Cuba Curated: Havana & Viñales

Trip Summary

Led by Jennifer Schlesinger, Nelson Ramírez de Arellano & Carlos Otero

Dates

Feb. 19 – 27, 2026

Group Size

9 People

Activity Level

Moderate, some walking with stairs.

Price

$6,300 (double occupancy) – Single Supplement: $350

Workshop Details

Immersion & Creativity: Havana & Viñales

Join us on an exquisitely curated journey into Cuba’s unwavering ingenuity and sophisticated artistic sensibilities. This program is designed to reveal two distinct yet deeply connected aspects of Cuba’s creative spirit. In Havana, we immerse ourselves in the country’s cultural epicenter – a city alive with galleries, studios, music, and performance. Days are filled with curated access to Cuba’s leading artists and institutions, offering a behind-the-scenes view of this unmatched art scene.

In Viñales, the pace shifts dramatically. Here, the raw artistic beauty of the Valley – defined by dramatic mogotes, tobacco fields, and the rhythms of rural life – inspires a different genre of creativity. Surrounded by this landscape, art-making becomes slower, more introspective, and deeply attuned to nature and community. Together, these dramatically different environments offer contrasting portraits of Cuban creativity: sophisticated and urban versus raw and elemental.

Dancer in Havana, Cuba by Leysis Quesada Vera

In the Company of Guides Who Know

Havana’s vibrant art scene is layered with historic institutions, experimental studios, and dynamic galleries. With Nelson Ramirez de Arrellano, Jennifer Schlesinger and Carlos Otero we are immersed in these spaces as welcomed guests, experiencing Cuba’s art world from the inside.
Nelson shares the perspective of a man who long has been at the leading edge of Cuba’s contemporary art movement, while Jennifer brings her exquisite curatorial eye and global connections in fine-art photography, and Carlos lends his unique artistic insight, access and charisma. Together, they guide us into experiences and dialogues that reveal not only exciting art forms, but also the creative lives and visions of those who bring them to life.

Havana Boutique Stay

We enjoy three nights upon arriving in a boutique hotel in Vedado known for it’s eclectic architecture of the early 20th century and it’s modern decor with a classic car theme. Open spaces and courtyards lush with tropical vegetation allow space for enjoying a cocktail or lively group discussion.

Behind the Scenes at La Fábrica de Arte Cubano

Our Havana experience includes coveted VIP access to La Fábrica de Arte Cubano (F.A.C.), Havana’s premier venue for art, music, and performance, and a global mecca for Cuba’s wildly expressive artistic passion. We’ll experience the art installations and live performances while enjoying time for dialogue with the artists themselves.

Viñales: Raw Artistic Beauty

After three nights immersed in Havana’s cultural energy, we amble westward to Viñales for three nights in the magical Valley where blossoming creativity is inseparable from the landscape itself. Towering cave-pocked mogotes, oxen-tilled red-earth tobacco fields, and the quiet rhythms of family farm life form a lush backdrop for creative introspection and inspiration.
We stay in family-operated casas particulares near the Viñales town center, where each participant enjoys a private room and bath. On shaded porches lined with rocking chairs, we sip coffee with our hosts and neighbors who envelop us in the warmth of rural Cuban hospitality. We delight on our porches during “rush hour” when the streets come to life with horse-drawn carts, giggling uniformed school children, and independent produce vendors calling out their wares.

Our first morning in Viñales unfolds at a leisurely pace, with opportunities to explore the Palmarito Valley on foot or horseback, and to write, sketch, or photograph the dramatic landscape. In the late afternoon, we gather for an artistic symposium at the lush and bucolic MogoteArt Center, whose artistic vision reflects the gentle, creative spirit of the region. Our group will share our own creative projects and enjoy an engaging dialogue with Jennifer, Nelson and Carlos. The evening is a festive celebration of community, featuring an unforgettable meal, music, and laughter carrying us into the balmy night beneath the stars and hulking mogotes.

Final Celebration in Havana

Our Viñales journey concludes with a leisurely return trip to Havana, pausing for a delicious farm-to-table brunch in the countryside before a free afternoon to relax or explore Old Havana. The next day in Havana allows time to visit a few more artist studios or engage in individual creative pursuits. Our closing evening is one of shared reflections and creations, honoring the art we’ve witnessed and the inter-personal connections we’ve made.

Itinerary Highlights

Immerse in Havana’s vibrant art scene, guided by leading artist/curators Jennifer, Nelson and Carlos.
Take daily field trips that reveal both everyday Cuban life and extraordinary art.
Relax in a boutique hotel on Havana’s “Fifth Avenue,” blending comfort and serenity for three nights after arrival and enjoy special access into ISA (Instituto Superior de Arte), Cuba’s premier art university.
Learn about the island’s photographic past with a visit to Fototeca de Cuba, Cuba’s renowned national center for photography.
Be creatively sparked by VIP access and conversations with leading artists in Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC), arguably the hippest art fusion center in the world.
Absorb the captivating art collection housed in The National Museum of Fine Arts (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes)
Experience the raw beauty of Viñales’ landscapes, its towering mogotes crowned with Royal palms (Roystonea regia), and its charming community life.
Enjoy casas particulares homestays in Viñales with private rooms and private baths for 3 nights for a true Cuban experience.
Engage in artistic dialogue and unforgettable hospitality at the inspired MogoteArts Center.
Relish time for personal creativity — photography, drawing, or writing.
Gather in Havana for a final special celebration of artistic creativity and personal connection.

Your Instructors

Jennifer Schlesinger

Instructor

Jennifer Schlesinger is a curator, artist, photography appraiser, and scholar based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jennifer graduated from the College of Santa Fe in 1998 with a B.A. in Photography and Journalism. She served as the Assistant Director of Santa Fe Art Institute from 2003-2005 and was the Director of VERVE Gallery of Photography for over a decade, 2005-2017. Since 2016 she has been the founder, owner and Director at Obscura Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she represents both contemporary and historical photography through exhibitions, appraisals, and various programming. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of International Photography Dealers (AIPAD) and she is an accredited member of the Appraisers Association of America specializing in photography.

Nelson Ramírez de Arellano

Director of the Wilfredo Lam Contemporary Art Center and the Havana Biennial

Nelson Ramirez de Arellano Conde launched his artistic career in 1993 as a member of the artist group ArteNativa, a collective focused on social and ecological themes in Havana. He also collaborated with Cuban artist Liudmila Velasco to create Liudmila & Nelson, a photography-based artistic team which represented Cuba at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.

In addition to his career as an artist, Nelson was the Chief Curator and eventually Director of the Cuban National Center for Photography (Fototeca de Cuba). Presently, he is the Director of the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center and the Havana Biennial.

Ramirez de Arellano also is Co-founder and Curator at Fábrica de Arte Cubano — the most successful and popular cultural project in Cuba, recently nominated by Time Magazine amongst the 100 greatest places in the world.

Instagram: @liudmila_and_nelson_art_choice

Carlos Otero Blanco

Partner | Resident Cuban Expert & Guide

Carlos Otero Blanco is a dynamic photographer who specializes in inventive conceptual projects and creative underwater photography. His wide range of thematic interests spans documentary photography, portraiture, and nature.

Carlos may be best known for his sensitive photographic study of Cuban bedrooms, with hundreds photographed since 2009. The exquisite images were published in his book, Dormir con… (To Sleep with…), co-authored with Enrique Rottenberg, which has been shown in several national and international exhibits, and was featured in The New York Times, among other publications.

Born and raised in Havana, Carlos knows Cuba He has explored its rivers, its shorelines, its cities and villages, its mountains, its farmland and, most intimately, its people. His many friends across the island light up whenever he arrives. His wit and character are threaded throughout his vividly expressive portrait series, Cuba Vive, and are readily recognizable within his diverse selection of photographic subjects from around and across the island.

Carlos has a deep commitment to the natural world, and relishes adventure photography. He has participated in studies of subaquatic archeology, and holds several divemaster and instructor titles, as well as numerous awards for his spectacular underwater photography.

Instagram: @oteroblancocu

Travel Legally

This program is conducted under the U.S. Treasury Department’s General License for People-to-People Educational Exchange (Title 31 CFR § 515.560). Every day is a full schedule of meaningful, human-centered interactions designed to foster cultural understanding and support Cuban civil society.