Amigos Del Museo Del Barrio

TO PRESERVE, INTERPRET, AND PROMOTE THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE OF PUERTO RICANS AND ALL LATIN AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES BY MEANS OF EXHIBITIONS, PUBLIC PROGRAMS, PUBLICATIONS, AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

CURATORIAL AND EXHIBITIONS:CURATED BY EL MUSEO'S CHIEF CURATOR RODRIGO MOURA, WITH CO-ORGANIZATION BY PERMANENT COLLECTION MANAGER, NOEL VALENTININ CELEBRATION OF TALLER BORICUA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO PRESENTS TALLER BORICUA: A POLITICAL PRINT SHOP IN NEW YORK, THE FIRST MONOGRAPH EXHIBITION IN THREE DECADES ABOUT THE EAST HARLEM-BASED NUYORICAN COLLECTIVE WORKSHOP AND ALTERNATIVE SPACE. BEST KNOWN FOR ITS CULTURAL EMPOWERMENT AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM, THE ORGANIZATION COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'THE PUERTO RICAN WORKSHOP," BEGAN AS A PRINTMAKING STUDIO, PRODUCED AND CIRCULATED HUNDREDS OF PRINTS BY ARTISTS. THE PRINTS, PRODUCED MAINLY IN THE 1970S, CENTERED ON ISSUES OF PUERTO RICAN INDEPENDENCE, WORKERS' RIGHTS, AND ANTI-IMPERIALISM BOTH LOCALLY AND IN THE CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICA, ISSUES THAT REMAIN RELEVANT TODAY.CURATED BY RODRIGO MOURA, CHIEF CURATOR OF EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO, THE EXHIBITION IS COMPRISED OF MORE THAN 200 WORKS AND EPHEMERA, INCLUDING SERIGRAPHS, LITHOGRAPHS, LINOCUTS, PAINTINGS, ASSEMBLAGES, COLLAGES, AND DRAWINGS BY FOUNDING AND EARLY MEMBERS, INCLUDING MARCOS DIMAS, CARLOS OSORIO (1927-1984), JORGE SOTO SNCHEZ (1947-1987), NITZA TUFIO, AND RAFAEL TUFIO (1922-2008), AMONG SEVERAL OTHERS. WORKS IN THE SHOW DRAWS FROM EL MUSEO'S PERMANENT COLLECTION, TALLER'S EXTENSIVE ARCHIVES, AS WELL AS OTHER COLLECTIONS.A RECOGNIZED SPACE FOR POLITICAL ACTIVISM, TALLER BORICUA IS ONE OF SEVERAL PUERTO RICAN ORGANIZATIONS CREATED IN NEW YORK CITY AROUND THE SAME TIME, AS THE YOUNG LORDS AND EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO, AND HAS MENTORED SEVERAL GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS, ART HISTORIANS, AND CURATORS. THE SPACE SERVED AS A FOCAL POINT FOR THE AFFIRMATION OF IDENTITY AS IT RELATES TO ARTISTIC PRODUCTION IN THE DIASPORA, AS WELL AS ITS CONNECTIONS WITH NON-WESTERN ART HISTORY NARRATIVES. FOCUSED ON ITS FIRST DECADE OF EXISTENCE, THE EXHIBITION ALSO LOOKS AT THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TALLER BORICUA AND EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO, EXAMINING THEIR COMMON MEMBERS, ETHOS, AND THE ARTISTS' ROLE IN THE CREATION OF A VISUAL IDENTITY FOR THE MUSEUM'S PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS IN ITS EARLY YEARS.LEADERSHIP SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION IS PROVIDED BY TONY BECHARA. GENEROUS FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE DE LA CRUZ MARTNEZ FAMILY AND ENCARNITA VALDES QUINLAN AND ROBERT C. QUINLAN. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS PROVIDED BY RICHARD TORRES.POPULAR PAINTERS AND OTHER VISIONARIES ONLINE EXHIBITIONAUGUST 2020-2021CURATED BY RODRIGO MOURA, CHIEF CURATOR, AND CO-ORGANIZED BY SUSANNA TEMKIN, CURATOR, NOEL VALENTIN, PERMANENT COLLECTION MANAGER, AND KRISTINE SANTOS, CURATORIAL ASSISTANT.POPULAR PAINTERS AND OTHER VISIONARIES EXAMINES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF 30 SCHOOLED AND SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS WHO WORKED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN BETWEEN THE 1930S AND 1970S.THE EXHIBITION DEPARTS FROM THE TERM POPULAR PAINTERS TO IDENTIFY ARTISTS WORKING ON THE MARGINS OF MODERNISM AND THE MAINSTREAM ARTWORLD. POPULAR VISUAL SOURCES PROVIDE THE NARRATIVE THREAD OF THE EXHIBITION, WHICH IS DIVIDED INTO THEMATIC SECTIONS AROUND LABOR, DAILY LIFE, FESTIVITIES, RELIGION, VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE, AND BODILY REPRESENTATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THESE THEMES, FOUR ARTISTS ARE PRESENTED IN MONOGRAPHIC SECTIONS: ANDRES CURRUCHICH, MARTIN RAMIREZ, JOSE BERNARDO CARDOSO JR., AND FELIPE JESUS CONSALVOS.THE ARTISTS FEATURED IN THIS VIRTUAL EXHIBITION SHARE THE COMMON EXPERIENCE OF DIASPORA WHETHER AS AFRICAN POPULATIONS IN THE NEW WORLD, LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES, OR IN REFERENCE TO THE DISPLACEMENT OF AMERINDIAN POPULATIONS WITHIN THEIR OWN TERRITORIES. THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE IMPACT OF MIGRATION, EXCLUSION, MARGINALIZATION, CULTURAL RESISTANCE, INDIGENEITY, SELF-DETERMINATION, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY THAT IS PRESENT IN THEIR WORKS.MOST OF THESE ARTISTS AND THEIR AESTHETIC LANGUAGES HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS "NAIVE OR "PRIMITIVE," LABELS THAT THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS PROJECT REJECT AS PEJORATIVE AND REDUCTIVE IN THAT THEY IMPLICATE RACIAL AND SOCIAL BIAS AND PREJUDICE. THIS EXHIBITION REFLECTS EL MUSEO'S CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO REDEFINE ART BEYOND EUROCENTRIC LIMITATIONS.ORIGINALLY PLANNED AS A PERMANENT COLLECTION BASED EXHIBITION SCHEDULED FOR THE SUMMER OF 2020 IN EL MUSEO'S GALLERIES, THIS ONLINE PRESENTATION THE MUSEUM'S FIRST WAS RECONCEIVED DURING THE QUARANTINE IMPOSED BY COVID-19 AND EXPANDS ITS ORIGINAL SCOPE TO INCLUDE "VIRTUAL LOANS" FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS.THE MEMORIALA DONATION BY RAPHAEL MONTANEZ ORTIZON VIEW DECEMBER 4, 2020-JANUARY 17, 2021RAPHAEL MONTANEZ ORTIZ STARTED A NEW LARGE-SCALE WORK, IN A DEVELOPMENT OF A SERIES OF ASSEMBLAGES IN WHICH HE HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE PAST DECADE. IN THE SPRING OF 2020, HE BEGAN TO RELATE THE WORK, INSPIRED BY THE GENOCIDE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DURING THE EUROPEAN INVASION OF THE AMERICAS, TO THE IMPACT CAUSED BY COVID-19 AMONG LATINX AND BIPOC POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. LAST SUMMER, MONTANEZ ORTIZ DECIDED TO DONATE THE WORK TO EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO, THE INSTITUTION HE FOUNDED IN 1969. THE CONDITION HE PUT IN PLACE WAS THAT THE WORK SHOULD BE PRESENTED IN 2020, IN ORDER TO ENSURE ITS RESONANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC. THE WORK WAS COMPLETED AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS GATHERING MATERIAL PURCHASED ONLINE, PRESENTED IN A SPECIALLY CREATED DISPLAY CASE. THIS STRUCTURE ECHOES THE SHAPE OF VARIOUS EXHIBITION APPARATUSES AND THEIR COLONIAL GENEALOGIES FROM THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES TO THE DIORAMA AND THE RELIQUARY. INSIDE ARE PRESENTED PAGES OF BOOKS, REPLICAS OF GOLD NUGGETS, BONES, FEATHERS, AND WEAPONS, ALL ALLUDING TO THE INVASION OF THE AMERICAS. THE ORCHESTRATION OF THESE OBJECTS ARTICULATES RECURRING INTERESTS IN THE ARTIST'S PRACTICE SINCE THE 1960S, SUCH AS COLONIALISM, DESTRUCTION, AUTHENTICATION, MAGIC, AND ANIMISM. DESCRIBED IN THE ARTIST'S OWN WORDS "A PERSONAL PROPHECY", HE RELATES THE PIECE TO RECENT EVENTS AS WELL AS TO HIS OWN MORTALITY: "I PUT MYSELF INTO THIS PIECE."WITH ITS MONUMENTAL TITLE (THE MEMORIAL TO THE SADISTIC HOLOCAUST DESTRUCTION OF MILLIONS OF OUR ANCIENT ARAWAK-TAINO-LATINX ANCESTORS BEGUN IN 1492 BY COLUMBUS AND HIS MISSION TO WITH THE CONQUISTADORES COLONIZE AND DELIVER TO SPAIN THE WEALTH OF THE NEW WORLD NO MATTER THE HUMAN COST TO THE NEW WORLD'S LESS THAN HUMAN ABORIGINE INHABITANTS), THE WORK IS PRESENTED HERE TOGETHER WITH ANOTHER ITEM FROM EL MUSEO'S PERMANENT COLLECTION, AN ENGLISH EDITION OF THE BOOK BY FR. BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS. BREVISIMA RELACION DE LA DESTRUCCION DE LAS INDIAS WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1552 AND IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS DOCUMENTING THE BRUTAL TREATMENT OF INDIGENOUS CULTURES BY THE SPANISH CONQUERORS.THIS PRESENTATION ANTICIPATES THE RETROSPECTIVE THAT WILL CELEBRATE MONTANEZ ORTIZ'S MORE THAN SIXTY-YEAR CAREER, SCHEDULED FOR THE END OF 2021. WITH THIS MAJOR DONATION, THE FOUNDER OF THE MUSEUM CREATES A GESTURE THAT EXPANDS AND DEEPENS HIS LEGACY IN THE INSTITUTION.ESTAMOS BIEN LA TRIENAL 20/21MARCH 13 SEPTEMBER 26, 2021CURATED BY EL MUSEO'S CHIEF CURATOR RODRIGO MOURA; CURATOR, SUSANNA V. TEMKIN; AND GUEST CURATOR, ELIA ALBAEL MUSEO DEL BARRIO PRESENTS ESTAMOS BIEN LA TRIENAL 20/21, THE MUSEUM'S FIRST NATIONAL LARGE-SCALE SURVEY OF LATINX CONTEMPORARY ART FEATURING MORE THAN 40 ARTISTS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND PUERTO RICO. ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR FALL 2020, THE SHOW HAS BEEN RECONCEIVED AND EXPANDED AS A YEARLONG INITIATIVE, THE EXHIBITION DEBUTS SUMMER 2020 WITH ONLINE PROJECTS FOLLOWED BY AN ONSITE EXHIBITION IN LAS GALERIAS (GALLERIES) OPENING SPRING 2021. RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMS FEATURING CURATORS, ARTISTS, INVITED SCHOLARS AND OTHER GUESTS WILL TAKE PLACE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.ESTAMOS BIEN LA TRIENAL 20/21 IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE JACQUES & NATASHA GELMAN FOUNDATION. LEADERSHIP SUPPORT IS PROVIDED BY THE ROCKEFELLER BROTHERS FUND. COMMISSIONED WORKS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY TONY BECHARA. MAJOR FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY MORGAN STANLEY AND THE LENORE G. TAWNEY FOUNDATION. GENEROUS FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE COWLES CHARITABLE TRUST AND LA TRIENAL COUNCIL: CRAIG ROBINS AND JACKIE SOFFER, ESTRELLITA AND DANIEL BRODSKY AND THE JORGE M. PEREZ FAMILY FOUNDATION AT THE MIAMI FOUNDATION. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS PROVIDED BY THE EL MUSEO FUND.

MUSEUM/THEATRE OPERATIONS:MUSEUM- EL MUSEO IS OPEN WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM AND SUNDAY 12 PM TO 5 PM. IN ADDITION TO EXCITING EXHIBITIONS, EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS, IT OFFERS VISITOR AMENTITIES SUCH AS CAF, COAT CHECK AND MUSEUM SHOP. THE FACILITIES UPDATES INCLUDE, RECONFIGURING WHAT IS KNOWN AS ROOM 110, A MULTIPURPOSE SPACE THAT CONTAINS 3,034 SQUARE FEET FOR FUTURE USE IN FALL 2020. DUE TO THE COVID- PANDEMIC, EL MUSEO WAS CLOSED FROM MARCH 14, 2020 TO SEPTEMBER 12, 2020. EL MUSEO REOPENED SEPTEMBER 12, 2020, WEEKENDS ONLY, FROM 12PM-5PM WITH LIMITED CAPACITY FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING THROUGH AUGUST 22, 2021. AS OF AUGUST 27, 2021, EL MUSEO ADDED FRIDAY'S FROM 12 PM TO 5 PM FOR THE REMAINING OF LA TRIENAL EXHIBITION.THEATRE - THE HISTORIC AND BEAUTIFUL TEATRO IS THE ONLY THEATER OF ITS KIND IN THE UPPER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN. CONSISTING OF A PROSCENIUM ARCH STAGE WITH AN ORCHESTRA PIT AND SEATING FOR 572 GUESTS, IT HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AS A LANDMARK QUALITY INTERIOR VENUE FOR ITS REMARKABLE SERIES OF 30-FOOT MURALS AND STAINED-GLASS ROUNDELS. EL TEATRO IS IDEAL FOR AWARD SHOWS, LECTURES, CONCERTS, OPERAS, MEDIA EVENTS, FILM/PHOTO SHOOTS, GRADUATIONS, CONFERENCES AND MORE. EL TEATRO WAS CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19 FROM MARCH 2020 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2021. EL TEATRO OPENED WITH VERY LIMITED CAPACITY, ALLOWING 100 PEOPLE ON OCTOBER 9, 2021 FOR A FILM SCREENING. THERE WERE 3 OTHER THEATER EVENTS AT REDUCED 100-PERSON CAPACITY BETWEEN OCTOBER 2021 AND DECEMBER 2021.

THE PUBLIC PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT CONTINUED TO DEVELOP A ROBUST SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMS DURING THIS PERIOD. IN ADDITION TO FURTHER DEVELOPING EL MUSEO EN TU CASA, THE SERIES WHICH BEGAN AS A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE MUSEUM'S CLOSURE DUE TO COVID, THE DEPARTMENT CO-PRODUCED A NUMBER OF ANNUAL EVENTS AND LAUNCHED NEW INITIATIVES. JUEVES SOCIAL: OUR MONTHLY MUSIC-CENTERED PROGRAM SERIES, JUEVES SOCIAL, CONTINUED THIS PERIOD WITH THE INCLUSION OF EVENTS THAT COMBINED BOTH A DJ AS WELL AS A WARMUP DANCE INSTRUCTION CENTERED ON AFRO-LATINX RHYTHMS HELD ON JULY 16. EXPANDING UPON THE DJ FORMAT, THE PROGRAM FEATURED A PERFORMANCE BY STANDING ON THE CORNER, AN EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ AND HIP HOP GROUP, FOLLOWED BY A TALK WITH GROUP LEADER GIO ESCOBAR ON JUNE 25. UPTOWN BOUNCE: THIS YEAR'S UPTOWN BOUNCE, HELD ON AUGUST 19, WAS UNIQUE AS THE ENTIRE PROGRAM WAS PRODUCED VIRTUALLY. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH MCNY EXPANDED TO INCLUDE TWO NEW PARTNERS: THE AFRICA CENTER WHO PRESENTED PROGRAMMING AND THE MANHATTAN NEWS NETWORK WHO JOINED TO HELP PRODUCE AND BROADCAST THE EVENT. UPTOWN BOUNCE INCLUDED TWO HOURS OF PRE-RECORDED PROGRAMMING HOSTED BY THE ICONIC FAB 5 FREDD. EL MUSEO PRODUCED OUR FIRST EVER VIRTUAL AROUND THE BLOCK TOUR FOR THE EVENT, WHICH INCLUDED A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT MURALS AND SITES IN EL BARRIO. FOLLOWING THE BROADCAST, WHICH WAS ALSO VIEWABLE ON ALL THREE INSTITUTIONS' SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, AN AFTER-PARTY WAS HELD WHICH INCLUDED A DJ SET BY THE LEGENDARY DJ RICH MEDINA.ADULT VISUAL ARTS RELATED PROGRAMMING: EL MUSEO'S VISUAL ARTS PROGRAMMING INCLUDED THREE VIRTUAL LAUNCHES. ON JULY 27, THE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, IN COLLABORATION WITH CURATORIAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS, LAUNCHED THE RELEASE OF RAPHAEL MONTANEZ ORTIZ'S MONOGRAPH WITH A VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSION THAT INCLUDED ORTIZ, AS WELL AS FELLOW ARTISTS MARCOS DIMAS, PEDRO REYES, AND JUAN SANCHEZ, AMONG OTHERS.ON JULY 23, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CURATORIAL, PUBLIC PROGRAMS LAUNCHED THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF LA TRIENAL PROGRAMS WITH A TALK FEATURING ARTIST LIZANIA CRUZ DISCUSSING HER ONLINE PROJECT OBITUARIES OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. LA TRIENAL PROGRAMS CONTINUED WITH THE PREMIER OF A RECORDED PERFORMANCE BY PONCILI CREACION ENTITLED "SOMX PODEMXS" ON AUGUST 25, FOLLOWED BY A Q&A WITH THE ARTISTS.IN SUPPORT OF THE LAUNCH OF POPULAR PAINTERS & OTHER VISIONARIES, TWO TALKS WERE HELD IN COLLABORATION WITH CURATORIAL. THE FIRST, HELD ON AUGUST 6, CURATING DURING THE PANDEMIC, EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON CURATORIAL PROJECTS AND THE EMERGENCE OF NEW FORMATS AND PRESENTATION STRATEGIES.THE EVENT INCLUDED A DISCUSSION WITH RODRIGO MOURA MODERATED BY AIME IGLESIAS LUKIN, DIRECTOR AND CHIEF CURATOR OF VISUAL ARTS AT THE AMERICAS SOCIETY AND PANELISTS HITOMI IWASAKI, DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS, THE QUEENS MUSEUM AND HERB TAM, CURATOR AND DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITIONS, MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA. ON AUGUST 26, A SECOND PROGRAM FEATURED A DISCUSSION BETWEEN MOURA AND TOMS TOLEDO, CHIEF CURATOR OF MUSEO DE ARTE DE SAO PAULO ASSIS CHATEAUBRIAND (MASP) ON BRAZILIAN MODERNISM AND NON-CANONICAL VISUAL SOURCES.FAMILY & YOUTH: SABADO FAMILIAR PROGRAMMING PRESENTED A DIVERSE MIX OF EXPERIENCES FOR OUR INTERGENERATIONAL AUDIENCES INCLUDING A POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP WITH NUYORICAN POET CARIDAD DE LA CRUZ "LA BRUJA," HELD ON JULY 25, AN IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP WITH SUNI REYES ON AUGUST 22, AS WELL AS RUMBA AND SAMBA CLASSES, PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS AND THE CENTER FOR AFRICAN AND DIASPORA DANCE (CUMBE) ON AUGUST 15 AND 29 RESPECTIVELY). WE ALSO CONTINUED COQUI CLUB, WITH LIVE ONLINE STORYTELLING, ART MAKING WORKSHOPS DESIGNED BY OUR EDUCATORS. WELLNESS: PONTE READY, EL MUSEO'S MONTHLY WELLNESS SERIES INCLUDED A BALANCE OF BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CENTERED PROGRAMMING FOR OUR LATINX COMMUNITY. INCLUDED DURING THIS PERIOD WERE A COOKING LESSON BY MANOLO LOPEZ OF MOFONGO (JUNE 29), A GUIDED MEDITATION LED BY LYNSEY AYALA OF BREAD X BUTTA (JULY 6), A GUIDED RUN BY WE RUN UPTOWN (JULY 20), AS WELL AS A HEALTHY SOFRITO MAKING LESSON BY CHEF GABRIELA RAMOS (AUGUST 1).