a programme for a computer with the help of his son, Carlos Cruz Delgado, who used his programming knowledge to deliver what Cruz-Diez wanted.
First available on floppy disk, it was updated for the CD format in 2001, doubling as a Chromointerférence Manipulable [Manipulable Chromointerference] sculpture. By discovering a way to share his tool with the viewer, Cruz-Diez allowed people to experience the intimacy of an artist’s workshop, but without the critical look of an artist, rather a playfulness not ruled by logic.
The Interactive Random Chromatic Experience will let you play with colored shapes and lines, creating your own interpretation much like a musician interprets a musical score. A version is available to museums and exhibitions for use with large screens.