Jose Cuervo celebrates Latin Culture & Inspires artists through the Tradicional Mural Project.

As part of Jose Cuervo’s long history of supporting the arts and Latin culture is launching the Tradicional Mural Project 2012. Through this platform, Jose Cuervo Tradicional hopes to create a dialogue through artistic endeavors that will inspire artists over the age of 21 to celebrate the Latin culture sharing their hopes and dreams for the Latin community through murals—an art form that, like Jose Cuervo Tradicional, is a truly authentic part of Mexico’s history and culture. As part of this nationwide platform (where legal), Jose Cuervo Tradicional is inviting artists over the age of 21 to compete for the opportunity to win $15,000 by submitting an original mural painting inspired by their passion for Latin culture and the Jose Cuervo Tradicional bottle. Jose Cuervo Tradicional will also donate $15,000 to a Latino arts and cultural organization on behalf of the winner as well as display the top 10 murals in a public artistic venue such as a gallery or museum to be announced at a later date.

Artists can participate in the Jose Cuervo Tradicional Mural Project contest by submitting a 150-word statement describing how they are inspired by Hispanic heritage, along with their professional artwork portfolio via http://nalac.submittable.com/submit/13194/submission or Th*****************@MK**.com. The application period is open from now through 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday, Aug. 31, 2012.

“Murals have been used by artists in Mexico and the U.S. to celebrate a rich culture,” said Roy Danis, President, Jose Cuervo International. “Similarly, Jose Cuervo is an iconic and authentic embodiment of the past and future of Mexico. For this reason we have created the Jose Cuervo Tradicional Mural Project 2012 — to celebrate and keep cultural and artistic traditions alive while encouraging Latinos to look toward the future.”

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) will serve as a consultant for the Jose Cuervo Tradicional Mural Project 2012 to increase visibility for the contest within the arts community. As part of this arts consultancy, NALAC will work with Jose Cuervo Tradicional across each phase of the program to engage artists, Latino communities and non-profit organizations.

A prestigious jury will review the entries and select ten finalists. The jury will be comprised of members from NALAC, Jose Cuervo Tradicional and Clifton Collins, Jr., critically acclaimed actor and director, who is also known for photographing and using murals as backdrops to music videos he has directed and produced. The finalists will be announced on Sept. 13 in Los Angeles.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Creativity and originality

Sincerity and clarity of expression

Relevance to theme “How does your Hispanic heritage influence and contribute towards the contemporary expression of Latino arts and culture?”

The Jose Cuervo Tradicional Mural Project 2012 finalists will work on their murals between the months of September and October. Completed murals will be unveiled at a special event in Chicago on Nov. 8, 2012. Photographs of the murals will be uploaded to Jose Cuervo Tradicional’s bilingual Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/LosAmigosDeJose) so that consumers across the country can vote for the mural that most inspires them. The artist whose mural receives the greatest number of votes will receive a $15,000 grant and a $15,000 donation by Jose Cuervo Tradicional to a nonprofit arts organization in his/her community. Although only one mural will receive the grand prize, all 10 murals will be displayed at a public artistic venue such as a gallery or museum.

People 21 years of age or older can visit Jose Cuervo Tradicional’s Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/LosAmigosDeJose) to learn more about the Jose Cuervo Tradicional Mural Project 2012, the contest and local events.