2016, Caribbean, Education, Family Activities, Latin America, Partners, Partnerships, Past, Performance, Storytelling, Summer, Uncategorized, Visual Art, Workshops, Youth

Garbagia Island

Posted on by Alejandro

Loisaida’s First Summer Program 2016: Garbaggia Island

July 11th, 2016 – July 30th, 2016
at The Loisaida Inc. Center

Workshop Dates:

  1. Saturday, July 16th 2016 – 6:00 pm
    at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
    Bimbo Rivas Art Workshop
    Plus original footage from Charas and Bimbo Rivas
    by filmmaker Hector Quintana
  2. Tuesday, July 19th 2016 – 4:00 pm
    at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
    Carmen Pabon Art Workshop
  3. Thursday, July 21th 2016 – 4:00 pm
    at Loisaida Inc. Center
    Silvia Rivera Art Workshop
  4. Saturday, July 23th 2016 – 4:00 pm
    at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
    Puppet Workshop!
  5. Tuesday, July 26th 2016 – 4:00 pm
    at Loisaida Inc. Center
    Theater games for the whole family
  6. Thursday, July 28th 2016 – 4:00 pm
    at La Plaza Cultural Community Center
    Recycling Art Workshop
  7. Garbagia Island – Pirate Fashion Show and Performance
    La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
    Saturday/July 30, 2016. (Sunday, 31st if rained out Saturday)
    6:00pm
    __

    8. Concept:
    “Garbagia Island” is a dystopian representation of the Island of Puerto Rico and it’s current economical and political situation. The story goes along the lines of pirates arriving to an island full of trash, and discovering magical creatures made out of garbage. What it seemed to be a simple pile of waste becomes a fantastical tale for the pirates to appreciate. The pirates who are already filled with music and celebration unify forces with the creatures and people living in the island. The moral of the story is creating consciousness and renaming waste into resource and emphasizing people’s creativity as a tool for recovering gradually from the crisis. We will use historical LES “nuyorican” and LES characters like Carmen Pabón, Jorge Brandon, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri, Sylvia Rivera, Petra Santiago, Chino García, Silvia Rivera, Adam Purple as inspiration.Currently the island of Puerto Rico is facing a huge colonial consequence. The people are finally noticing the impotence and fragility of our economy and political situation. It’s very important now to point out to the solutions, more than the problems or flaws. Similar to the self-help spirit of the early residents/founders of the Loisaida neighborhood, the project will emphasize the history of pirates around the Caribbean and their challenging attitude towards how we re-define either/or dichotomies such as: garbage/ treasure, waste/resource, empty lot/green haven, fiscal crisis/ sustainable opportunity, forced migration & displacement/ community building. This way we use our creative thinking into problem solution and acquire a more optimist view of our situation.

    Description:
    The summer program will be developed in two weeks during July, creating an open platform for the community to participate in an integration and creative process. We will have open workshops five days a week, for the community and will have arranged visits from summer camps around the Lower East Side. They will all take place between Loisaida Inc.Center and La Plaza Cultural. During the workshops we want to educate the community about re-purposing waste into materials. They can be a tool for developing kids motor skills and adults perspectives and creativity. All the efforts will be directed into the final activity, it will take place at La Plaza Cultural. The activity will be compound of a fashion and creature show. We will have a live pirate band, a pirate host and a DJ. This activity will be a community celebration for the outcome of the workshops and will be open for the public. After the activity we will do a symbolic peregrination to Carmen Pabón re-opend garden as a showing of our support and admiration for Carmen Pabón’s legacy. We want to stand out community awareness of current legal garden’s risk and motivate people to take action in democratic process.

    Outcome of the Summer Program:
    The Summer Program will be composed of a two-week intensive open workshop accessible for the public. There will be five directed workshops for Summer Camps or School groups. Screening projections and other audiovisual material for educational purposes about the history and important people in the Loisaida (Lower East Side) Community. Then we will have the final activity open for the public were we will show a pirate fashion and creatures made out of recycled materials. It will all end with a symbolic peregrination to the Carmen Pabón garden.

    Screening projections and other audiovisual material for educational purposes about the history and important people of the Loisaida (Lower East Side) Community. Then we will have the final activity on Saturday, July 30th at La Plaza Cultural Garden also open to the public. We will show a pirate fashion show and puppet creatures made out of recycled materials, then it will all end with a symbolic peregrination to the Carmen Pabón garden.

    Pedagogical benefits:
    Participants will develop a socio-political approach and learn about crucial contributors to the history of LES through active participation. This will be directed with a pedagogical perspective into recreating what important key people (yet invisible to the mainstream narrative) did for the neighborhood. This will create awareness into reusing waste and reconstructing its concept into resource. Also pointing out the use of communal spaces for the benefit of the community. We will like to empower participants to be active in their communities. The art workshops are beneficial for trans-generational bonding, mental health, motor skills and cognitive development in younger participants. Infusing the creative act with social contemporary issues at stake in the neighborhood and the larger world of many residents, creates empathy, conviviality and a sense of agency to make a difference.

    Overview: The Summer Program will be composed of a two-week intensive open studio workshop accessible to the public; Weekdays 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm from July 11th – 29th. There will be five directed workshops for Summer Camps or School groups; Dates are Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm from July 16th – 29th. Contact info@loisaida.org to schedule your group visit.

    Pedagogical benefits: Participants will have a political approach to the history of LES by active participation. This will be directed with a pedagogical perspective into recreating what important people did for the neighborhood. This will create awareness into reusing waste and reconstructing its concept into resource. Also pointing out the use of communal spaces for the benefit of the community. We will like to empower the people to be active in their communities. The art workshops are beneficial for the mental health, motor skills and development of the participants. Using creativity with political consciousness to create more initiative and active people in the community.

    Loisaida’s First Summer Program is made in collaboration with La Plaza Cultural & the Museum of Urban Reclaimed Space

2016, Bilingual, Caribbean, Events, Film, Music, Past, Screenings, Visual Art

Bori-Queer-Chichos and Joy Film Screening

Posted on by Alejandro

Saturday, June 4th 2016, at The Loisaida Center

Description

Macha Colón, a character created by the multidisciplinary artist Gisela Rosario Ramos, will headline this event with a screening of the documentary film “El Hijo De Ruby”. Macha Colón y Los Okapi was in the line up of Loisaida Festival, and will perform at the New Museum on Thursday in conjunction with art work by resident Beatriz Santiago Muñoz. We are lucky to feature her in an intimate setting at the Loisaida Center along with one of the subjects of her film, Lionel Villahermoso, who will also perform.

This event is a run-up to a short film festival at the end of the month Comi/Cine which fuses culinary arts with film-making. In line with the themes of the Loisaida Festival, refreshments will be served.

2016, Bilingual, Caribbean, Education, Events, Festival, Partners, Puppetry, Residencies, Storytelling, Theater, Visual Art, Workshops

Low Tech High Magic

Posted on by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. and Casa Múcaro presents:

LOW TECH HIGH MAGIC – FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

Schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Starting Monday, May 9th through Sunday, May 29th.

Eventbrite - Low Tech High Magic

Overview:

Create puppets out of recycled and upcycled trash, waste and discarded found materials. Learn how to transform junk into beauty! Spin straw into gold! Art with an ecological, green twist. Create your own wondrous puppet or assist in larger collaborative group puppet project.

Making art with trash is one way of reusing everyday found objects and instead of seen as a nuance, if used right, it could become an object of beautification. The purpose behind this workshop is to create a group of community members, or volunteers, interested in working together to be part of a parade happening on the 25th of May and be part of a pageant, happening right after. As a way of bringing people together with under a similar motif, centered around the Loisaida community’s societal impact as pioneers of urban ecology creative innovation.

We’ll be making masks and big puppets, with “upcycled,” or reused materials and full body masks and costumes, made with reusable and recyclable materials. We’ll be reliving the lives of those that made this neighborhood alive, with those that are present today. Be part of this event and help us exalt the creativity of the Loisaida community towards an ecological mindset. Trash, or daily found objects, will be our best friend for this workshop, as they are a cost-effective material filled with endless applications.

Outcomes:

1. A new contingent will be added to the opening Carnival Procession (Parade) of the Loisaida Festival. An exuberant celebration of Caribbean solidarity, drawing inspiration from Afro-Caribbean mythological symbols, and the resilient creative spirit of looking backwards and forwards: a recognition of all the lives of those that made this neighborhood alive, with those that are present today. (Featuring the collaboration of: Braata Productions, Semi-Upright Cultural Workers Collective,and RMO)

2. Join our Giant Puppet making community workshop Low Tech, High Magic. Learn how to create masks! Parade costumes! Larger-than-life Puppets! Colourful parade floats!

3. Beyond the Parade, join the amazing outdoor street-theatre puppet-pageant that follows as part of the Theater Lab inside La Plaza Cultural!  Be part of this homage to the legacy of Latino community builders from the Young Lords forward in celebration of all lives that make this neighborhood alive.

Workshop is led by Pablo Varona of CASA MUCARO.

Profile:

Casa Mucaro Logo F BlackCasa Múcaro is a collaborative project on a forested mountaintop near Las Marias, Puerto Rico. We are multidisciplinary artists in pursuit of self-sufficiency for ourselves and others, through “the sharing of tools, materials, and know-how.” We envision “termitopia” cities, like termite mounds, in which by means of re-use, or recycling of materials, their citizens understand the benefits of self-managing “waste” generated by their neighborhood and can actively participate in the construction and maintenance of their own city.

Collaborative Practices: Casa Múcaro’s project will feature a collaboration of with Braata Productions, Semi-Upright Cultural Workers Collective, and the Rude Mechanical Orchestra (RMO) with the goal of joining the talents, resources and visions of multiple theater, music, arts and culture collectives working on projects related to the people and culture of Caribbean Islands living in NYC.  It will produce a collection of different works to be presented at the 29th edition of Loisiada Festival and Braata Production’s Caribbean Folk Festival in Jamaica, Queens the following weekend.

Individual Bios:

Bill Birdsall is an artist refugee from Los Angels, with about 40 years of residence now in backwoods Puerto Rico.  Bill went from airplanes to coffee farmers, learning survival skills along the way. He built his own home out of free, discarded fishnet and cement, using a technique he calls nylon-cement.  Bill invents things and posts his inventions on Instructables.com under the name “Thinkenstein”. Search for his “nylon-cement”, PVC, and “tootophone” instructables there, among other things. See his website: http://thinkenstein.info for other things Bill do, like paintings, sculpture and music.

Pablo Varona or “Pablillo José, spends most his time living close to the forested mountaintops of Puerto Rico. At the time, he is a puppeteer, street performer and a supreme believer of juggling as his way through every corner he visits. He is amazed by the immeasurable value that the reuse, recycling and/or “forgotten” objects do when it comes to the transformation of urban contexts. His interests revolve around making these issues relevant and accessible to the general audience, with the hopes that some day we will all learn from its potential uses and collaborate in the creative process of experimenting with the most abundant material out there: Trash. To see more of his work, go to http://www.diminuto.info.

Daniel Polnau has created puppet parades, circuses, and outdoor theatre spectacles for over 30 years. He specializes in creating larger than life puppets out of recycled junk and up-cycled materials making the mundane become extraordinary. Projects and residencies have spanned the globe from Moscow to Bali to Juneau, Alaska to Puerto Rico. Highly collaborative, at the heart of each project he strives to demystify the creative process and quicken the innate creative abilities in all – regardless of age, abilities or arts experience. He is committed to respectfully embracing underserved and marginalized populations.

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

2016 Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops

Posted on by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops (Pandero, Güiro & Plena Dance)

Register today: Eventbrite - Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops

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

 

2015, Afro Puertorrican Bomba, Bilingual, Caribbean, Children Friendly, Dance/Movement, Education, Family Activities, Latin America, Music, Plena, Plenatorium, X-Change Express

Sonidos Primarios

Posted on by Alejandro

Saturday, October 10th

Loisaida Inc and Plenatorium Project present a double feature:

12:30pm

Sonidos Primarios: a hands-on discussion and presentation by artists who produce kid-friendly cultural content featuring an album of traditional Puerto Rican music for children by Viento de Agua, a Grammy Nominated bomba and plena contemporary band dedicated to de production of new music and projects as well as teaching the traditional rhtyms… Bring the kids! $5 suggested donation

Come share with Grammy-nominee and percussion master Tito Matos about the experience and details of recording a kid’s musical record. Tito and his group Viento de Agua have just released a children’s songs record, Sonidos Primarios, and he comes to share the experience and to perform a few of the songs from the record. He will be joined in the discussion by the members of the band Aclopaditos, who have vast experience in teaching and recording for children. Acopladitos will also perform a few songs for the enjoyment of all. Bring your little ones!

Following the presentation:
2:30pm

‘The New Latinos’ – screening and guided discussion featuring Tito Matos and Tato Torres.

Join us in the viewing of ‘The New Latinos’, episode 4 of The Latino Americans documentary series. This 60 minutes episode, that dwells on the experience of the Caribbean migration (Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican) to the United States, will be followed by a hands-on-drums one hour discussion reflecting on the musical aspects of these diasporic groups; the discussion will specifically revolve around the preservation, innovations, and hybridization of the musical traditions of these three groups after their arrival to the continental United States. The hands-on-drums discussion will be led by Grammy Award nominee, the maestro Tito Matos, and Tato Torres, founder, singer and leader of the group YERBABUENA. This viewing and talk are part of the Loisaida, Inc. Center’s Plenatorium Project initiative and part of the American Library Association/NEH Grant The Latino Americans, LA500.

Sponsored by The National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association with Acopladitos and Viento de Agua

2014, Bilingual, Caribbean, Central America, Education, Latin America, Performance, Poetry, Politics

Ferguson/Ayotzinapa: CantoMundo Poets Read and Respond

Posted on by Alejandro

The Loisaida Center

Monday, December 15, 6-8pm

Ferguson/Ayotzinapa: CantoMundo Poets Read and Respond

featuring: Yesenia Montilla, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Rosebud Ben-Oni, and Urayoán Noel

This event brings together New York-based current and former fellows of the national Latina/o poets workshop CantoMundo (cantomundo.org/) to read from their work in solidarity with ongoing protests and mobilizations in and around Ferguson, Missouri, and the College of Ayotzinapa in Iguala, Mexico.Many of the poets reading are also participating in #CantoMundoLongestNight, a social-media offering of poems in honor of the countless black and brown bodies slain by state-sanctioned violence.

Darrel Alejandro Holnes is from Panama City and the former Canal Zone of Panamá. His poetry has been published in Poetry Magazine, The Best American Experimental Writing, Callaloo, The Caribbean Writer, The Potomac, MEADE, Lambda Literary, Assaracus, Weave Magazine, The Feminist Wire, The Paris American, Kweli, featured on The Best American Poetry blog, and elsewhere in print and online. He is the co-author of PRIME: Poetry & Conversations (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2014). He is a proud CantoMundo and Cave Canem fellow. darrelholnes.com

Yesenia Montilla is a New York City poet with Afro-Caribbean roots & CantoMundo Fellow. Her poetry has appeared in the literary journals: 5 AM, Adanna, Wideshore and others. She received her MFA from Drew University in Poetry and Poetry in Translation. Her first collection of poetry The Pink Box is forthcoming from Willow Books in Fall 2015.

Born to a Mexican mother and Jewish father, Rosebud Ben-Oni is a CantoMundo Fellow and the author of SOLECISM (Virtual Artists Collective, 2013). Her work is forthcoming or appears in POETRY, The American Poetry Review, Arts & Letters, Bayou, Puerto del Sol, among others. Rosebud is an Editorial Advisor for VIDA: Women in Literary Arts (vidaweb.org). Find out more at 7TrainLove.org

CantoMundo fellow Urayoán Noel is the author of the critical study In Visible Movement: Nuyorican Poetry from the Sixties to Slam (University of Iowa, 2014) and several books of poetry in English and Spanish, including EnUncIAdOr (Editora Emergente, 2014) and the forthcoming Buzzing Hemisphere/Rumor Hemisférico (University of Arizona). Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he lives in the Bronx and teaches at NYU.

 

*The views and opinions expressed on this event are soley those of the participating poets, scholars and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Loisaida Inc., Acacia Network and staff, and/or any/all contributors to this event.