El Quixote Festival

WUNC | By Anita Rao,

Published November 18, 2015 at 12:12 PM EST

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Cervantes Is Among Us, one photo that's part of the 'I am Quixote/Yo Soy Quixote' arts exhibit on view at the Durham Arts Council.

Jean-Christian Rostagni

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Dulcinea, one photo that's part of the 'I am Quixote/Yo Soy Quixote' arts exhibit on view at the Durham Arts Council.

Jean-Christian Rostagni

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Local Jaws, one photo that's part of the 'I am Quixote/Yo Soy Quixote' arts exhibit on view at the Durham Arts Council.

Jean-Christian Rostagni

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'I should be skinny' is one part of the 'I Should be...' Armor Series. Being skinny is valued by Americans as a trait of beauty, bombarded by media and fashion industry marketing.

Betsy Birkner

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'I should follow my spirit, II' is one part of the 'I Should be...' Armor Series. The horse symbolizes the spirit of 'personal drive, passion and appetite for freedom.'

Betsy Birkner

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'The Mermaid, La Serena' is one part of the 'I Should be...' Armor Series. The Mermaid is a part of the Michoacan culture that represents the pressures of everyday living that caused a woman to walk into the lake and become a mermaid.

Betsy Birkner

This year marks the 400^th anniversary of Miguel De Cervantes' infamous two-part novel “El Quixote.” It is considered by many to be the first modern novel, and its themes continue to resonate with today’s artists and thinkers.

To celebrate the anniversary, Triangle-based artist Rafael Osuba coordinated a 7-month long festival, “El Quixote Festival,” that gathers artists around the state to share works that reflect the character and spirit of Don Quixote.

Host Frank Stasio previews the festival with artistic director Rafael Osuba. He is also joined by artists Betsy Birkner and Jean-Christian Rostagni, whose work is featured in the "I Am Quixote" exhibit currently on view at the Durham Arts Council through January. The artists will be part of an artists’ roundtable at the Arts Council tomorrow at 7 p.m.