Alberto Rey
American artist and filmmaker

Alberto Rey
Alberto Rey photographed by David Moog
Born (1960-08-07) August 7, 1960 (age 65)
Havana, Cuba.
OccupationsArtist and filmmaker
Years active1988–present
SpouseJaneil Strong (married 1989–present)

Alberto Rey (born 7 August 1960 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban-American painter, illustrator, and filmmaker. His work has been recognized for its themes of bicultural identity and its sustained engagement with the natural world. Rey's art is held in several permanent collections, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Brooklyn Museum, El Museo del Barrio, and the Museum of Latin American Art.

Rey is a distinguished professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Fredonia.[1] In 2012, he was inducted into the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Living Legacy Project.[2]

Rey is also a conservationist and avid angler who leads a youth fly-fishing program.[3] He has provided illustrations for several fishing and angling journals.[1][2]

Early life and education

Rey was born in Agramonte, Cuba, a small rural community of Cubans with Spanish heritage known as criollos. Rey's family held a variety of occupations, including farming, manufacturing, and operating small businesses.

At the age of three, in 1963, Rey's parents brought him and his sister to Mexico under political asylum. Two years later, the family relocated to Miami, Florida, living in the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana[4]. His father, who held a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Havana, became a Spanish teacher.[1]

In 1965, Rey's family moved north to the small coal-mining town of Barnesboro, Pennsylvania, where he lived until graduating from college. As a child, Rey first explored art by copying album covers and drawings from Mad Magazine.[3]

Rey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1982, followed by a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Buffalo in 1987, both in drawing and painting.[1]

Career

His abstract period of work from 1982 to 1992 involved layering Cuban iconography with his American experiences, symbolizing the struggles of fleeting memories and the romanticization of cultural identity.

In 1982, Rey returned to Miami and assisted with the Surrounded Islands Project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, an environmental art installation that surrounded eleven islands with pink fabric for two weeks.[5] That same year, the Burchfield Penney Art Center inducted his mixed-media work “Holy Angels Church and Chair” into its permanent collection.[2]

In 1988, Rey began teaching at high schools and colleges while taking classes in contemporary art and environmental studies at Harvard University. Soon after, Rey's work was acquired by El Museo del Barrio’s permanent collection, and he held his first solo New York City exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art.[1]

Rey relocated to Fredonia, New York in 1989 to become a professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia. He was named a SUNY Distinguished Professor for Research and Creativity in 2007.[6]

From 1992-1999 Rey's work became more representational as he investigated his Cuban culture, including its religion, food, politics, and relationship to American society. In 1991, the Burchfield Penney Arts Center collected a second painting by Rey entitled “Binary Forms: Floating Between.” By 1992, his work had entered the collections of several major museums, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art (“Las Palmas Son Novias Que Esperan (The Palms Are Lovers Who Wait)”), the Bronx Museum of Art, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (“Binary Forms: XXI” and “Post-nuptial Gold: Time”).

In 1996, Rey became curator and director of the Chautauqua Institution’s Center of the Visual Arts.

Alberto Rey working on a painting in his Fredonia, NY barn studio.

After 1999, an increased interest in art history, ecology, and environmental conservation led Rey to incorporate greater environmental realism into his work, as seen in his series "Biological Regionalism"[7] which was exhibited in 2014 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. From 2000 to the present, his work has explored the history of angling art, environmentalism, urban migration, and biology. Rey is the founder and director of the Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing Program, which provides children with education in environmental conservation.[1] In 2006, Rey founded the Canadaway Creek Conservation Project, an annual stream clean-up initiative; he also established the Brook Trout Restoration Project, which teaches low- and middle-income children how to reintroduce brook trout into local waterways.[1][8]

Installation of Alberto Rey's "Biological Regionalism" at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center in 2014.

In 2016, Rey wrote and illustrated a book about his project in Kathmandu, Nepal, titled Complexities of Water: Biological Regionalism: Bagmati River, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, with SUNY Fredonia colleague and graphic designer Jason Dilworth.[9] The project's exhibition opened on 20 November at the Siddhartha Art Gallery at Barbar Mahal Revisited in Kathmandu, featuring fourteen paintings, water samples, the documentary "BAGMATI", and artwork by Nepalese artists.[9] The project also collected scientific data on water quality, pollution, human impact, climate change, and strategies to improve the health of the Bagmati river, while informing neighboring communities about conservation methods.[9]

In 2025, Rey presented more than 130 paintings and six sketchbooks in his installation ATLAS : Historical Work and Recent Journeys of Alberto Rey at the Marion Art Gallery at SUNY Fredonia. The work was inspired by his five-month journey around the world.[10][11] Rey's art has been featured in more than 200 exhibitions.

Works

Alberto Rey, "Coccothrinax alexandri subsp. alexandri," black underglaze over 182G clay with clear glaze, 2021.

Reverse Chronology of Painting Series

ATLAS : Historical Work and  Recent Journeys of Alberto Rey (2024-25)

"ATLAS" marked Rey’s first exhibition after retiring as a distinguished professor at SUNY Fredonia. It featured over 133 paintings from a five‑month trip to 14 countries on six continents in 2024, along with sketchbooks Rey painted in during the expedition. The show also included dozens of works spanning his career from 1992 to 2022.   The 150-page self-published catalog is prefaced by an essay by Jamie DiSarno and was designed by Matt Mateosian.[1][12][13]


Biological Regionalism: Niagara River, Canada / USA  (2017-2023)

In large-scale paintings, Alberto Rey’s Biological Regionalism: Niagara River explored the complex past of the Niagara River and its lasting cultural significance. From pollution to the Underground Railroad to Native American heritage, the paintings feature Rey’s signature combination of rich narrative scenes and abstracted visual language. The exhibition was on display at the Castellani Art Museum from 20 Apr 2023 - 01 Mar 2024.[14]

Biological Regionalism: Battenkill, Vermont, USA (2021-2023)

Alberto Rey’s “¡ Battenkill !” project brings together large paintings, field research, and personal exploration to reflect on nature, culture, and our changing environment. The exhibition at the Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, Southern Vermont Art Center in Manchester, Vermont, included large paintings of the river, drawings, maps, and on-site photographs taken during his 18-month long research of the local history and biology.[15]


Native American Fish and Wildlife Society - Summer Youth Practicum (2022)

In partnership with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society and United States Forest Service, Rey and designer Jason Dilworth created a publication capturing a week-long program in Colorado. It brought together high school students from nine tribes for leadership, outdoor learning, and cultural activities. Rey taught drawing, stream biology, and fly fishing. [16]


Biological Regionalism: Oswego River and Lake Ontario, Central New York, USA (2019-2022)

On view from March 4 to April 2 2022 at SUNY Oswego’s Tyler Gallery, the exhibition “Alberto Rey: Biological Regionalism: Oswego River and Lake Ontario” examined the history of the Oswego River, including its bouts of pollution, endangered plant species, and plans for future improvement. The show featured paintings, written history, Rey’s ecological research, and multi-media installations. [17]

Critical Endangered Palms of Cuba (2021-2022)

Inspired by Paul Craft's catalog "The Palms of Cuba," this series examines endangered palm species threatened by erosion, agricultural, and natural disasters. The works combine ceramic forms with mapped species locations and continue Rey's conservation-focused engagement with Cuban landscapes.[18]

Canadaway Creek - Western New York (2021)

Rey published Canadaway Creek - Western New York, a collaborative project with SUNY Fredonia faculty, students, and community members.[19] Supported by the Costello Interplay Award for Science and the Arts, the book documents the creek’s history, ecology, and environmental challenges while promoting local environmental stewardship.[20][1][19]

Lost Beauty Project (since 2019)

Installation shot of Alberto Rey's exhibit "Lost Beauty II" at the Buffalo Museum of Science, 2021.

Rey’s Lost Beauty project documents fragile natural and cultural environments affected by climate change and human intervention. Part I, presented in collaboration with the Buffalo Museum of Science at the Anderson Gallery, University at Buffalo, in fall 2019, combined paintings and ceramics with audio, video, and scientific specimens from Rey’s Extinct Birds Project, documenting the histories of 18 extinct bird species.[21][22]

The Icebergs series focuses on Iceland’s Jökulsárlón glacial region and was published as a book in 2021; works from the series were exhibited in Life Streams: Alberto Rey, Cuban-American Artist at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. In 2021, Rey also became the first artist commissioned by the Buffalo Museum of Science, creating a site-specific exhibition pairing large-scale paintings with previously unseen museum artifacts.[23][4][24][22][25][21]

Alberto Rey, "Blue Spotted Salamander", oil on board, 2019.
Installation shot of "Bachman's Warbler", Lost Beauty: Part I, Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Image by Nicholas Ostness, 2019.

Extinct Birds Project (2016-2019)

In 2018, Rey published Extinct Birds Project, documenting the histories of 17 extinct bird species represented by specimens held at the Roger Tory Institute of Natural History and Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology.[26] The accompanying exhibition opened in August 2018 at the Roger Tory Institute, featuring paintings alongside rare archival audio and video materials.[27]

The project later formed the basis of Rey’s Lost Beauty exhibitions, developed in collaboration with the Buffalo Museum of Science and the Anderson Gallery, University at Buffalo, beginning in 2019 and continuing with a site-specific installation at the Buffalo Museum of Science in 2021.[28][21]

Biological Regionalism (since 2005)

Alberto Rey, "Biological Regionalism: Steelhead", oil on board, 2014.

Rey's Biological Regionalism series examines local aquatic ecosystems, combining art with scientific data to promote environmental awareness and conservation. Influenced by naturalist artists such as Winslow Homer and John James Audubon, the project documents both natural beauty and human impact on aquatic environments.[1]

Major installations include Biological Regionalism: Ellicott Creek (2010) at the University at Buffalo Art Gallery and Biological Regionalism: Scajaquada Creek (2014) at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, which integrated paintings and video with field research, maps, and environmental samples to explore the relationship between Western New York communities and their surrounding ecosystems.[29][30]

Bagmati River Art Project Series (2014–2016)

Alberto Rey, "Bagmati River flowing into Kathmandu, Nepal", oil on board, 2014.

In 2016, Rey wrote and illustrated a book about his project in Kathmandu, Nepal, titled Complexities of Water: Biological Regionalism: Bagmati River, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, with SUNY Fredonia colleague and graphic designer Jason Dilworth.[9] The project's exhibition opened on 20 November at the Siddhartha Art G allery at Barbar Mahal Revisited in Kathmandu, featuring fourteen paintings, water samples, the documentary "BAGMATI", and artwork by Nepalese artists.[9] The project also collected scientific data on water quality, pollution, human impact, climate change, and strategies to improve the health of the Bagmati river, while informing neighboring communities about conservation methods.[9][31]

Alberto Rey, "Black Mamo", oil on board, 2019.
Alberto Rey, "Aesthetics of Death: VII", oil on board, 2014
Alberto Rey, "Studio Retablos: Mexican Figure," oil on board, 1999.

The Aesthetics of Death Series (2006–2016)

Alberto Rey, "Cuban Portraits: Alberto, Agramonte, Cuba", oils on plaster, 1999.
Alberto Rey, "Las Balsas XII", oil painting in handmade shadowbox frame, 1998.

Moved by the passing of his sister, Mayda, and his father-in-law, Neil Strong, Rey's series confronted death directly by depicting sick, dying, and deceased steelhead fish.[1]: 35–36  [32]: 62–64  The paintings themselves used bright colors and gestural brushwork to contrast the starkness of death with the temporary brilliance of life. The viewers look down at the fish from above against a flat, muted background, highlighting the overall shape of the subject. Though the life of a dead fish may initially seem insignificant to a viewer, the large scale of the paintings turns each fish into a monument, capturing an unrepeatable moment for future study, appreciation, and contemplation.[1]: 37, 137–139 [33]

Trout Encounters Series (2000–2004)

Returning to the United States after visiting Cuba in 1998 for the first time in over 30 years signaled a thematic change for Rey, creating work that investigated other aspects of his identity besides his Cuban heritage like exploring his passion for environmental conservation and researching art history.[1]: 25–32  Akin to the Hudson River School artists who presented the general public with sweeping landscapes and depictions of wilderness,[32]: 60–62  Rey's Trout Encounters brought together two worlds: the underwater world of regionally-specific trout species and the increasingly urbanized communities of people disconnected from their surroundings.[34][1]: 35–36, 120–121 

Studio Retablos Series (1998–2000)

This series combines several disciplines including the art history of America, Italy, Mexico, and Spain, as well as biology, pop culture, postmodernism, and politics. As he traveled for the previous 25 years collecting imagery and discarded paintings by amateur artists, Rey wanted to give these abandoned works new life. This series revitalized the old paintings by removing layers of their original paint and adding new layers of imagery from Rey's travels..[1]: 25–26, 57  [32]: 60 

Cuban Portraits Series (1998–1999)

Rey described the inspiration behind the series as the Mexican portrait painter Hermenegildo Bustos (1832 – 1907) as Bustos portraits visually cataloged an ethnic group people in a moment of their history.[1]: 24  Rey's series depicts both Cubans living in Cuba and Cubans living in the United States with an emphasis on character, social and economic class, and ethnic identity.[32]: 60  [1]: 24–25 

Las Balsas (The Rafts) Series (1995-1999)

Researching Cuban archives in a library in Key West, FL, led Rey to discover the mission of the Cuban Refugee Center on Stock Island. When Cuban immigrants would arrive to the Florida Keys on rafts, the center would provide temporary housing, medical help, food, and connected immigrants to relatives living in America. The center displayed various rafts and crafts refugees used for the 90-mile crossing.[35]: 72–73  Because Rey had several relatives who traveled to America on rafts and even a grandmother who did not survive the passage, Rey created the series in hopes to draw viewers in to explore the rafts and to ponder what the journey for Cuban refugees must have been like. The success of the persons traveling on the rafts is left ambiguous. Rey hoped for the raft imagery to metaphorically become quiet but strong reminders of human tragedies and triumphs.[1]: 22–24 

Appropriated Memories Series (1996–1997)

As Jorge J.E. Gracia highlights in his essay "The Construction of Identity in Art: Alberto Rey's Journey," for the previous thirteen years, Rey's work was geared towards reclaiming his Cuban heritage.[32]: 52–59, 60–61  Increasingly during that period in his life, he had growing concerns about a lack of connection to his surroundings in America. In an effort to analyze what he valued, he painted beloved memories including moments with his family, cultural religions symbols, and imagery from his childhood in a small rural coal-mining town in Pennsylvania. Since then, his work has tried to mend the spirituality of his Cuban culture with seeking some sense of spirituality in his everyday life. The Appropriated Memories Series aim to capture the fulfillment of researching, finding, and painting images of what he believed were a lost time. Altogether, the images are an abstracted recollection, reminiscences, and interpretations of his memory of Cuba.[1]: 22  [32]: 52–61 

Alberto Rey, "Appropriated Memories, San Juan Hill", oils on plaster,1997. Collection of the Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
Alberto Rey, "“Ancel Guava Paste" oil on plaster, 1994. Collection of the [Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale
Alberto Rey, Madonnas of Western New York: Niagara Mohawk, Dunkirk, New York," oils on wood, 1991-1993
Alberto Rey, "Binary Forms: LXXIV," oil and encaustic wax on board, 1990–1992
Alberto Rey, “Postnuptial Gold: Time”, ink, ink wash, oils, flour compound, and rabbit skin glue on canvas, Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, 1991.
Alberto Rey, "Floating Series: Breckenridge Apartment, Buffalo, New York, Remembering: 1968-1987," ink on paper, 1985

Icon Series (1993–1995)

Lynette M.F. Bosch described how Rey's desire to reconnect to his Cuban identity as an American with no actual memories of his country, shifted his work to depict objects and experiences that meant “Cuba” to him as they were described in stories told by his relatives. Rey painted Cuban food on a large-scale, turning the dishes into monuments and elevating their status from everyday cuisine to iconicized cultural symbols as seen in “Ancel Guava Paste” (Completed 1994), collected into the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, FL.” [1]: 20–21 

Madonnas of Western New York Series(1991–1993)

As Rey lived with his wife in Fredonia, NY they began exploring the cultural icons of Chautauqua County. He built small wooden boxes and painted well-known symbols of the area like the Niagara Mohawk Power Plant (Now called NRG) as seen in the work “Niagara Mohawk: Dunkirk, New York” (1992). The construction of the boxes and the transformation of ordinary sights likened to altars in religious customs, connecting Rey's new home to his Cuban heritage and traditions.[1]: 18–19 

This series is described as being a major change in Rey's stylistic approach from his previous abstract series. As it became necessary for the audience to be able to see and recognize these Western New York icons in order to understand their significance, Rey began painting more representationally. So while his abstract work relied more on producing emotion through minimalist forms, his new work connected realistic, visceral imagery to his messages.[1]: 19  [32]: 56–58 

Binary Forms Series (1998–1992)

His marriage in 1989 reinvigorated his interest in depicting religion and its influence on marriage.[1]: 18  The work uses symbols to express the sometimes at-odds concepts of marriage, religion, memory, spirituality, and eroticism. Specifically, overlapping forms stood in for themes of marriage and memory, black lace invoked religion and eroticism, and binary forms recalled marriage, while gold linked to both marriage and religion.[1]: 18–19 [32]: 56–57 

Black Lace Series and Nuptial Series (1987–1989)

As overviewed by Lynette M.F. Bosch, Rey's Black Lace Series spurred from fascination of Catholic rituals, sainthood, and the artist's exposure to Santeria, a Cuban synthesis of Catholic and African religions. The duality of personal items such as veils worn by women for modesty in church can also be seen as seductive in other contexts. The veil, and the lace often featured on veils, became motifs in this series seen especially in the work “Fertility” (1989). In the work “Postnuptial Gold: Time” (Completed 1991, Albright-Knox Art Gallery permanent collection) the color gold symbolizes the metal's preciousness and references the Catholic Church's rites of marriage.[1]: 17–18  [32]: 55–56 

Autogeographical Series and Floating Series ( 1985-1987)

The Autogeographical Series drew from Rey's experiences in graduate school and often directly represented the places he lived in. An example from this body of work is “Holy Angels Church and Chair” which was collected by the Burchfield Penney Arts Center in 1987. The Floating Series took a more surreal approach to the same topic by incorporating his own dream language and depicted these land and cityscapes from a bird's-eye-view perspective. The series aims to depict the more transitory and non-permanent aspects of memory and dreaming. An example from this series is “Transitions” (completed 1988) and was collected into the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University in Buffalo, NY.[1]: 16–17  [32]: 55 

Documentaries

"BAGMATI (Biological Regionalism: Bagmati River, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)", Color Video, 2016–2017. This video documents the Bagmati River Art Project and includes interviews with health professionals, community members, and lawmakers. Included are traditional Nepalese folk songs and a commissioned song about the river. Screened 2017 at the Open Village Festival, Brussels, Belgium and in 2016 at the Siddhartha Gallery, in Kathmandu, Nepal.[9]

"Biological Regionalism: Atlantic Cod" (2007), black and white video, was created for a residency at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. The artist explores a brief history of the Atlantic cod and its influence on the economy of New England. It screened in 2007 at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.[1]: 253–256 

Primal Connections” (2006) investigates how people in the modern age make meaningful connections to nature. This video was screened and acquired into the permanent collection of the MEIAC in Spain in 2013. It screened in 2013 at the Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo (Extremaduran and Latin American Museum of Contemporary Art), in 2008 at Washington and Lee University, and in 2006 at the Rochester Contemporary Gallery.[1]: 253–256 

"An Unkept Promise" (2005) details the emotional journey of Rey taking his first return trip to his home country of Cuba 36 years after emigrating with his family as a child.[1] This video was screened at many different venues and was acquired into the permanent collection of the MEIAC in Spain in 2013.[1]: 253–256 

"Waters off of Caribarien, Cuba" (2004) depicts the waters surrounding a small island where many Cubans traveled by raft through the Gulf Stream to Florida; it was inducted into the permanent collection of the Burchfield Penney Art Center and later in 2013, it was both screened and acquired by the MEIAC. It screened in 2017, 2013, and 2005 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center and the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, in 2015 at Canisius College, in 2013 at Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, in 2013 at the Masur Museum, in 2010 at the Memorial Art Gallery, in 2010 at University of Buffalo, in 2008 at Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA, in 2008 at Washington and Lee University, in 2007 at Cleveland Institute of Art, in 2007 at the Chautauqua Institution, and in 2005 at the DeadCenter Film Festival, Oklahoma City, OK.[1]

"Seeing the Dark" (2001), a black-and-white 16mm film, encapsulates Rey's first return trip to Cuba since his childhood emigration, and signaled a change in viewpoint to cease depicting his home country in nostalgic methods.

Published writings

  • Rey, Alberto (2014). Bosch, Lynette M. F.; Denaci, Mark (eds.). Life streams: Alberto Rey's Cuban and American art. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. ISBN 9781438450582. OCLC 877868136.
  • 2014 - Life Streams – Alberto Rey’s Cuban and American Art, SUNY Press, Albany, NY for the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo
  • 2016 - Complexities of Water: Biological Regionalism: Bagmati River, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Canadaway Press, Fredonia, NY for the Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Center and Siddhartha Art Gallery, about the holiest and most polluted river Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • 2018 - Extinct Birds Project, Canadaway Press, Fredonia, NY for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, NY.
  • 2021 -  Lost Beauty: Icebergs, Canadaway Press, Fredonia, NY  
  • 2021 - Lost Beauty II – The Art of Museum Stories, Canadaway Press, Fredonia, NY for the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY
  • 2021 - Canadaway Creek – Western New York, Canadaway Press, Fredonia, NY
  • 2022 - Biological Regionalism: Oswego River and Lake Ontario, Central New York, USA,  Canadaway Press, Fredonia, NY for the Tyler Art Gallery , SUNY Oswego, NY.
  • 2025 -  Atlas: Historical Works and Recent Journeys of Alberto Rey, for the Marion Art Gallery, SUNY Fredonia.[36]

Bibliography

  • "Trout Fishing In Western New York". Edible Western NY. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  • Rey, Alberto (August 13, 2018). "Ties That Bind". Anglers Journal - A Fishing Life. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  • "Travel/Back to Nepal". digital.buffalospree.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  • "Spirituality of Nature," Buffalo Spree, April, Buffalo, NY.(2017)
  • "Iceland Sojurn". Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via PressReader.
  • "On View / Art and environmental activism". www.buffalospree.com. New York. 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  • "Fly Fishing in Iceland," Buffalo Spree, October, Buffalo, NY.(2015)
  • "Winter Fly Fishing," Buffalo Spree, December, Buffalo, NY.(2015)
  • Burke, Monte (2014). "Drake Magazine Back Issue Content 2013 Archives". The Drake Magazine. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  • Rey, Alberto (2009). "A little-known culinary gem in the heart of Amish country". Buffalo Spree. New York.
  • "Buffalo Spree Magazine". www.buffalospree.com. Buffalo. 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  • "Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain," Buffalo Spree, April, Buffalo, NY.(2008)
  • "Fly fishing Western New York," Buffalo Spree, May, Buffalo, NY.(2008)
  • "Buffalo Spree Magazine". www.buffalospree.com. Buffalo. 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  • "Untitled Document". Art of Angling. 2004. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

Awards and honors

Rey has received the following honors and awards:

  • Finalist Orvis Guide Freshwater Guide of the Year, Sunderland, Vermont[37](2020)
  • Visiting Artist at the Masur Museum, Monroe, LA(2012)
  • Living Legacy Artist by the Burchfield Penney Arts Center (2012).[2]
  • Distinguished Alumni Award at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA(2008)
  • Visiting Artist Residency at Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA(2008)
  • State University of New York Distinguished Professor for Research and Creativity, the University's highest honor, Albany, NY(2007)
  • State University of New York Chancellor's Research Recognition Award, Albany, NY(2005)
  • State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity, Albany, NY(2003)
  • Kasling Lecturer Award for distinguished scholarly and creative activity as senior faculty member, State University of New York at Fredonia, NY[1](2001)
  • William T. and Charlotte N. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award. This award recognizes an individual who has made out- standing recent achievements in research or creativity State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY[38](1994)
  • Minority Visiting Scholars Award, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO[1](1994)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Bosch, Lynette M.F.; Denaci, Mark (2014). Life Streams: Alberto Rey's Cuban and American Art. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-5056-8.
  2. ^ a b c d "Alberto Rey > Artists > Burchfield Penney Art Center". www.burchfieldpenney.org. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Sportsman, The Virginia (April 9, 2025). "The Life and Art of Alberto Rey". Virginia Sportsman. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Life Streams: Alberto Rey, Cuban-American Artist – Art New England". June 30, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  5. ^ "Christo and Jeanne-Claude Surrounded Islands Documentation Exhibition – NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale". nsuartmuseum.org. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  6. ^ "Alberto Rey one of 11 named to Distinguished Professor of SUNY | Fredonia.edu". www.fredonia.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Biological Regionalism: Alberto Rey". burchfieldpenney.org.
  8. ^ "Bill Hilts Jr.: Fly fishing program gets anglers of all ages involved". The Buffalo News. November 17, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Bagmati River Art Project includes artists Alberto Rey and Jason Dilworth | Fredonia.edu". www.fredonia.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  10. ^ "Rey's 'ATLAS' Exhibit At SUNY On Display Through Nov. 21". post-journal.com. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  11. ^ "Art gallery exhibition of works by Alberto Rey through Nov. 21 | Fredonia.edu". www.fredonia.edu. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  12. ^ "Art gallery exhibition of works by Alberto Rey through Nov. 21 | Fredonia.edu". www.fredonia.edu. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  13. ^ Connolly, M. Delmonico (September 24, 2025). "Seeing the world: ATLAS". buffalospree.com. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  14. ^ "Biological Regionalism: Niagara River, Western New York by Alberto Rey - Castellani Art Museum". Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  15. ^ "Alberto Rey: Cultural Landscapes". Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  16. ^ "Art Projects". Alberto Rey. December 7, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  17. ^ "'Biological Regionalism' exhibition, programs to highlight importance of local waterways". SUNY Oswego news + events. February 21, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  18. ^ "AMA | Art Museum of the Americas | Organization of American States". www.museum.oas.org. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Receptions planned to celebrate book created through Costello Interplay Award | Fredonia.edu". www.fredonia.edu. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "SUNY Fredonia faculty, students creating Canadaway Creek book". observertoday.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c "UB Art Galleries » Alberto Rey: Lost Beauty I". ubartgalleries.buffalo.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  22. ^ a b bmsadmin (September 23, 2021). "Lost Beauty II: The Art of Museum Stories Examines Buffalo Museum of Science Collections Through the Eyes of an Artist this Fall - News". Buffalo Museum of Science. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Licata, Elizabeth (August 15, 2021). "Painting a disappearing environment". buffalospree.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "Life Streams: Alberto Rey Cuban-American Artist » CANY Blog". CANY Blog. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "Celebrating Beauty in Little Things at Buffalo Museum of Science". wgrz.com. October 15, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  26. ^ "Artist Alberto Rey '82 Publishes 'Extinct Birds Project' - IUP Magazine - Indiana University of Pennsylvania". iup.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  27. ^ ""The Extinct Birds Project" by artist Alberto Rey | The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History". rtpi.org. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  28. ^ "UB Art Galleries and Buffalo Museum of Science collaborate to showcase Alberto Rey's 'Extinct Birds Project'. | The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History". rtpi.org. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  29. ^ "The art behind 'Biological Realism'". The Buffalo News. May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  30. ^ "Art installation examines Biological Regionalism - UB Reporter". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  31. ^ Basnet, Smriti. "Sketching Bagmati | Business | Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gracia, Jorge J. E. (2014). "The Construction of Identity in Art: Alberto Rey's Journey". Life streams : Alberto Rey's Cuban and American art. Bosch, Lynette M. F., Denaci, Mark. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press Albany. ISBN 978-1-4384-5058-2. OCLC 877868136.
  33. ^ Denaci, Mark. Engaging Ambivalence: Alberto Rey's The Aesthetics of Death in Alberto Rey: Life, Death and Beauty, exh. cat. (Lexington, Virginia: Staniar Gallery, Washington and Lee University, 2009).
  34. ^ "GONE FISHING". The Buffalo News. October 26, 2001. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  35. ^ Alvarez-Borland, Isabel (2014). "Alberto Rey's Balsas Series in the Cuban American Imagination". Life streams : Alberto Rey's Cuban and American art. Bosch, Lynette M. F., Denaci, Mark. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, Albany. ISBN 978-1-4384-5058-2. OCLC 877868136.
  36. ^ "Canadaway Press". Canadaway Press. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  37. ^ Monahan, Phil. "Meet the Winners of the 2021 Orvis-Endorsed Awards!". Orvis News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  38. ^ "William T. and Charlotte N. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award | Fredonia.edu". www.fredonia.edu. Retrieved April 6, 2020.

Further reading

  • Bosch (2013). "The Search for Home: From Exile to Preservationist". Art Museum of the Americas. Washington, D.C. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  • Duany, Jorge (2019). Picturing Cuba: Art, Culture, and Identity on the Island and in the Diaspora. University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-1-68340-109-4.
  • Lewthwaite, Stephanie=2016-05-25 (2017). ""Seeing in the Dark": The Aesthetics of Disappearance and Remembrance in the Work of Alberto Rey". Journal of American Studies. 51 (2): 591–621. doi:10.1017/s0021875816000979. ISSN 0021-8758. S2CID 148311159.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Alvarez-Borland, Isabel (1994). "Displacements and Autobiography in Cuban-American Fiction". World Literature Today. 68 (1): 43–48. doi:10.2307/40149843. ISSN 0196-3570. JSTOR 40149843.
  • "Vol. 11, No. 1, spring 2011 of CR: The New Centennial Review on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  • Bosch, Lynette M. F (2009). Cuban-American literature and art : negotiating identities. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-9373-1. OCLC 912793946.
  • Borland, Isabel Alvarez (2009). "The Memories of Others: Ana Menéndez and Alberto Rey". Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas. 42 (1): 11–20. doi:10.1080/08905760902815669. ISSN 0890-5762. S2CID 144042989.
  • Herrera, Andrea O'Reilly (2008). "Identity, memory and diaspora, voices of Cuban-American artists, writers and philosophers". Latino Studies. 9 (4): 494–495. doi:10.1057/lst.2011.39. ISSN 1476-3435. S2CID 145616175.
  • Memoria : Cuban art of the 20th century. Veigas, José. Los Angeles, CA: California/International Arts Foundation. 2002. ISBN 0-917571-11-8. OCLC 50848031.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  • Bosch, Lynette M.F. (2013). "Cuban Artists across the Diaspora: Setting the Tent Against the House. Andrea O'Reilly Herrera. Austin". New West Indian Guide. 87 (3–4). University of Texas Press: 410–412. doi:10.1163/22134360-12340082. ISSN 1382-2373.
  • video lecture on his work, 2021
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