Loisaida Inc.

Ours to Lose: When Squatters Became Homeowners in New York City
2017-02-02 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation are proud to present:
Ours to Lose: When Squatters Became Homeowners in New York City

The Lower East Side in the 1980s and 90s was home to a radical squatting movement that
blended urban homesteading and European-style squatting in a way never before seen in the
United States.

Ours to Lose takes a close look at a diverse group of Lower East Side squatters who occupied abandoned city-owned buildings in the 1980s, fought to keep them for decades, and eventually began a long, complicated process to turn their illegal occupancy into legal cooperative ownership.

In this multimedia event Starecheski will use oral histories to explore the complicated
relationships between homesteading and squatting on the Lower East Side, and in American
history.

Amy Starecheski is co-director of the Oral History Master of Arts program at Columbia
University. She received a PhD in cultural anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center, where
she was a Public Humanities Fellow. In 2016 she was awarded the “Will the Next Margaret
Mead Please Stand Up?” Prize for public anthropological writing.

Nativa Remedies
2017-02-11 16:00 - 18:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Nativa Remedies by Celeste Casillas:

FREE Community workshop on how to use traditional herbs in modern daily life and creating at home remedies influenced by elder and ancestral healing methods and the passing down of stories. Participants will make a salve to take home.

Project Ñ - Film Screening
2017-03-07 19:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
DESCRIPTION:
Loisaida Inc. & are proud to present a special screening of:
The ñ Experience, is an engaging 90-minute presentation that combines a screening of the documentary “being ñ” infused with directors cut-style commentary from the film’s star and co-director Denise Soler Cox, offering viewers a unique perspective on the film and an unforgettable live experience.
In 90 minutes, Denise leads the audience on a powerful journey of cultural self-discovery and personal reflection. The result is a heartfelt, humorous and interactive experience that offers audiences a refreshing perspective on how to talk about culture and the feelings we all share around acceptance.

DATE AND TIME

Tue, March 7, 2017
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
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LOCATION

Loisaida, Inc
710 East 9th Street
New York, NY 10009
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Nativa Remedies
2017-03-12 15:00 - 17:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Nativa Remedies by Celeste Casillas:

Join us Sunday, March 12th 3-5PM at Loisaida Center for our second workshop with Celeste Casillas of Nativa Remedies and other women seeking to connect with their feminine wisdom, honor their mother energy, and share sacred space.
We will discuss:
Using plant medicines to heal our bodies, balance our hormones, and ease stress and anxiety.
Connecting to the lunar calendar to understand the phases of our own cycle.
Ritualizing our life to create balance
Holistic beauty remedies
The gathering will evolve based on the interest of the group and sharing is optional.
Bring your amiga, sister, mother, a notebook and pen, a yoga mat or thick blanket.
RSVP REQUIRED

CitiCien Exhibit Artist Talk
2017-03-16 18:00 - 20:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Thursday, March 16 at 6 PM – 8 PM
Join us on Thursday March 16th for an artist talk featuring many of our participating artists.
The artists will share about themselves and their artistic practice, as well as the meaning behind the artworks they created for the CitiCien exhibit.

RSVP HERE.

SPEAKING ARTISTS:
Bonafide Rojas
Carlos Jesus Martinez Dominguez
Melissa Montero
Vagaond Alexander Beaumont
Yasmín Hernández
Will Rosado
Juan Sanchez
Manny Vega
Jean Oyola
Shellyne Rodriguez
Other artists in attendance:
Sofia Maldonado
Daniel Alago
Nelson Host Santiago
Leenda Bonilla
Luis Pagan
Jo-El Lopez
Nia Andino
Oliver Rios

Signed in 1917 by President Wilson, The Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to anyone born in Puerto Rico on or after April 25, 1898, a complex and significant turning point for the people of Puerto Rico.
Following strict visual guidelines of size and a black-and-white only palette, the exhibit’s theme is one of visual consistency and commitment, acting as a metaphor of the unified voice and solidarity of Puerto Ricans during this critical political time. Coinciding with the 100 year anniversary of the signing of the Jones Act, CITICIEN, in an effort to nurture greater solidarity and collaboration, will feature 100 Puerto Rican artists from the island and the diaspora.
Curated by Puerto Rican artist Adrián Viajero Román, DEFEND PUERTO RICO’s CITICIEN traveling exhibition will feature 100 artworks highlighting the historical and present-day impact of the Jones Act.

About DEFEND PUERTO RICO
Defend PR is a multimedia project designed to document and celebrate Puerto Rican creativity, resilience, and resistance. Recognizing the complex and dynamic landscapes that comprise Puerto Rican daily life and struggle, Defend PR seeks to deepen connections between Puerto Ricans on the island and throughout the diaspora, in the hopes of nurturing greater solidarity, collaboration, and kinship.
#CITICIENPR #DEFENDPR
Visit www.defendpr.com
www.facebook.com/Defendpr / instagram.com/defendpr

Cover photo: “Wall of Resistance” by Leenda Bonilla + Luis Pagan
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La Vitrina Rota - Book Presentation by Silverio Perez
2017-03-29 18:30 - 20:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Wednesday, March 29th at 6:30pm
Loisaida Inc. Center hosts Silverio Pérez in the presentation and signing of autographs for his new book:
La Vitrina Rota “The Broken Glass Case” or What the hell happened here?

About the book:
The broken glass case, or what the hell happened here? Is a hybrid text that takes hold of what memory is and what memory offers, it is autobiographical, and a “history-o-graphic” essay. Narrated using the most respectable seriousness, the most pure emotion and a suggestive taunt, it leaves us a text that invites reflection and calm, but also calls to action and maybe encourages a calculated rebellion. All written in a tragicomic or comedic-serious tone so typical of the picaresque narrative that accompanies the Puerto Ricans from a remote past.
What Silverio does in this intense and moving volume is to look at that long 20th century that began in 1898 and continues in 2016, the American century, in the light of a repeated “promise” unfulfilled.
Exceptional witness of the time he has lived will prepare the reader for a time where “history” and “life” converge in an enviable balance.
It is also a historical and vital responsibility, well fulfilled.
Read Press Release here.
Please RSVP, spaces are limited.

About the author:
Silverio Pérez (born July 18, 1948) is a musician, writer, comedian, entrepreneur and broadcasting media host, born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He is known for several reasons, among them:

Hosting several successful Puerto Rican television shows during his career.
Performing with the known group of political satire called Los Rayos Gamma (The Gamma Rays)[1][2]
Performing with the nueva trova group called Haciendo Punto en Otro Son.
His motivational lectures which are usually called “Humortivación” (Humortivation).

La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 - Loisaida: Then & Now
2017-04-19 18:30 - 20:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Wednesday, April 19, 6:30-8 PM.
Panel: Loisaida: Then & Now.
With Chino Garcia, Maria Dominguez, Noah Jemisin, Kristin Reed, Seth Tobocman.
Libertad Guerra, moderator.

Exhibition Details:
Title: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
Exhibition Dates: April 8 – June 30 , 2017
Viewing Hours:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Noon to 6:00 pm
and by appointment.
Organizer:
Artmakers Inc.
For more info and media queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.com, (212) 989-3006
Host Venue:
Loisaida Inc. Center
(646) 726-4715
710 East 9th Street, Lower East Side
New York, NY 10009 United States
+ Google Map

Email: info@loisaida.org

La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 - Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration
2017-04-26 18:30 - 20:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Wednesday, April 26, 6:30-8 PM.
Panel: Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration:.
Community Murals of the 1970s & 1980s in Loisaida and on the Historic Lower East Side. Jane Weissman, presenter

Exhibition Details:
Title: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
Exhibition Dates: April 8 – June 30 , 2017
Viewing Hours:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Noon to 6:00 pm
and by appointment.
Organizer:
Artmakers Inc.
For more info and media queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.com, (212) 989-3006
Host Venue:
Loisaida Inc. Center
(646) 726-4715
710 East 9th Street, Lower East Side
New York, NY 10009 United States
+ Google Map

Email: info@loisaida.org

La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 - Guided Gallery Talk & Garden Visit
2017-04-30 13:00 - 15:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Sunday, April 30, 1:00 PM.
Panel: Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration:.
1 PM Guided Gallery Talk and at 2 PM Garden Visit to La Plaza Cultural at 9th & C. (Gallery remains open to 5 PM)

Exhibition Details:
Title: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
Exhibition Dates: April 8 – June 30 , 2017
Viewing Hours:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Noon to 6:00 pm
and by appointment.
Organizer:
Artmakers Inc.
For more info and media queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.com, (212) 989-3006
Host Venue:
Loisaida Inc. Center
(646) 726-4715
710 East 9th Street, Lower East Side
New York, NY 10009 United States
+ Google Map

Email: info@loisaida.org

La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 - Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration (Encore)
2017-05-11 19:00 - 20:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Thursday, May 11, 7:00-8:30 PM.
Panel: Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration:.
Community Murals of the 1970s & 1980s in Loisaida and on the Historic Lower East Side. Jane Weissman, presenter

Exhibition Details:
Title: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
Exhibition Dates: April 8 – June 30 , 2017
Viewing Hours:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Noon to 6:00 pm
and by appointment.
Organizer:
Artmakers Inc.
For more info and media queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.com, (212) 989-3006
Host Venue:
Loisaida Inc. Center
(646) 726-4715
710 East 9th Street, Lower East Side
New York, NY 10009 United States
+ Google Map

Email: info@loisaida.org

La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 - Illustrated Talk with Jane Weissman
2017-05-23 18:30 - 20:00 | City Lore, 56 East 1st Street, New York, NY, 10003, United States
Tuesday, May 23, 6:30-8 PM. in collaboration with CityLore and Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Panel: Illustrated Talk: East Village Political Art: The Murals of La Lucha Continua
Jane Weissman, curator
Click here to RSVP.

Exhibition Details:
Title: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
Exhibition Dates: April 8 – June 30 , 2017
Viewing Hours:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Noon to 6:00 pm
and by appointment.
Organizer:
Artmakers Inc.
For more info and media queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.com, (212) 989-3006
Host Venue:
Loisaida Inc. Center
(646) 726-4715
710 East 9th Street, Lower East Side
New York, NY 10009 United States
+ Google Map

Email: info@loisaida.org

La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 - Guided Gallery Talk & Garden Visit
2017-05-27 14:00 - 15:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Saturday, May 27, 2:00 PM.
Panel: Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration:.
2 PM Guided Gallery Talk and at 3 PM Garden Visit to La Plaza Cultural at 9th & C. (Gallery remains open to 5 PM)

Exhibition Details:
Title: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
Exhibition Dates: April 8 – June 30 , 2017
Viewing Hours:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Noon to 6:00 pm
and by appointment.
Organizer:
Artmakers Inc.
For more info and media queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.com, (212) 989-3006
Host Venue:
Loisaida Inc. Center
(646) 726-4715
710 East 9th Street, Lower East Side
New York, NY 10009 United States
+ Google Map

Email: info@loisaida.org

Noches de Bohemia with IRIS CHACON
2017-06-12 18:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Buy Tickets – Comprar Boletos

Your contribution will support our commitment to the Puerto Rican and Latino Cultures and the preservation of our heritage in New York City.

Made possible through the generous support of AgeWell New York

Rompiendo Puertas - Break and Enter a.k.a. Squatters (Newsreel #62)
2017-07-24 19:00 - 21:45 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. in collaboration with Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space and Third World Newsreel are proud to present:
Break and Enter a.k.a. Squatters (Newsreel #62)

Duration: 40 min.

Doors open at: 7:00 pm

OVERVIEW:
This film captures the militant antecedents to today’s housing reclamation movement in New York City. In 1970, several hundred Puerto Rican and Dominican families reclaimed housing left vacant by the city. They pulled the boards off the doors, cleaned and repaired the buildings and moved in.Third World Newsreel’s historical Newsreel collection provides contemporary audiences with a vast archive of political documentary films chronicling the social movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s

Thanks to the generous contributions of the National Film Preservation Foundation, BREAK AND ENTER has been preserved and is available for purchases and rentals.BREAK AND ENTER was preserved thanks to the generous support of the National Film Preservation Foundation. This film is available for public screenings.

REVIEWS:
“…the film is one of the first to represent working class Latinos-particularly Latinas-as active agents of change in new social movements… Break and Enter can be understood as part of the Puerto Rican cultural “renaissance” or innovative cultural formations that emerged in the city during the late 1960s and unsettled the distinctions between art and politics as well as imagined new ways of being in the city.”
– Frances Negron-Muntaner, Latino Arts and Activism Archive at Columbia University
“This film emerges as one of Newsreel’s most powerful films.”
– Cynthia A. Young, Soul Power

KICKING-OFF THE EVENING WITH A SPECIAL SCREENING AND PRESENTATION OF:
Voces de Fillmore
Duration: 19 min.

Ariana Allensworth, Teresa Basilio & Regina Eaton
Producer: Third World Newsreel Workshop
2015
US
English and Spanish with English subtitles

This documentary traces the memories and experiences of families living on one block located in South Williamsburg, a Brooklyn neighborhood that is affectionately known by long time residents as Southside or Los Sures. In the past decade, Southside’ Latinx and working class population has steadily decreased from seventy to forty-five percent, in part due to gentrification in New York City. In this film, Puerto Rican families who have lived and raised children in Los Sures for several decades talk about their quest to preserve a sense of community in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
Bios:
Teresa Basilio Gaztambide is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and has been living in Brooklyn for the past 20 years. Currently Teresa is the Deputy Director for New America’s Resilient Communities Program working with Hurricane Sandy impacted neighborhoods to co-design, build and maintain weather-resistant and locally controlled wifi networks. Prior to joining New America, Teresa was the Co-Executive Director of Global Action Project (G.A.P.) a social justice youth media organization that works with youth most impacted by injustice to build the knowledge, tools, and relationships needed to create media for community power, cultural expression and political change. Teresa is also a multidisciplinary artist and organizer. Her latest production Voces de Fillmore is a documentary on the experiences of Puerto Rican families living in one block in the neighborhood of Los Sures in Williamsburg, Brooklyn dealing with the impact of the gentrification and displacement of their working class community. She recently co-organized the Detroit – Puerto Rico Solidarity Exchange which brought together a delegation of 80 Detroit and Puerto Rican organizers and cultural workers (from the island and diaspora) committed to grassroots efforts rooted in self-determination to the Allied Media Conference.
Rose Muzio is Associate Professor of Politics at SUNY Old Westbury and author of Radical Imagination Radical Humanity: Puerto Rican Political Activism in NY. The book provides the first in-depth account of the origins and activism of El Comite-Movimiento de Izquierda Nacional Puertorriqueno, one of the main organizations of the Puerto Rican Left in the 1970s. Operation Move-In is discussed at length in both the book and a previously published article in Centro, Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies.
Carmen Martell (who appears briefly in the film) has resided in the Upper West Side for over 60 years since coming to New York from Puerto Rico as a child. She was an organizer and participant in Operation Move-In, the Secretary of Organization of El Comite for a decade, and more recently one of the “35 women for Oscar” who helped gain Obama’s last-minute release of Oscar Lopez Rivera. Carmen worked for former Borough President Ruth Messinger and for many years was the Director of Human Resources of UniteHere Health Center.

Tribute to Joaquín Torres García's Legacy
2017-07-28 19:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Commemoration Tribute to Maestro Torres García.
This commemorative event, has been held for fifty consecutive years, thanks to the Uruguayan Embassy, Consulate and Uruguayan Diaspora of NYC. Torres-Garcia’s grandson, Marcos Torres, will be present to give a brief scope of the hemispheric influence of his grandfather’s influential Escuela Constructivista in Uruguay and the rest of the world from its beginning to the present day.
Conference: Joaquín Torres García Legacy (7:00-9:00pm)

Comments on the text "The Tradition of the Abstract Man"
2017-07-29 09:00 - 14:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Comments on the text “The Tradition of the Abstract Man” (9:00 am-5:00pm, with recess from 12: 30 to 2:00 pm)
Original intensive workshop, developed by that will deepen the constructivist concepts of visionary Torres García, making a thorough reading and revision of his text “The Tradition of the Abstract Man”.

Sing for Hope!
2017-08-31 18:30 - 19:30, 2017-09-21 18:30 - 19:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Come one, Come All!!
Loisaida Inc., Acacia Network and the Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly invite you to experience the uplifting power of music with Broadway performers from Sing for Hope!
The Sing for Hope vision of art for all is informed by our belief that the arts have unique power to uplift, unite, and transform individuals and communities. Our outreach programs in under-resourced areas – from schools to community centers to healthcare facilities – demonstrate this every day.
Each Sing for Hope program is defined by the volunteer service of artists, the needs of the community, and our belief in the transformative power of the arts.

Tale 53;Snowhite
2017-11-17 20:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. & Maskhunt Motions proudly present:
Tale 53;Snowhite
with: Deborah Hunt & Shanti Lalita

Tale 53; Snowhite is a sinister story told inside an intriguing wooden artefact that houses a toy theatre (with two- dimentional painted puppets moving on tracks), objects, a kamishibai (for backdrop changes) and a cranky or moving panorama. It is based on “Snowhite”, the creation of reknowned Spanish author and illustrator Ana Juan.
Deborah Hunt, (theatre maker, maskbuilder and operator, puppeteer, teacher and autor) has adapted and directed the tale and manipulates the puppets and backdrops. Shanti Lalita, (cellist, poet and performer) is the composer and live musician.
Far from the disneyesque version of Snow White, our tale relates the life of a young woman who falls prey to a blood thirsty stepmother, an hostile city, hustling dwarves and a rapacious prince. Based on the original story Tale 53 (The Little Snow White) of the Grimm Brothers published in 1812, the story of Ana Juan offers a biting and pertinent stare at the situation of women still relevant to our times. Justaposed with the beauty of the puppets, objects and painted backdrops, Tale 53;Snowhite promises a unique theatrical experience.
Toy theatre is a kind of theatre in miniature that flourished in the 19th century in Europe. The small theatres, scenery, backdrops and characters were printed on paper, painted and cutout and the stories were presented in the salas and drawing rooms of private houses, often accompanied with live music.
Hunt has presented the work in Puerto Rico (San German and San Juan) at the Odin Teatret in Denmark and now in New York. It will be presented at the Festival Internacional de Títeres de Matanzas en Cuba in 2018. Additionally I can offer a daylong workshop using the artefact of the show (toy theatre, kamishibai, cranky) as a point of departure. Participants work in groups creating short stories using these techniques.

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Fantasy Island: Exhibition Closing
2017-11-18 18:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
For Shey Rivera Ríos and Huáscar Robles, Hurricane María is an atmospheric manifestation compounded by the fiscal crisis troubling Puerto Rico’s urban landscape. The installation and performance Fantasy Island is an experience that explores how tourism and consumer culture sell a “fantastical” luxury lifestyle, a tropical paradise twisting crisis into “opportunity”. A door opens into a real estate office selling dreams of luxury and reconstruction and the viewer delves into a dizzying spell of animated gifs, performance and altars.
For Fantasy Island, Rivera transformed Loisaida’s space into a real estate office surrounded by a black and white grid that envelops visitors while monitors flash GIFs that borrow aesthetics from the vaporwave movement. In one image, a hand waves a wad of cash to a “Puerto Rico” neon sign while icons of the Virgin Mary and a ram, both cultural symbols of Puerto Rico’s syncretism and colonial history, spin in an enticing, dizzying spell. Viewers are also inspired to reflect on how natural disasters such as the path of hurricanes affecting not only Puerto Rico but also our Caribbean neighbors maybe twisted into “opportunity” after the crisis subsides.
For the Loisaida Center, a cultural enterprise with deep roots in the Nuyorican and Latinx New York community, Fantasy Island stretches the island to New York and its Puerto Rican and Caribbean diaspora as it hits common issues they all grapple with.
The opening reception will include a special performance.
Throughout the fall, and beyond, the Loisaida Inc. Center’s programming will provide opportunities to pledge support to the relief and recovery efforts in the Caribbean.

ReconstruirMX@Loisaida
2018-01-13 19:00 - 22:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Please join us on January 13th, 2018 for a night of music, dance, tamales and the celebration of the artistic spirit in the rebuilding efforts of communities impacted by the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico. Performances by Sandra Soto Silva, The Josh Craig and more.
In November of 2017 an art benefit was held at 41 Cooper Gallery for communities devastated by earthquakes in Mexico. Through the raffling of over 100 artworks generously donated by local and international artists we were able to fundraise $13,000 USD in support of the relief and rebuilding efforts of the artist collective Los Carpintruenos, the Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico, and Centro Cultural Bacaanda.
While we began organizing partly due to our familial ties to Mexico and with the intention of making a gesture of support and camaraderie across borders, these efforts have been an urgent reminder to connect with international artistic communities; the need to stay connected, share stories and ideas, and cultivate long lasting relationships that transcend locality and lived experiences.
In December we visited Los Carpintruenos and the Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico, whose work and energy is truly impressive and inspiring. The purpose of the upcoming event at Loisaida is to share the stories of these artistic communities and their impassioned work as well thank our extended NYC community for their ongoing support.

Los Carpintruenos, whose name combines carpinteros (carpenters) and truenos (thunder), is a group of seven volunteers whose mission is to generate effective, quick, and direct aid in the construction of houses and temporary refuges in both a long- and short-term capacity to regions affected by the earthquake. Los Carpintruenos met while assisting with carpentry, demolition, reconstruction, and rescue work in the area around calle de Gabriel Mancera, Mexico City’s post-earthquake “ground zero”. Buoyed by a sense of purposeful collective energy, they decided to stay in touch as they continued to assist with rebuilding efforts throughout the capital. More recently, they have expand their work beyond Mexico City, transporting supplies to the towns of Jojutla and El Jicarero in the state of Morelos and to this date successfully built 16 wooden houses for individuals and families left homeless.
Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico located in Valle de Chalco, on the outskirts of Mexico City, the Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico was built on an ex-hacienda dating to 1529. The Museum now houses an impressive collection of pre-Columbian objects and safeguards the archaeological remains of the Valle de Xico. In response to the earthquake, the museum has partnered with organizations in the region to deliver supplies directly to affected populations. To date, they have sent out three brigades and with our support they are now establishing medical outposts to assist those with medical needs.
Centro Cultural Bacaanda is a project founded by the Visual Artist Cristian Pineda Flores in May of 2006 in Juchitán of Saragossa, Oaxaca. It is an artistic proposal that unites the efforts and ideas of artists in diverse disciplines to create dynamics of exchange, formation, contemporary artistic production and cultural diffusion in the state of Oaxaca, especially in the region of the Isthmus. After the September 7 earthquake—which destroyed hundreds of houses in Juchitán—architects, engineers, people dedicated to the field of construction with experience, organized to support those that lost their homes and everything there.

Book Talk: Street Gangs of the Lower East Side
2018-01-16 18:30 - 20:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Details
With “The Street Gangs of the Lower East Side,” Jose Cochise
Quiles and Clayton Patterson provide a brutally honest, self-reflective and moving account of one person’s struggle to break the cycle of violence and poverty since birth through creativity and compassion for others in the East Village / Lower East Side. Quiles pulls no punches about the experiences that took him from gang leader to an historian of gangs, artist, and author who creates with a joyous yet desperate edge, for the sake of sheer survival.
Free with Registration
Co-sponsored by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and Loisaida Inc.
Books for sale and signing following the program.
This event is fully accessible.

El Semillero Benefit Event
2018-02-27 18:30 - 21:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Tuesday, February 27th 2018 – 6:30 pm
Doors open at 6:00 pm – Loisaida Inc. 710 East 9th Street New York, NY 10009

El Semillero
El Semillero is what we call the new 2018 Media & Technology component at the Loisaida Inc. Center. It is an idea-activator, a makerspace for creative cross-training, prototyping, and multi-disciplinary collaboration. The community can make use of our low and high-tech equipment and facilities in addition to the roster of workshops we’re offering for personal and professional development.
Creativity and its profound effect on our own well-being and that of the world are bound together. Therefore, art, culture, fulfillment, and productivity are interdependent. We believe that neighborhoods should act as their own cultural developers and sustainable economic engines. El Semillero is a space for our youth and elders, mentors and mentees, artists and scholars, experts and beginners. We welcome students, young professionals, local entrepreneurs, parents, and grandparents. We’re building an accessible idea incubator where all Loisaida community members can come together to dream, collaborate, and create. El Semillero is for our future-makers.

Loisaida has survived these past 38 years because of the support of the community. In this, our first ever fundraising campaign, we’re asking you to invest in El Semillero, our programs, and projects that support the resilience of our Latinx community footprint and legacy.

Purchase tickets to event:

How many tickets?

1 $50.00 USD2 $100.00 USD3 $150.00 USD4 $200.00 USD

Artist Level Perks
We are here for you! As an artist-level contributor, you can gain access to the fundraiser celebration, enjoy libations and eats from local vendors, and exercise your right to party to the sounds of D’Marquesina.

How many tickets?

1 $150.00 USD2 $300.00 USD3 $450.00 USD

Seedling Level Perks
Make us grow! Dig in at the seedling level and your contribution gives you all of the “Artist” level benefits, plus a signed limited edition print by artist Adrián “Viajero” Román.

How many tickets?

1 $250.00 USD2 $500.00 USD3 $750.00 USD

Germinator Level Perks
You are truly making us blossom! At this level, recieve all of the “Artist” level benefits, plus the first six Germinators get a pair of tickets to their choice of either Shakespeare in the Park’s Othello, Twelfth Night, or The Public’s run of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Miss You Like Hell. All other Germinators will receive an autographed print by photographer Máximo Rafael Colón.

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Noche de Bohemia with Joe Louis
2018-03-02 19:30 - 21:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Joe Louis returns with his experimental bohemia to NYC from PR. Come and enjoy a night full of stories to wait for the end of the world and face it. Come to love and be loved with music and vocal improvisation. Swimming in the “Río Piedras” had never been so far away. (https://soundcloud.com/user-553207317/rio-piedras-vol-1-joe-louis-y-los-bohemios)
Joe Louis regresa con su bohemia experimental a la ciudad de Nueva York. Vengan a disfrutar una noche llena de historias para esperar el fin del mundo y afrontarlo. Vengan a amar y ser amados con la música e improvisación vocal. Nadar en el “Río Piedras” nunca había estado tan lejos. ( https://soundcloud.com/user-553207317/rio-piedras-vol-1-joe-louis-y-los-bohemios)
Check out the presentation if you missed it:

Sponsored by Integra Managed Health Plans

Cocinando Justicia
2018-04-30 18:30 - 20:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Direct from Puerto Rico, Giovani Roberto, an organizer with Centro de Apoyo Mutuo – CAM (Center of Mutual Support), Caguas, will be discussing how its projects and others, are creating alternative solutions to meet the basic sustenance needs of the Puerto Rican people after Hurricane Maria. Other speakers include Melissa Fuster, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Brooklyn College, and Huascar Robles, author/journalist/producer of Catatonia podcast.

Central Ethic
Through implementing CAM principles of “ayuda mutua y esfuerzo propio” (mutual help and self-effort) the process of creating a new, regenerative Puerto Rico and allowing a return of the island’s vitality. CAM principles function in contrast to the legacy of colonial policies which continue to eliminate public services and infrastructure, and compromise natural resources for the exclusive benefit of private interests. The ethic of ‘mutual help and self effort’ has proven effective in creating a viable, alternative solution or the people of Puerto Rico, as evidenced by the increasing interest of participants and volunteers received daily in service to the CAM.
Background & Growth
Centro de Apoyo Mutuo ~ Caguas, appeared 8 days after the passing of Hurricane Maria, occupying abandoned space, providing services such as meals, material resources, acupuncture and alternative therapies, and workshops to the public while receiving support from local community volunteers, and later from supporters outside the island.
Weeks after the Centro de Apoyo Mutuo started in Caguas, several groups and individuals across the island helped organize CAMs in their communities, following the call for collective action to island activists and progressive groups, resulting in 8 CAM’s throughout the main island, including 1 on the island of Vieques. Currently there are 8 CAMs, some with a peoples kitchen, some with agro-ecological projects, workshops, alternative community educational projects, and acupuncture and therapeutic spaces.

**Giovanni Roberto is a Puerto Rican social justice activist and organizer for the Center for Political, Educational and Cultural Development (CDPEC) based in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Roberto is a former student leader of the 2010-2011 mobilizations and strikes at the University of Puerto Rico.
Melissa Fuster is an assistant professor of Public Health Nutrition at the City University of New York Brooklyn College. Her current research addresses the sociopolitical and cultural factors affecting culinary and nutritional outcomes in the Hispanic Caribbean region and its transnational communities in the US. Previous to joining Brooklyn College, Prof. Fuster was a Provostial Faculty Fellow in Food Studies at New York University.

Fiestas de Cruz at Loisaida
2018-05-05 18:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. and its project The Plenatorium are pleased to host a performance and ritual stemming straight from the faith based history of Puerto Ricans in the Lower East Side. The “Feast of the Holy Cross” roughly translates into “Fiestas de Cruz” and members of the community have kept it alive from generation to generation through oral history. On these days during the month of May, many families, neighbors, friends and strangers would gather to recite a live rosary chant accompanied by Puerto Rican traditional plena sounds.
Musical Accompaniment / Quinto Sonó, Sammy Tanco, Nelly Tanco
Festival Coordinators / Maitreyi Villaman Matos, Yawo Pepe Flores, Bala Soto
Please RSVP as there is a limited capacity.

Dome Building Workshop
2018-05-06 14:00 - 16:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Dome Building Workshop
A project by: Matthew Mottel in collaboration with Loisaida Inc.
Sunday, May 6 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm (estimated time)

Overview:
The history of dome building on the LES goes back to when CHARAS built domes in collaboration with Buckminster Fuller in 1972/73. Syeus Mottel documented this effort in his photo-journalism book CHARAS THE IMPROBABLE DOME BUILDERS , first published in 1974 and now re published in 2017 by Song Cave Press & Pioneer Works.
Through a collaborative project between Loisaida Inc., La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez and DIAP (Digital Intermedia MFA program at City College), artist and researcher Matthew Mottel (Syeus Mottel’s son) will build 2 geodesic domes (one at La Plaza and the other at the Loisaida Inc. Center’ courtyard) as an interactive art installation. In interviewing Carlos “Chino” Garcia as part of his research, Matthew was told that the domes CHARAS built functioned as both recreational activity spaces and as experimental examples of how to build disaster relief housing in non urban areas. The same functions apply now. The dome at La Plaza Cultura, will be seen from the street, with high visibility. This will bring people to the other dome in the courtyard and exhibition happening at Loisaida Center, which will feature a more detailed documentation of the original events of 1972-73.
This work highlights the achievements of CHARAS and hopefully expands the pressure on the NYC mayoral office to follow through on their promise to re-acquire El Bohio for the Loisaida community.
The week of the exhibition opening, many public performances, talks and workshops will transpire in both the Loisaida Center dome, and at La Plaza Cultural. These events will be influenced by the type of programming that happened during the 20+ years of events and exhibitions of El Bohio before being pushed out of its iconic and historic location on 9th Street, formerly known as P.S. 64.

Resources:
The Improbable Dome Builders
Matthew’s essay on the book.
The video that will be screened during the exhibition opening; CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH – Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm

Schedule, Programming & Activities:

Saturday, May 5 at 6:00 pm – Archive exhibition of the 1972/73 CHARAS Geodesic Dome opens during Fiestas de Cruz at Loisaida Center.
Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 pm – Dome Building Workshop where participants will assist in the building of a 12′ geodesic dome. There will also be a special screening of archival footage from Bucky Fuller.
Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm – Geodesic Domes unveiled with exhibition at Loisaida Center and La Plaza Cultural with performance by poet Edwin Torres.
Thursday, May 10 at 12:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center.
Friday, May 11 at 6:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center + Oral history project of the Lower East Side featuring interview with Chino Garcia by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, with documentary screening of Matthew Mottel’s video CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH at 6:00 pm.
Saturday, May 12 at 12:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center + performances in the afternoon thru evening at La plaza Cultural and Loisaida Center Courtyard.

CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH: Reception + Performances
2018-05-09 18:00 - 20:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH: Reception + Performances

A project by: Matthew Mottel in collaboration with Loisaida Inc., La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez and DIAP (Digital Intermedia MFA program at City College

Overview:
The history of dome building on the LES goes back to when CHARAS built domes in collaboration with Buckminster Fuller in 1972/73. Syeus Mottel documented this effort in his photo-journalism book CHARAS THE IMPROBABLE DOME BUILDERS , first published in 1974 and now re published in 2017 by Song Cave Press & Pioneer Works.
Through a collaborative project between Loisaida Inc., La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez and DIAP (Digital Intermedia MFA program at City College), artist and researcher Matthew Mottel (Syeus Mottel’s son) will build 2 geodesic domes (one at La Plaza and the other at the Loisaida Inc. Center’ courtyard) as an interactive art installation. In interviewing Carlos “Chino” Garcia as part of his research, Matthew was told that the domes CHARAS built functioned as both recreational activity spaces and as experimental examples of how to build disaster relief housing in non urban areas. The same functions apply now. The dome at La Plaza Cultura, will be seen from the street, with high visibility. This will bring people to the other dome in the courtyard and exhibition happening at Loisaida Center, which will feature a more detailed documentation of the original events of 1972-73.
This work highlights the achievements of CHARAS and hopefully expands the pressure on the NYC mayoral office to follow through on their promise to re-acquire El Bohio for the Loisaida community.
The week of the exhibition opening, many public performances, talks and workshops will transpire in both the Loisaida Center dome, and at La Plaza Cultural. These events will be influenced by the type of programming that happened during the 20+ years of events and exhibitions of El Bohio before being pushed out of its iconic and historic location on 9th Street, formerly known as P.S. 64.

Resources:
CHARAS The Improbable Dome Builders (((THE FUTURE IN ACTION)))
Through the lens of avant-garde architectural theory, the CHARAS Lower East side community group and Buckminster Fuller’s assistant, Michael Ben Eli construct a geodesic dome on an unused plot of land in the shadow of the Manhattan bridge in 1972-1973. The CHARAS members built the geodesic dome to control their own destiny.
CHARAS: The Improbable Dome Builders resonates in 2018. Ever present are the needs of affordable housing, the occupation of public/unused space for civic use, and the participation of communities to take self determined action when governmental institutions forgo their public duty.
CHARAS THE IMPROBABLE DOME BUILDERS: (((THE FUTURE IN ACTION) produced by Matthew Mottel includes archival interviews and photography from 1972/73 by Syeus Mottel with CHARAS members Chino Garcia and Karen Becker. In October 2017, Sal Becker and Chino Garcia, return to the dome construction site on the Lower East Side to reflect on their achievements and speak about the purpose of their dome building activity.
Matthew Mottel’s essay on the book.
The video that will be screened during the exhibition opening; CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH – Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm

Schedule, Programming & Activities:

Saturday, May 5 at 6:00 pm – Archive exhibition of the 1972/73 CHARAS Geodesic Dome opens during Fiestas de Cruz at Loisaida Center.
Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 pm – Dome Building Workshop where participants will assist in the building of a 12′ geodesic dome. There will also be a special screening of archival footage from Bucky Fuller.
Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm – Geodesic Domes unveiled with exhibition at Loisaida Center and La Plaza Cultural with performance by poet Edwin Torres.
Thursday, May 10 at 12:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center.
Friday, May 11 at 6:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center + Oral history project of the Lower East Side featuring interview with Chino Garcia by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, with documentary screening of Matthew Mottel’s video CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH at 6:00 pm.
Saturday, May 12 at 12:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center + performances in the afternoon thru evening at La plaza Cultural and Loisaida Center Courtyard.

CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH
2018-05-09 18:00 - 2018-05-11 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH

A project by: Matthew Mottel in collaboration with Loisaida Inc., La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez and DIAP (Digital Intermedia MFA program at City College

Overview:
The history of dome building on the LES goes back to when CHARAS built domes in collaboration with Buckminster Fuller in 1972/73. Syeus Mottel documented this effort in his photo-journalism book CHARAS THE IMPROBABLE DOME BUILDERS , first published in 1974 and now re published in 2017 by Song Cave Press & Pioneer Works.
Through a collaborative project between Loisaida Inc., La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez and DIAP (Digital Intermedia MFA program at City College), artist and researcher Matthew Mottel (Syeus Mottel’s son) will build 2 geodesic domes (one at La Plaza and the other at the Loisaida Inc. Center’ courtyard) as an interactive art installation. In interviewing Carlos “Chino” Garcia as part of his research, Matthew was told that the domes CHARAS built functioned as both recreational activity spaces and as experimental examples of how to build disaster relief housing in non urban areas. The same functions apply now. The dome at La Plaza Cultura, will be seen from the street, with high visibility. This will bring people to the other dome in the courtyard and exhibition happening at Loisaida Center, which will feature a more detailed documentation of the original events of 1972-73.
This work highlights the achievements of CHARAS and hopefully expands the pressure on the NYC mayoral office to follow through on their promise to re-acquire El Bohio for the Loisaida community.
The week of the exhibition opening, many public performances, talks and workshops will transpire in both the Loisaida Center dome, and at La Plaza Cultural. These events will be influenced by the type of programming that happened during the 20+ years of events and exhibitions of El Bohio before being pushed out of its iconic and historic location on 9th Street, formerly known as P.S. 64.

Resources:
CHARAS The Improbable Dome Builders (((THE FUTURE IN ACTION)))
Through the lens of avant-garde architectural theory, the CHARAS Lower East side community group and Buckminster Fuller’s assistant, Michael Ben Eli construct a geodesic dome on an unused plot of land in the shadow of the Manhattan bridge in 1972-1973. The CHARAS members built the geodesic dome to control their own destiny.
CHARAS: The Improbable Dome Builders resonates in 2018. Ever present are the needs of affordable housing, the occupation of public/unused space for civic use, and the participation of communities to take self determined action when governmental institutions forgo their public duty.
CHARAS THE IMPROBABLE DOME BUILDERS: (((THE FUTURE IN ACTION) produced by Matthew Mottel includes archival interviews and photography from 1972/73 by Syeus Mottel with CHARAS members Chino Garcia and Karen Becker. In October 2017, Sal Becker and Chino Garcia, return to the dome construction site on the Lower East Side to reflect on their achievements and speak about the purpose of their dome building activity.
Matthew Mottel’s essay on the book.
The video that will be screened during the exhibition opening; CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH – Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm

Schedule, Programming & Activities:

Saturday, May 5 at 6:00 pm – Archive exhibition of the 1972/73 CHARAS Geodesic Dome opens during Fiestas de Cruz at Loisaida Center.
Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 pm – Dome Building Workshop where participants will assist in the building of a 12′ geodesic dome. There will also be a special screening of archival footage from Bucky Fuller.
Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm – Geodesic Domes unveiled with exhibition at Loisaida Center and La Plaza Cultural with performance by poet Edwin Torres.
Thursday, May 10 at 12:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center.
Friday, May 11 at 6:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center + Oral history project of the Lower East Side featuring interview with Chino Garcia by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, with documentary screening of Matthew Mottel’s video CHARAS IS ALIVE ON SPACESHIP EARTH at 6:00 pm.
Saturday, May 12 at 12:00 pm – Exhibition hours at Loisaida Center + performances in the afternoon thru evening at La plaza Cultural and Loisaida Center Courtyard.

Chino Garcia Oral History and Screening of CHARAS is Alive on Spaceship Earth
2018-05-11 18:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Chino Garcia Oral History and Screening of CHARAS is Alive on Spaceship Earth
Friday, May 11, 6:00pm
Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 E 9th Street

presented as part of Lower East Side History Month

GVSHP‘s Oral History Project helps to preserve memories of the Village and East Village. Our newest release features Carlos “Chino” Garcia, co-founder of the East Village’s CHARAS El Bohio Cultural and Community Center.
Chino will join us in conversation with Bonnie Sue Stein, Executive and Artistic Director of GOH Productions. They will discuss Chino’s life and activism, from youth and migrant communities in the 1950s to the education-focused Real Great Society, the founding of CHARAS in the 1970s, and more.
CHARAS first built domes in collaboration with Buckminster Fuller in 1972. Artist and scholar Matthew Mottel will present his short documentary about CHARAS based on archival footage ofSeyus Mottel (his father), working on the Improbable Dome Builders.
This event is fully accessible.
Free. Reservations Required.

Register here.
