Nuyorican by Jacqueline Manoharan

RICAN

NUYORICAN The Nuyorican Movement and Art Today

Created by Jacqueline Manoharan Pratt Institute MS Communications Design Typography II Professor Tom Dolle Spring 2014

Dedicated to my grandfather, Juan A. Velรกzquez

MUCHAS GRACIAS Acknowledgments

would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to those who made this project possible. First, thank you to the institutions that not only house, but share the Nuyorican art with the entire New York community. The management and staff at El Museo del Barrio, Taller Boricua, and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe were accommodating, helpful, and excited about this project. It is venues such as these that keep the culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora alive and strong in New York City. Secondly, I must thank the individuals who helped me throughout this process, includ-

ing Professor Tom Dolle, my classmates, and mother for all providing me unique and constructive input. Lastly and most importantly, I must share my appreciation for all the artists who have contributed to this book and the Nuyorican movement itself. Both Luis Carle and Maria DomĂnguez were so responsive and enthusiastic with sharing their work and thoughts with me. All the artists, musicians, and performers who inspired this book truly influenced me as a creative soul. I hope to one day reach their caliber of artistry.

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 HISTORY 3 Puerto Rico From PR to NYC A New Home

ART & CULTURE

The Nuyorican Movement Music El Museo del Barrio Taller Boricua Nuyorican Poets Cafe

ORGANIZATIONS 35 O.P. Art PR Dream

CONCLUSION 45 RESOURCES 47

MY CULTURAL EXPLORATION Introduction

s a multicultural individual, I consider myself blessed to identify with two rich cultures, Indian on my father’s side and Puerto Rican on my mother’s. Over the years my perceived connections with each side have strengthened and wavered. As an adolescent, I felt more connected to my Puerto Rican heritage, as I was closer to that side

of my family. In college, being part of a multicultural organization allowed me to understand that being culturally mixed is essential to my identity. Personal issues, however, went on to disconnect me from some of my Puerto Rican family members and culture. By creating this book, I hoped to learn about my own culture, not only that of Puerto Rico, but of Puerto Ricans

who reside in New York City, like my mother did. My grandfather was born on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. He moved to New York City as a teenager with his father and siblings after his mother passed away. My grandmother was born and raised in the city. It was here that they began their life together. My mother lived with them in Spanish Harlem until my parents married. Creating this book has allowed me to feel more connected with my Puerto Rican heritage than ever before. My research included exploring my mother’s old neighborhood, listening to family stories,

Left: My parents on their wedding day Right: My maternal grandparents

and looking through photo albums. The process allowed me to immerse myself in art, poetry, and music that I may have not otherwise been exposed to. I feel a new sense of pride in my identity as a Puerto Rican and the common thread I share with these artists. Though many of the obstacles of the past still exist, Nuyoricans continually prove their passion, uniqueness, and resilience. This book provides just a slice of the Nuyorican movement and culture, which have become an integral part of the fabric of New York City.

Top: My parents, siblings, and I at my Sweet 16 Left: My aunt, grandmother, and mother Right: My Titi Rosie and Tio Luis visiting a relative's college dorm room decorated with the Puerto Rican flag

HISTORY

PUERTO RICO History & Heritage

hristopher Columbus arrived at Puerto Rico in 1493. He originally called the island San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist), but thanks to the gold in the river, it was soon known as Puerto Rico, or “rich port,” and the capital city took the name San Juan. Soon, Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony on its way to becoming an important military outpost.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

ATLANTIC O CEAN

VIRGIN ISLANDS HAITI

PUERTO RICO

CARIBBEAN SEA

SAN JUAN

CULEBRA VIEQUES

Puerto Rico and its Neighboring Islands

Puerto Rico began to produce cattle, sugarcane, coffee, and tobacco, which led to the importation of slaves from Africa. As a result, Puerto Rican bloodlines and culture evolved through a mixing of the Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno and CaribIndian races that shared the island. Today, many Puerto Rican towns retain their Taíno names, such as Utuado, Mayagüez and Caguas. Over the years numerous unsuccessful attempts were made by the French, Dutch, and English to conquer the island. To guard against these incursions, the Spanish constructed many forts and ramparts still found on the island. Puerto Rico remained an overseas province of Spain until the SpanishAmerican War, when U.S. forces invaded the island with a landing at Guánica. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1898, Spain

ceded Puerto Rico (along with Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam) to the U.S. Puerto Ricans received U.S. citizenship in 1917 (immediately before conscription for World War I) and Puerto Rico officially became a U.S. Commonwealth in 1952. The issue of political status is one under constant debate, with some in favor of statehood, others independence, and still others for the continuation of commonwealth status. During World War II, the U.S. Navy purchased two thirds of the island to use as a naval base. The Navy used the area for military exercises and bombing practice for nearly 60 years until a civilian was killed during a bombing exercise in the 1990s. This sparked a wave of protests that finally ended when the base closed in 2003. Since then, the Navy’s lands have become wildlife reserves.

The turn of the century saw Puerto Rico under United States sovereignty. At that time, Puerto Ricoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy relied on its sugar crop, but by the middle of the century, an ambitious industrialization effort called Operation Bootstrap, was underway. Cheap labor and appealing tax laws attracted American companies, and soon the Puerto Rican economy was firmly grounded in tourism and manufacturing, producing high-tech equipment and many top-selling American pharmaceuticals. Recently, however, the island has entered an economic crisis plagued by significant debt, a high rate of unemployment, a soaring cost of living, widespread crime, and increasing migration to the U.S. mainland. Spanish and English are official languages and the currency is the U.S. Dollar.

A young man working in a sugarcane field near Guayanilla

Pre–1500

1500–1800s On his second voyage to the Indies in 1493, Christopher Columbus arrives on the island and claims it for Spain, renaming it San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist).

European diseases and mistreatment begin to devastate the Taíno population. The natives rebel but the better armed Spanish win out.

Puerto Rico develops a plantation economy based on sugarcane and coffee.

El Grito de Lares (The Cry of Lares), an 1868 uprising against Spanish rule, is suppressed, but becomes a symbol of the Puerto Rican fight for independence.

The Spanish republic abolishes slavery and allows Puerto Rico a period of constitutional government (1870–74).

Under the Jones Act in 1917, Puerto Rico is declared a U.S. territory and citizenship is conferred on Puerto Ricans. Key government officials, including the governor, remain presidential appointees. Early U.S. governors are preoccupied with "Americanizing" Puerto Rican institutions, language, and political habits, but they have no clear policy on the island's political status.

A great, postwar wave of Puerto Rican immigration to the United States begins. Most come searching for employment opportunities in the booming economy.

The U.S. Congress allows Puerto Rico to elect its governors by popular vote; Muñoz Marín is elected to the first of four terms. His economic development program, Operation Bootstrap, industrializes and urbanizes the island through low wages and tax concessions to U.S. investors. While the program also promotes migration to the mainland to provide labor for U.S. industry, those who remain enjoy a higher standard of living than ever before.

The first inhabitants of Puerto Rico are the Taíno, hunter-gatherers who live in small villages led by a cacique, or chief. Despite their limited knowledge of agriculture, they grow pineapples, cassava, and sweet potatoes and supplement their diet with seafood. They call the island Boriken.

1800s

African slaves are brought to the island by the Spanish as laborers in the gold mines.

The gold mines are declared depleted.

For the second time, Spain grants Puerto Rico autonomy, including the vote for all literate males. Puerto Rico can now establish its own import duties and foreign trade relations.

The brief Spanish-American War (1898), in which the United States wins Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and other colonial possessions from Spain under the Treaty of Paris, prevents Puerto Ricans from implementing their new government.

Puerto Rico becomes a Commonwealth in 1952. The island's constitution is proclaimed on July 25, the 54th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of the island.

Puerto Rican voters reject statehood three times in three decades.

Ginger replaces sugar as Puerto Rico's main cash crop.

1900s Santiago Iglesias founds the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, which leads strikes, helps found labor unions, and protests the invasion of U.S. goods and capital into Puerto Rico.

2000s The U.S. Naval base is closed. During World War II, the U.S. Navy purchased two thirds of the island to use as a naval base. The U.S. Navy used the area for military exercises and bombing practice for nearly 60 years until a civilian was killed during a bombing exercise in the 1990s. This sparked a wave of protests that finally ended when the base closed in 2003. Since then, the Navyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lands have become wildlife reserves.

FROM PR TO NYC Migrating to the States

However, in moving to the mainland, Puerto Ricans leave a homeland with its own distinct identity and culture, and the transition can involve many of the same cultural conflicts and emotional adjustments that most immigrants face. Some writers have suggested that the Puerto Rican migration experience can be seen as an internal immigration—as the experience of a people who move within their own country, but whose new home lies well outside of their emotional home territory.

1,000,000

2010

2000

1990

1980

1970

1960

1950

200,000

1940

600,000

1920

he story of the Puerto Rican people is unique in the history of U.S. immigration and (like Puerto Rico) occupies a distinctive, and sometimes confusing, position in the nation’s civic fabric. Puerto Rico has been a possession of the U.S. for more than a century, but it has never been a state. Its people have been U.S. citizens since 1917, but they have no vote in Congress. As citizens, the people of Puerto Rico can move throughout the 50 states just as any other Americans can—legally, this is considered internal migration, not immigration.

Puerto Rican Population in NYC At first, few Puerto Ricans came to the continental U.S. at all. Although the U.S. tried to promote Puerto Rico as a glamorous tourist destination, in the early 20th century the island suffered a severe economic depression. Poverty was rife, and few of the island’s residents could afford the long boat journey to the mainland. In 1910, there were fewer than 2,000 Puerto Ricans in the continental U.S., mostly in small enclaves in New York City, and twenty years later

there were only 40,000 more. These first migrants to New York City between the 1890s and Second World War are referred to as the “pioneros” (pioneers). After the end of the Second World War, however, Puerto Rican migration exploded in what is called “The Great Migration.” In 1945, there had been 13,000 Puerto Ricans in New York City; in 1946 there were more than 50,000. Over the next decade, more

Puerto Ricans leave a homeland with its own distinct identity and culture.

than 25,000 Puerto Ricans would come to the continental U.S. each year, peaking in 1953, when more than 69,000 came. By 1955, nearly 700,000 Puerto Ricans had arrived. By the mid-1960s, more than a million had. There were a number of reasons for this sudden influx. The continuing depression in Puerto Rico made many Puerto Ricans eager for a fresh start, and U.S. factory owners and employment agencies had begun recruiting heavily on the island. In addition, the postwar years saw the return home of thousands of Puerto Rican war veterans, whose service in the U.S. military had shown them the world. But perhaps the most significant cause was the sudden availability of affordable air travel. After centuries of immigration by boat, the Puerto Rican migration became the first great airborne migration in U.S. history.

The Puerto Rican flag was draped across the crown of the Statue of Liberty on Oct. 25, 1977 after demonstrators occupied the monument. 10

A NEW HOME

New York City’s Puerto Rican Neighborhoods

uerto Ricans established their own “barrios” or neighborhoods that served as ethnic enclaves. The majority of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York City settled in the South Bronx, El Barrio or Spanish Harlem (East Harlem), Loisaida (based on the Nuyorican pronunciation of Lower East Side), and various neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Today, New York City currently has an estimated 1.2 million Puerto Ricans, cementing its status as the most populated and culturally significant city for Puerto Ricans outside San Juan.

In 1958, the first National Puerto Rican Day Parade was held in Spanish Harlem to translate Puerto Rican achievements into a visible demonstration of the strength of the Puerto Rican community. Today, the parade marches along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street and has grown to become the largest demonstration of ethnic pride in the nation. The parade is a cultural icon and a part of the cultural fabric of New York City.

Flags of Puerto Rico are displayed along 5th Ave. during the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

SO U TH B R O N X

SPA N IS H H A R L E M

B U SH WICK EAST NEW YORK

L O IS A IDA

WILLIAMSB U R G The Bronx Manhattan Brooklyn

Neighborhoods with the Highest Concentrations of Puerto Ricans

B R O WN SVILLE

SU N SET PAR K

ART & CULTURE

THE NUYORICAN MOVEMENT Nu·yo · ri· can (noun) A person of Puerto Rican birth or descent who is a current or former resident of New York City

here are an estimated 4 million Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico. There are also about 4 million Puerto Ricans living in the States. Some believe the term Nuyorican applies to any Puerto Rican born or living in the States and some islanders consider it a negative term for their cousins on the mainland who are no longer Puerto Ricans. The Nuyorican community, however, has developed a unique culture with roots in Puerto Rican traditions and yet a strong New York identity. The term Nuyorican reflects the complex nature of the Puerto Rican diaspora, but New Yorkers of Puerto Rican ancestry also refer to themselves as AmeRican, Borinquen, Boricua, or simply Rican.

Similar to immigrants from other countries, Puerto Ricans faced struggles in the States including economic hardships and racial

discrimination. Puerto Rican migration challenged the racial stereotypes of the time by complicating the black/white mentality that existed. The Nuyorican Movement began in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a means to validate the Puerto Rican experience in New York City and the United States as a whole. Poets, artists, writers, and musicians used their crafts to provide a voice for the lower class that struggled with marginalization and discrimination.

Miguel Piñero of the Nuyorican literary movement and poet Sandra Maria Esteves on the train in New York City in 1977

Nuyorican artists and writers express their fluid identity—which transcends state and national boundaries—by employing innovative narrative forms, language, and

Art was used as a means to validate the Puerto Rican experience in New York City.

themes in their creative work. The first wave of Nuyorican literature and art followed the path of other migrant traditions by questioning and constructing notions of class, culture, history, and identity. Other works explored common first-generation issues such as self-definition, disillusionment, and the struggles of immigration.

Puerto Rican art workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; demonstration at The Museum of Modern Art in 1970 16

MUSIC

A Fusion of Traditional Forms

uyorican music combines influences of Spanish, African, indigenous, Caribbean, and Latin American influences. Nuyorican music gained popularity in the 1960s with tracks such as Tito Puentes’ “Oye Como Va” and Ray Barretto’s “El Watusi.” Latin bands who had formerly played the imported styles of cha-cha-cha or charanga began to develop their own unique Nuyorican music style by adding flutes and violins to their orchestras. This new style came to be known as the Latin boogaloo. Some of the musicians who helped develop this unique music were Joe Cuba with “Bang Bang,” Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz with “Mr. Trumpet Man,” and the brothers Charlie and Eddie Palmieri. Subsequently, Nuyorican music has evolved into Latin rap, salsa, and reggaeton.

The New York City based band, Foreign Affair, perform Latin Jazz at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe 17

The development of Nuyorican music can be seen in salsa and hip hop music. Salsa music originated in Cuba based on African rhythms and forms. A fusion of Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, and South American performers in New York City led to a hybridization of the music form. Musician and singer Willie Colón shows this diaspora in his salsa music by blending the sounds of the trombone, an instrument Willie Colón and Ruben Bladés helped popularize Nuyorican music in the 1970s

A fusion of Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, and South American performers in New York City led to a hybridization of the music form. popular in the New York urban scene, and the cuatro, an instrument native to Puerto Rico and prevalent in salsa music. Furthermore, many salsa songs address this diaspora and relationship between the homeland and the migrant community. With the second and third generations of Nuyoricans, the new debated and diasporic sound is hip hop. With hip hop, Nuyoricans gave back to Puerto Rico with rappers like Vico C and Big Pun, who created music that people in both New York and Puerto Rico could relate to and identify with.

EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO 1230 5th Avenue

he mission of El Museo del Barrio is to present and preserve the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and all Latin Americans in the U.S.

El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 by artist and educator Raphael Montañez Ortiz and a group of Puerto Rican parents, educators, artists, and community activists in East Harlem’s Spanishspeaking El Barrio (the neighborhood that extends from Ninety-Sixth Street to the Harlem River and from Fifth Avenue to the East River on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.) Founded in the context of the national civil rights movement, El Museo also emerged during campaigns that called for major art institutions to represent a variety of nonEuropean cultures in their collections and programs. From the outset, El Museo defined itself as an educational institution and a place of cultural pride and self-discovery for the founding Puerto Rican community. Initially, El Museo operated in a public school classroom as an adjunct to the local school district; then, between 1969 and l976, El Museo moved to a series of store-

fronts on Third and Lexington Avenues, in the heart of El Barrio. In 1977, El Museo found a permanent home in the spacious, neoclassical Heckscher Building at 1230 Fifth Avenue. El Museo is a member of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) of New York City. Since its inception, the museum has collected works from pre-Colombian Caribbean cultures, through traditional arts, to modern and contemporary art. Today, its permanent collection holds over 6,500 works spanning more than 800 years of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino art. The collection includes pre-Columbian Taíno artifacts, traditional arts, twentieth-century drawings, paintings, sculptures, and installations, as well as prints, photography, documentary films, and video.

El Museo is a place of cultural pride and self-discovery for the Puerto Rican community.

The series El hacerlo sin hacerlo, el no hacerlo, pero haciĂŠndolo by Edgar Serrano

Artist Alejandro Guzmรกn Above Left: Detail of Creative Misunderstandings #5 Above Right: Detail of El Palero 21

Right Page: La Coqueta/The Flirt

Left: King Charles II Receiving a Pineapple by Hector Arce-Espasas Welcome to Paradise by Hector Arce-Espasas Right: Tito Puente by Manny Vega

TALLER BORICUA 1680 Lexington Avenue

aller Boricua was established in 1970 in East Harlem as a nonprofit arts organization. Taller Boricua/Puerto Rican Workshop Inc. has expanded into a multicultural institution by providing a variety of programs that stimulate the social, cultural, and economic development of the community. El Tallerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workshops offer artists the opportunity to share ideas and inspiration with colleagues and to enhance productivity and collaboration with other non-profit organizations, schools, artists, public service providers, private corporations, and the community. El Taller Boricua/ Puerto Rican Workshop has evolved into a highly respected community arts organization that continues to be a proactive resource for the promotion of the arts.

Political Beggar by Fernando Salicrup

Left: Iguana by Marcos Dimas Right: Acrobat Waltz by Fernando Salicrup

Left: Felicidad en la Miseria by Victor Linares 29

Right: Untitled by Jorge Soto

NUYORICAN POETS CAFE 36 East 3rd Street

ounded circa 1973, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe began as a living room salon in the East Village apartment of writer and poet, Miguel Algarin. Algarin, a college professor at the center of this blossoming arts community, was dedicated to bringing New York into the public eye. By 1975 it became clear that there were many poets and too much energy for Algarin’s living room: William Morrow Inc. had just published an anthology titled “Nuyorican Poetry” and Miguel Piñero’s “Short Eyes” had just won two awards as best play of the 1974 season. Poetry, the vital sign of a new culture, needed to be heard live. So Algarin rented an Irish bar, the Sunshine Cafe on East 6th Street, which was christened “The Nuyorican Poets Cafe.” By 1980, the overflow of audiences led the Cafe to purchase the building at 236 East 3rd Street to expand its activities and programs.

A non-profit organization, the Cafe has emerged as one of the country’s most highly respected arts organizations and has become an acclaimed forum for innovative poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy, and theatre. The mission of the Cafe is to create a multicultural venue that both nurtures artists and exhibits a variety of artistic works. Without limitation, they are dedicated to providing a stage for the arts with access for the widest public. The cafe’s purpose has always been to provide a stage for the artists traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream media and culture, promoting their work by building an audience and providing an ongoing support system for them as they grow. The organization provides cultural programming to the whole of the New York community.

Murals decorate the entrance to the cafe.

“I was brown when I stared Black when I walked And some of them said I was white when I talked Not Hispanic, not his panic That sounds too Germanic You're a vowel-laden savior, Latino's the flavor” The Last Hispanic by Ed Morales

Left: Alia Calderone recites a spoken-word poem Right: Sean Andre, a.k.a. CQaffeine, performs with Emmanuel Zamor, a.k.a. Profecy Jafuture

Programming includes poetry and prose readings, theatrical and musical performances, and visual art exhibits. The weekly Poetry Slams are a hugely successful popularization of poetry conducted in mock epic contest judged by people selected at random from the audience. The cafe's Theater Program has been awarded over 30 Audelco Awards and was honored with an OBIE Grant for excellence in theater. Theater events are held early evening from Thursday through Saturday with frequent Sunday matinees. Latin Jazz Jam Sessions

on Thursday nights fill the cafe with their own special flavor and have been a weekly Critics Choice at New York Press for six consecutive years. The Fifth Night Series has produced over 40 films from screenplay readings since its inception in January ‘94. Hip Hop events include open mics and competitions for poets, freestylers, and emcees, as well as collaborations for storytellers and jazz musicians. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe's ongoing efforts to provide support for the creative life of hundreds of artists have given it a crucial role in the artistic life of New York City.

ORGANIZATIONS

O.P. ART

Organization of Puerto Rican Artists

he Organization of Puerto Rican Artists (O.P. Art) was founded in 1993 by a group of New York based artists who felt the need for an organization dedicated to exposing the largely under-recognized talent and contributions of Puerto Rican artists. The group decided to unite its individual creative talents to function as a grassroots artist collective promoting emerging and established Puerto Rican artists internationally. Taking art outside of traditional venues such as museums and galleries, O.P. Art provides a unique platform and an unparalleled medium for the public to encounter, be exposed to, and interact with art and with Puerto Rican culture.

Vuelo de Reconocimiento by Ricardo Avalo

Today, this non-profit organization has grown to fifty active members and collaborates with over one hundred other artists in the realization of exhibitions. O.P. Art's principal objective has been to promote their collective work through group exhibits of visual art that capture the complexity of the Puerto Rican experience.

O.P. Art is dedicated to exposing the largely under-recognized talent and contributions of Puerto Rican artists.

O.P. Art had been recognized as an important source of Latin art by prestigious art institutions such as the New York Foundation for the Arts’ Fiscal Sponsorship program in 2006, inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s Library in the Archives of Latino and Latin American Art, and inclusion in the New York Regional Center of the Smithsonian Institute in the Archives of American Art. The artists have also been showcased in galleries and institutions such as El Museo del Barrio, Museum of Modern Art, and Taller Boricua and have enjoyed critical review in publications such as the New York Times, Daily News, and other art magazines.

A study of cubism and multiple realities by Alfonso Muñoz

LUIS CARLE

Photographer & Director of O.P. Art

Photo from PR on the Moon

New York based artist-photographer Luis Carle was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to New York City in 1984. Carle first studied photography at Parsons School of Design and worked as an artist and photographer’s assistant to various well-known photographers. This was a particularly exciting moment in New York in which Carle found many outlets for his creativity. He sadly reflects on the loss of many bright individuals and colleagues due to the AIDS epidemic that marked the era.

What does the term “Nuyorican” mean to you?

In 1992, Carle invited a group of highly gifted Puerto Rican artists and friends to form O.P. Art, Inc. The not-for-profit, run by artist collective supports the work and vision of emerging artists; its mission is to promote their talents by providing guidance and direction on a local and international level through gallery and museum exhibitions. Since 1993, O.P. Art has organized numerous exhibitions to showcase the diversity and creativity of the group.

What do you consider some of the organization’s greatest achievements?

A Nuyorican can mean two different things. It can be a person born on the Puerto Rican island who moves to New York and lives here for many years, or it can be someone born in New York with Puerto Rican blood. People born on the island have a stronger, more natural view of what it means to be Latino. People here can feel it is missing, and show that through their art.

The greatest achievement is getting the work of the artists recognized, such as in El Museo del Barrio’s El Biennial exhibit. Also, being recognized by the MOMA and Smithsonian were great achievements.

How has O.P. Art impacted the Puerto Rican community in New York? For 20 years we’ve established a presence for Puerto Rican artists who may not have been working or exposed before.

Do your works tend to focus on any particular themes? They tend to be related to culture. Right now I’m working on transforming people to santos or saints. So another big theme is religion.

How has being Puerto Rican helped or hindered your career? When you’re labeled as a Puerto Rican, there is a specific market you’re catering to. Competition is there, but not as significant since you’re not competing with the whole mainstream. It opens doors since you have a specific brand for Latino artists and artists of color.

Photos from Santos in a Bag

MARIA DOMINGUEZ Painter & Member of O.P. Art Maria Domínguez was born in Puerto Rico and migrated with her family to New York City at the age of four. She received her formal education and eventually acquired her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts. Her visual arts career began in 1985 as a public artist while serving as an intern for the Citiarts mural making workshop. Her trajectory in public art making commissions include: “El-Views” (2002) for The Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the Chauncey Street station in Brooklyn, “El Barrio, USA” (1999) in New York City for the St. Luke/Roosevelt Hospital, “El Pueblo Cantor” (1994) in the Bronx for El Banco Popular, and in 1995 she was officially invited by the city of Milan, Italy to create a mural installation for the government building at the Triennale de Milano.

Her personal works have been included in a number of solo and group shows in the United States, Japan, and Italy. Awards merited for her artistic efforts include: the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, and New York Foundation for the Arts. Domínguez’s background as artist, artist educator, and arts administrator has earned invitations to serve as a panelist for the Leeway Foundation in Philadelphia, Brio Awards in the Bronx, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and Percent for Arts in New York City.

What does the term “Nuyorican” mean to you? During the movement, the term was used to identify ourselves as part of a New York existence in art and culture vs. being identified as a Puerto Rican. My experience growing up and living in NYC had a pulse and flavor of its own.

What originally drew you to visual art? As a child, I was restricted from being or playing outside in the then dangerous

Trumpet Man

Her arts in education background in schools and museums consist of: the Guggenheim Museum's “Learning through the Arts” program, “Studio in the Schools,” and she headed the Education Department for the Latino museum El Museo del Barrio for seven years. She is currently working for Young Audiences of New York as an artist in residence.

streets. So the next option was to draw and create stories for my images.

How has being Puerto Rican helped or hindered your career?

Do your works tend to focus on any particular themes?

Being a woman in general has its downfall since we're the last to receive any recognition whatsoever. The fact that I am also Puerto Rican might add to that stigma.

My work reflects my environmentâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;they are usually in three categories: 1. Urban, which depicts my community/city 2. Hot House, which depicts my love for Jazz music and the musicians who play it 3. Healer, which depicts images of loving women who heal

Do you feel it is important that Latino artists collaborate together? I am part of numerous walks of life and collaborations. When doing the arts, there is no division. So no, it is not particularly important unless it is to raise awareness of a Latino issue.

El-Views, an installation at the Chauncey Street station in Brooklyn

PR DREAM

Puerto Rico and the American Dream

uerto Rico and the American Dream, also known as PR Dream, was founded in 1998 by Judith Escalona and Stephanie Owens. Initially, it functioned as a website on the history, culture, and politics of the Puerto Rican diaspora. Thanks to a grant from Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Judith Escalona, co-founder and co-director of PR Dream, was also able to offer training on digital film and TV production for the community of El Barrio as a means of preserving the oral histories of the Puerto Rican diaspora.

functions as a training center for film production and editing. Recently, PR Dream received a significant grant from Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, to acquire new equipment in order to expand their programs which now include: The Oral History Project, MediaNoche: digital gallery and digital film studio, MediaNoche WiFi: offering free wireless access to the community and extending the gallery outside into a virtual exhibition space, webcasting, the Handball Court Summer Films Series, and their website, www.PRdream.com.

In 2003, PR Dream opened an office space and established a multimedia center and computer laboratory for the community with the help of a larger grant from the New York Foundation. This space also

In light of the changes in technology and demographics that have taken place in the decade since PR Dream was founded, the institution is rethinking its use of technology and its role in the community.

Liquid Edenâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;The Discreet Paradise of Networks An exhibition by Stephanie Owens

A UNIQUE FLAVOR Conclusion

ach person has a unique response to the question “What does the term ‘Nuyorican’ mean to you?” From geographical location of birth to amount of time spent residing in a particular city, the answers can continue on. The word itself, however, encompasses much more than a combination of two places. Within it is an entire history of cultural blending of Taino, African, Spanish, and other bloodlines, as well as Puerto Rico’s complicated position as a part of the U.S. Included in this term is a large migration of Puerto Ricans throughout the United States, specifically to New York City. Here, they were faced with discrimination, poverty, and violence, yet simultaneously created their own tight-knit communities.

Words, art, and music all became vehicles to affirm and express Puerto Ricans’ role in New York City and the U.S. as a whole. The term has evolved to express an entire culture that is rich and traditionally grounded while still transforming with the rest of the city. There is an energy, fire, and passion inherent in the Nuyorican culture that cannot simply be explained, but must be experienced. It is all of this, and more, that is encompassed in this one word. The fact that it can go on to hold a different personal meaning for every individual just strengthens its meaning.

Scenes of the First Annual Nuyorican Poets Cafe Block Party and free salsa lessons

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