2016, Education, Events, Partners, Partnerships, Past, Storytelling, Style, Visual Art, Workshops, Youth

(PILOT) Analog STEAM+D Bootcamp

Posted on March 20, 2016May 21, 2016 by Alejandro

Event Description

Loisaida Inc. in partnership with NEEUKO Inc.

(PILOT) ANALOG S.T.E.A.M.+D INTENSIVE 3 DAY WORKSHOP

This is a FREE 3 days/3 hour workshop – However, we ask for a donation of $50 to cover workshop material expenses. This donation for materials fee can be paid in person at beginning of workshop.

Who will benefit from this bootcamp:

Young adult entrepreneurs, between the ages of 25-40, who have a business idea or product idea. They don’t need to have design experience or a fully developed idea, as this bootcamp will give them the hands on tools to take an idea beyond concept to a product prototype or business prototype.

Dates & Time:

Friday, May 6th – Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Saturday, May 7th – Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Sunday, May 8th – Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Workshop is led by Alejandro Excia of NEEUKO Inc.

MAIN GOAL:

Participants will create a product or business prototype from an initial idea using only analog tools (leave your computer at home), to measure whether an idea can become a solid product or business and push your idea beyond the conceptual stage.

Day 1

Friday, May 6th – Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM

DESIGN THINKING & PROBLEM RECOGNITION

Apply design thinking techniques to a product or business idea. Using a combination of case studies and exercises, students will discover and narrow down the problems their product or business idea solves.

Day 2

Saturday, May 7th – Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

HOW TO TELL YOUR STORY

Formulate a unique product or business narrative using graphic information and storytelling. Students will construct a storyboard that will support them in turning their idea into a selling pitch or a product development opportunity.

Day 3

Sunday, May 8th – Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

OPPORTUNITY RECOGNITION

Assess whether a product or business idea have business potential. Students will acquire manual tools for time and project management, as well as techniques for developing a product or business that truly serve their consumers.

About Neeuko Inc.

NEEUKO@Sagrado is part of an innovative college ecosystem of the Sacred Heart University located in the heart of Santurce, Puerto Rico. In this space we promote an environment and the culture of open innovation and entrepreneurship, within a series of educational activities that may include lectures, interviews and book presentations. Neeuko encourages the community to bring their concept ideas and they will be guided through a process that it will enhance that idea into reality.

*Arrangements can be made if you cannot afford the materials fee, please contact The Loisaida Center or call (646) 755-0522 for more information. Space is limited.

Bios

Javier De Jesus Martinez
Innovator, serial entrepreneur, design strategist, architect and urbanist with over 18 years of academic and professional experience. Outstanding career in Public Policy issues, Strategic Planning, University and Governmental Management, R&D and Commercialization. His combined understanding of the private sector with an extensive understanding of government processes informs his design thinking processes in the development strategies and methodologies among the diverse professionals and groups involved in urban socio economic projects. Javier has successful track record conceptualizing and implementing strategies to attract external competitive funding from federal and state government and private investors for educational institutions and non-profit community based organizations. Javier studied architecture at the University of Puerto Rico and at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Sciences and Art in New York City. His thesis, Flatness as a memory of movement: A cartography of a nomad landscape was directed by John Q. Hedjuk. He had lectured in universities and professional forums within the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Perú, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and China.

• Founder La’gencia Innovación Abierta 2014-present
• Founder and Dean School of Architecture Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico 2008-2014
• President-Creative Industries Advisory Council Puerto Rico Commerce and Export Company 2014-present
• Founder-CEO Adaptable Paths Strategies Investment and Resources-2007-2012
• Advisor to the Governor on Urbanism, Infrastructure and Environmental Affairs 2005-2007
• Director Design, Construction, Planning and Development Offiece University of Puerto Rico President’s
• Associate Dean-School of Architecture University of Puerto Rico
• Undergraduate Program Coordinator School of Architecture University of Puerto Rico
• Second Year Design Studio Coordinator School of Architecture University of Puerto Rico

Alejandro Excia
Alejandro Excia Studied his bachelors degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. After Working for a year in a local art and architecture studio he pursued a double master in Domus Academy and Wales University achieving a degree in Product Design and a Master of Arts in Design respectively. His undergrad thesis dealt with consumerism strategies in order to revitalize dead public spaces within the city of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. His curiosity for the phenomenon of consumerism carried through images and products helped him undertake his masters research in a creative way.

For his dissertation thesis “Creoelectric” he developed a design methodology derived from the cultural context of his hometown “Criollos” or “Jibaros Puertorriqueños”, to design an electric car charger for the rural context worldwide for the company French/German company Hager. Alejandro Excia co-founded his design consultancy studio postData.Design, with his partner Alejandro Mieses, which works on various projects that range from product design, interaction design, custom software and hardware interfaces. His studio has worked projects in cities like Atlanta, New York, Milan and his hometown of Puerto Rico. postData.Design studio featured and showcase one of their products at Wanted Design New York as part of the Puerto Rican collective “Design in Puerto Rico” where they where part of the group that consisted of 16 young emerging puerto rican design studios.

• Co-founder of Design Consultancy Studio postData.Design
Adjunct professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.
• Director of the Laboratory of Fabrication “FabLab”, where he manages different types of technologies like 3D printers (Desktop and Full rapid prototyping 3D), CNC Routers, Milling machines, Vacuum Forming, Laser cutters among others to help produce prototypes for students and private clients of the School of Architecture.
• Co-coordinator of the entrepreneurial initiative in digital fabrication.
• Faculty Best Practices: Cross-Campus Arts Integration Mixing Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Unique Venture Development. CEO Conference 2012 Chicago.

WHERE: The Loisaida Inc. Center – 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009 – View Map

2016, Bilingual, Education, Family Activities, New York History, Past, Visual Art, Workshops, Youth

Arts Path to Leadership

Posted on March 18, 2016May 2, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents

Arts Path to Leadership with Maria Dominguez

FREE for Ages 15-19

When: 4 Thursdays, April 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 6:30PM – 8:00PM (4 days, 1.5 hours)

Overview:

Maria Dominguez (visual artist, muralist, educator) will use Object Based learning with Loisaida, Inc’s 2015 acclaimed !Presente! Exhibit. While adhering The New York States Department of Education Standards the workshop will lead students to gain access into the contribution of the Puerto Rican community’s cultural, political history while engaging them in a hands-on art project. This exposure can lead students to make global community connections. One that is imperative to the development of young students as they form their character and identity.

Pedagogy of Object Based Learning:

1. Provides a direct link with a topic or ‘the past’ and can really enhance young people’s interest
in and understanding of a good topic/subject.

2. Encourage learners to use all their senses – especially touch, sight and smell.

3. Helps to develop the important skill of drawing conclusions based on an examination of evidence, together with an understanding of the limitations and reliability of evidence.

4. Ideal for generating group and class discussion.

5. Promote the value of museums and encourage young people to visit museums and galleries with their families to further their learning.

About Maria:

Dominguez Is a Loisaida native who graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1985 and went on to establish her career as a muralist by achieving an internship with CITYarts Org., a public art organization. This 30 year trajectory in public art making lead to her commission by The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in NYC with a permanent glass installation “El –Views”in 2002. She has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group shows, and has received awards from The National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts and New York Foundation for the Arts. Currently, scholars are surveying her early murals and personal professional documents are being archived by The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in NYC.

WHERE: The Loisaida Inc. Center – 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009 – View Map

2016, Bilingual, Books, Education, Partners, Past, Poetry, Politics, Storytelling, Theater, Workshops, X-Change Express, Youth

How to Self Publish Your First Book

Posted on March 17, 2016April 1, 2016 by Alejandro

La SoPA NYC and Loisaida Inc. presents

How To Self Publish Your First Book

A free workshop talking about the process of publishing, editing and promoting your first book using low cost digital tools.

Speakers: Elisabet Velasquez & George Torres

The School of Poetic Arts aka La S.O.P.A. is a producer of diverse poetry and performing arts events in New York City, formed using the philosophies of the most progressive intellectual and artistic movements of the last century (i.e. The Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Poets, Black Arts Movement & most notably the Nuyorican Movement). We were founded in Brooklyn in March 2007 as an Open Mic & made our presence felt immediately by featuring both veterans as well as up-and-coming performers of spoken word, prominent visual artists, comedians, and select musical guests covering the genres of salsa, bomba y plena, progressive hip hop, and more. We have taken our brand to major academic institutions like New York University, Hunter College and Long Island University, and we have also taken our brand to major international corporations like National Grid Energy and Pepsi.

3/30 – 6pm -8pm

2016, Past, Performance, Poetry, Residencies, Storytelling, Theater

Venus y el Albañil – Casa Cruz de la Luna

Posted on March 17, 2016April 11, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

“Venus y el Albañil” (in Spanish)

written by: Nara Mansur, as interpreted by: Casa Cruz de la Luna

Saturday, April 9th at 8:00 PM -and- Sunday, April 10th at 3:00 PM

Admission is by a donation $5 – $10

In Spanish. Adult Content.

Our resident theater company Casa Cruz de la Luna will give us a glimpse into their development process. Interpreting the theatrical text “Venus y el Albañil” by Nara Mansur. Presentation is in Spanish, content is adult oriented.

With Alejandra Maldonado and Christopher Cancel Pomales.

Directed by: Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya.

Presentation venue: Loisaida Center, 710 E. 9th Street & Avenue C

Limited Capacity,

With Alejandra Maldonado and Christopher Cancel.
Directed by: Aravind E. Adyanthaya

Capacity is Limited.

2016, Bilingual, Education, Past, Performance, Poetry, Residencies, Storytelling, Theater, Workshops, Youth

Words & Images – Intensive Workshop for Youth

Posted on March 7, 2016April 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

WORDS & IMAGES

FREE Intensive two day workshop with Casa Cruz de la Luna Theater Company

Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17: 1:00P.M.-5:00P.M

Ages 15 – 18

Come and explore how bodies in space create theatrical pictures that can be linked in many ways to spoken and projected words. This workshop combines Brazilian director Augusto Boal´s notions of image theatre with “escritura acto” (computerized writing projected live), a practice we have developed at Casa Cruz de la Luna Theatre. Using the texts generated by the participants some of the exercises will take the form of individual poetry presentations or collective performative sketches.

Instruction will be conducted in English but participants can work in whatever language they choose.

Saturday April 16 and Sunday April 17: 1:00P.M.-5:00P.M.

Facilitated by Casa Cruz de la Luna Company members: Aravind E. Adyanthaya, Alejandra Maldonado and Christopher Cancel.

Requisites:

-Targeted for ages 15-18 years old

-Participants should be able to attend the full two sessions

-Wear clothes comfortable for movement. Bring pen or pencil and notebook.

This workshop is free, but space is limited. Register Today!

2016, Education, Events, Latin America, Music, New York History, Partners, Past, Storytelling, Workshops, X-Change Express, Youth

Meet and Greet – Johnny Colón

Posted on February 29, 2016March 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

The Johnny Colón School of Music @ Loisaida Inc. Center

Music theory lessons for the younger set by the boogaloo music legend Johnny Colon. Divided into three groups ages; 8-10, 11-14 & 15-18. Bilingual friendly (Spanish, English)

Latin music legend and renown music teacher Johnny Colón revives the tradition of his famous uptown music school, now downtown at the Loisaida Center. An dynamic hands-on weekly series of ongoing music classes focused on Latin rhythms and sounds directly under the instruction of vocalist, multi-instrumenatlist, arranger and musical director Johnny Colón.

About Johnny Colón

Johnny Colón, was born in New York City to parents of Puerto Rican heritage. He is the director of the Johnny Colon Orchestra, founder of the legendary East Harlem Music School and widely recognized as a major and legendary contributor to the popular boogaloo sound of the 1960s.

Colón, a versatile vocalist, multi-instrumenatlist, arranger and musical director, became one of Latin music’s leading impresarios at the forefront of the new “Latin Boogaloo” sound when he formed the first Johnny Colon Orchestra in the mid 1960’s. He first found success in the world of salsa with his 1966 debut album”Boogaloo Blues” in 1966, which became a classic, selling over 3,000,000 copies worldwide, and which continues to be an anthem for this period on Latin music history. Colón’s hit “Boogaloo Blues” came out during a time of transition in the Latin music scene of New York years before there was such a thing as “salsa,” when the mambo craze was over and Puerto Ricans were coming of age in the city and the “Nuyorican” culture was emerging. As many of their peers went off to fight in Vietnam, some of New York’s younger Puerto Ricans were losing interest in Latin music and beginning to identify more with R&B hits in English than with the music of their roots. Johnny recorded several other notable tunes over the years, releasing five albums over the period 1967-72.

In 1968, with public funding and much of his own money, Colón founded the East Harlem Music School and offered free lessons to the community. His impact as a music instructor for more than three decades may be even greater than the effect of his recordings. Students like the singer Tito Nieves, percussionists Jimmy Delgado and Robin Loeb, bass player Rubén Rodríguez, and singer Marc Anthony would all go on to become stars in salsa and contemporary Latin music. By the mid-1990s, Colón was struggling to secure funding to maintain the school open. In 2004, unable to keep a permanent space for his school, Colón was given the opportunity to bring his brand of music education to New York City public schools. Today, as well as teaching in schools around the city, Colón has begun giving music classes to patients at drug treatment centers. He’s found a new location for his school at The Loisaida Inc. Center.

– Meet and Greet on Saturday, March 19 at Loisaida Inc. 710 East Ninth Street, New York, NY 10009

Stay tuned!

2016, Bilingual, Education, Past, Photography, Storytelling, Visual Art, Workshops

2016 Community Screenprinting Workshops

Posted on February 22, 2016March 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Hester Street Collaborative & The Loisaida Center

proudly presents:

Water-Base Screen Printing Workshop 2016

8 sessions – YOU CHOOSE EITHER: Tuesday classes or Thursday classes;

Monday, 7:00pm – 9:30pm

Thursday, 7:00pm – 9:30pm

FREE!

Ages 16+

Overview:

For a 2nd year, Hester Street Collaborative happy to announce that we are partnering with the Loisaida center to offer FREE Screen-printing workshops for immigrant, Asian and Latino communities on the Lower East Side. All skill levels are welcome, ages 16 and up.

The workshop series will reflect the neighborhood tradition of art activism and cultural preservation. Art will be the vehicle that unites members of Asian and Latino immigrant communities to discuss, create and build the artistic capacity necessary for socio-cultural change. Our goal is to create opportunities to develop important artistic skills while sharing across differences that would not otherwise be possible.

Workshops will be focused on current social justice issues – from immigrant rights to climate change to cultural identity. We will work with participants to increase their understanding of the built environment, expose them to art/design careers, develop age-specific art/design skills, and actively improve their neighborhood’s quality of life.

2016, Bilingual, Caribbean, Dance/Movement, Education, Events, Music, Past, Performance, Plena, Plenatorium, Workshops

2016 Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops

Posted on February 16, 2016March 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops (Pandero, Güiro & Plena Dance)

Package includes: 4 Sessions, 1 Final presentation – 1pm, Four Saturdays, One Friday March 5 – March 26, 2016. at Loisaida Inc. Center. Transgenerational (ages 15+), bilingual friendly (Spanish, English)

Workshop schedule as follows:

– Saturday, March 5th: Class 1
one (1) hour of pandero instruction (basic seguidor, punteador & requinto),
one (1) hour of güiro instruction (basic rhythm & technique)
and one (1) hour of plena ensemble.

– Saturday, March 12th: Class 2
one (1) hour of pandero accompaniment instruction (seguidor, punteador & requinto for ensemble),
one (1) hour of güiro accompaniment instruction (rhythm & technique for ensemble)
and one (1) hour of plena ensemble.

– Saturay, March 19th: Class 3
one (1) hour ensamble and
one (1) hour of basic plena dance instruction

– Friday, March 25th: Class 4
two (2) hours of ensamble and
two (2) hours of plena dance instruction

– Saturday, March 26th: FINAL
plena Dance/Social with live plena ensemble

2016, Education, Past, Politics, Workshops, X-Change Express

Feminism 101 – Introduction to Feminist Thinking

Posted on February 12, 2016March 12, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

Introduction to Feminism Workshop (GROUP DISCUSSION)

2 Sessions – 1pm-3pm, Two Saturdays, February 27 and March 5, 2016
FREE, mixed gender, transgenerational (ages 15+), bilingual friendly (Spanish, English)

Moderated by: Las Marias Project

RSVP:

Did anyone ever tell you to “act like a lady” or “be a man”? Has anyone ever expected you can’t do something simply because of your gender? Or do you think women are often judged by their looks?

Feminism is about defending equality for men and women. It helps us reflect on conflicts we might see in society and within ourselves, as well as articulate motives and solutions. It’s about thinking things through, considering community and being proactive. Learning about feminism will help you be more fair towards both women and men, and respect others.

The workshops are a non-academic introduction to the ideas of feminism. Over the course of these two sessions we will talk about some basic feminist ideas (like “objectification” or “patriarchy”) and figure out what these mean to us by using our collective intelligence: talking about our own experiences and those of the group. Other topics discussed will include: feminism (what is it exactly?), gender roles, masculinity in crisis, and feminism around the world.

In our workshops we will all learn about feminist thinking, talk about our own experiences and think of ways in which we can advocate for gender justice.

Snacks will be served.
Questions? Email us at hellolasmarias@gmail.com or check out our website at www.lasmariasproject.com

2015, Bilingual, Education, Events, New York History, Partnerships, Photography, Politics

The New Rican Spirit

Posted on November 1, 2015March 12, 2016 by Alejandro

photo by: Jose Carrero
New Rican Village Alumni Reunion, Round-Table and Reception
(celebrating the Young Lords cultural legacy to the Lower East Side)

The purpose of this activity is to:

1. Recognize the Lower East Side neighborhood legacy of the Young Lords Party.

2. Honor the 25th anniversary of the passing of Eddie Figueroa, the founder of the New Rican Village Cultural Arts center, whose battle with cancer ended in 1990.

3. Offer an opportunity for peer organizations to celebrate a community instrumental in creating an innovative Latin@ arts spirit and institution within New York City.
The New Rican Spirit-A Celebration of the New Rican Village Cultural Arts Center, Eddie Figueroa, and ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York

Starting with the Young Lords Party’s (YLP) official announcement at Tompkins Square Park in 1969, the ¡Presente! exhibition highlights the important activism spearheaded by the YLP as it operated within the context of the Lower East Side.

One of the institutions that came out of this era was the New Rican Village Cultural Arts Center (NRV) established by Lower East Young Lord member, Eddie Figueroa. The NRV, is an overlooked and under-appreciated Loisaida cultural arts institution that was as an aesthetic laboratory for a working-class, Puerto Rican/Latin@ avant-garde arts community since it opened in 1976 through its closing in 1979 (it continued to exist in other locations throughout New York City).

This art collective’s goals fostered a social surrealism that sought to transform both aesthetic forms and neighborhoods. The inter-arts community of musicians, poets, painters, actors, dancers, sculptors, and visual artists at the New Rican Village envisioned the importance of building community art spaces and political sovereignty by establishing and building an independent, community-based arts institution and also contributing to a Latin@ cultural arts scene within New York City, helping establish a Latin@ Cultural Left that was emerging among various Puerto Rican/Latino cultural arts centers at the time. Finally, the NRV helped to foster a New Rican Renaissance that celebrated a marginalized identity, and also translate the zeitgest of resistance and aesthetic and intellectual exploration into various art forms.

This event would not be possible without the co-sponsorship support of: Lower Eastside Girls Club, AllCare Provider Services, Inc.Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Education Center,Latino Studies Department at Fordham UniversityCarlos Aponte, Lisa Baltazar, Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé,Pepe Flores, Libertad Guerra, Ana Ramos,Wilson Valentín-Escobar.