The Studios of Key West presents Edel Rodriguez: WORM: A Cuban American Odyssey in the Sanger Gallery Jan 8-29 Opening Reception: Thursday, January 8, 6–8pm Free Gallery Talk with the Artist: Fri, Jan 9, 5pm

Edel Rodriguez by Deborah Feingold

Cover of Worm, a graphic memoir by Edel Rodriguez

​KEY WEST, FL — The Studios of Key West is proud to present WORM: A Cuban American Odyssey, an exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist and illustrator Edel Rodriguez, opening Thursday, January 8, with a public reception from 6–8pm in the Sanger Gallery. Please note that due to the New Year’s holiday, The Studios’ First Thursday Open House has been moved to the second Thursday of the month.
 
Best known for his bold, provocative covers for TIME and Der Spiegel, Rodriguez brings together original drawings from his acclaimed graphic memoir Worm, along with new paintings, silkscreened posters, and political illustrations that have made him one of the most influential visual voices of our time. The exhibition also features personal artifacts, family photographs, and source materials that shaped the book, offering an intimate and layered look at a life lived between cultures.
 
WORM: A Cuban American Odyssey traces Rodriguez’s extraordinary journey from his childhood in Cold War Cuba to his family’s escape during the 1980 Mariel boatlift. Labeled gusanos—“worms”—by the Castro regime, Rodriguez and his family fled by shrimping boat, arriving in Key West, the first American soil he ever knew. That moment would become foundational to an artistic practice rooted in migration, displacement, and the pursuit of freedom.
 
Today, Rodriguez is widely recognized for artwork that confronts authoritarianism, champions democratic values, and gives visual form to the immigrant experience. As he has said, “My main responsibility as a visual artist is to communicate and inform — to get people to pay attention to the things that affect their lives, and to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.” His work is deeply personal yet globally resonant, shaped by lived experience and an unwavering commitment to truth.
 
The exhibition is complemented by the PBS documentary Edel Rodriguez: Freedom Is a Verb, part of In the Making, an American Masters and Firelight Media series spotlighting emerging cultural icons. The 17-minute film is free to stream on PBS.org and via the PBS app.
 
→ Watch the film:
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/edel-rodriguez-freedom-is-a-verb/36594/
 
WORM: A Cuban American Odyssey will be on view January 8–29, 2026, in the Sanger Gallery at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton Street. The exhibition is sponsored by Historic Hideaways. For more information, visit tskw.org.