Senior Day at Loisaida Center
2024-11-01 10:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
2024 Senior Day at the Loisaida Center
Location: 710 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009
When: First Friday of the Month from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Activities: Art Workshops, Zumba/Aerobics, Educational Panels, Live Music, Snacks, Coffee and more!

Questions? Contact Angel Santini (917-634-6963) or Loisaida Inc. (646-726-4715 / info@loisaida.org)

2024 Calendar:
Friday, November 1, 2024
Friay, December 6, 2024 (Holiday Celebration)

CULTURA LIVE!
2024-11-02 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Piragua Art Space, 367 E 10th St, New York, NY, 10009, United States

OLDER ADULTS' TABLET CLASSES
2024-11-04 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-11 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-18 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-25 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-02 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-09 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-23 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
OLDER ADULTS’ TABLET CLASSES
AT THE LOISAIDA CENTER
710 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
To register, please call the Loisaida Center at 646-726-4715.
Or email: info@loisaida.org
9 Sessions
Each Monday from 10 AM – 12 PM
October 28th – January 15th 2024
Free Tablet!
*Limited to first 5 registrants
This program prepares older adults to use the Alcatel 3T 8 tablet as a tool to facilitate day-to-day tasks and connections.
Learning objectives include: using tablet applications to assist with everyday tasks, connecting with family & friends, audio & visual skill development, and more! Participants must commit to all 9 classes to keep their complimentary tablet at the end of the program.
Led by bilingual (English/Spanish) instructor, Elizabeth Bermudez.

Ecolibrium 2024 Exhibition
2024-11-04 10:00 - 2024-11-08 18:00 (America/New_York), 2024-11-18 10:00 - 2024-11-22 18:00 UTC, 2024-11-25 10:00 - 2024-11-29 18:00 (America/New_York), 2024-12-02 10:00 - 2024-12-04 18:00 (America/New_York)
Date: October 4 ~ December 4, 2024
Hours: 10 AM ~ 6 PM, Monday ~ Friday (Sat, Sun Closed)
Location: Loisaida, Inc. Center (710 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009)

Ecolibrum 2024 Exhibition
2024-11-11 10:00 - 2024-11-15 18:00 (America/New_York)

Fuera Yanqui Del Caribe Art Exhibit
2024-11-15 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)

I'm So Hood Photo Exhibit at Piragua Space
2024-11-22 17:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Rosa Lee Rodriguez is a Nuyorican and LES native, mother of three, and NYCHA resident. She’s a community activist, artist, and poet who captures her neighborhood on 35mm film. Her work has been showcased at FREE FILM NYC’s Art on Paper, Worthless Studios, the Lower Eastside Girls Club, and Governors Island. She’s currently active in projects like Opening The Edge, LES Yearbook, and the GOLES Environmental Justice Committee.

Mindful Mapping Workshop at MoMA
2024-11-23 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY, 10019, United States
Mindful Mapping Workshop

Sat, Nov 23, 12:00–1:30 p.m.
MoMA, Floor 2, Creativity Lab
The Paula and James Crown Creativity Lab

Free, registration or RSVP required (through the link)

Join artists Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda and Alejandro Epifanio for a creative mapping workshop in which participants take part in mindful art-making focused on their lived experiences. Learn about the concept of the “four bodies,” which embodies the physical, mental, emotional, and interconnected self through guided mapping activities using mixed-media art-making materials. This program is a part of Creativity Lab’s first module, “Mind and Body,” which inspires us to use art to discover belonging within ourselves.
This 90-minute, in-person program is free. This workshop takes place in person at MoMA. To keep the workshop intimate, capacity is limited. Preregistration is required.
Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda is a queer, Afro-indigenous visual storyteller and education designer whose practice weaves together ethnobotany and plant-based photographic processes. Rodríguez Píneda’s work explores the interplay of reconstructed narratives, memory, permanence, Taíno spirituality, and postcolonial trauma. With a life practice deeply rooted in creativity as ancestral knowledge, they believe in a somatic understanding gained through the process of creation. Their pedagogical praxis connects the spheres of art history, decolonial epistemologies, inner development, museum education, and curriculum design. They have collaborated with such organizations as the Dia Art Foundation, The Museum of Modern Art, Queens Museum, Recess Arts, Socrates Sculpture Park, Storm King Arts Center, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among many others. Rodríguez Píneda is an active advisory member for the New England Teaching Artist Collective, a steering member for the Youth Organizing Culture Change Fund, and the founder of Movimiento, an initiative to strengthen BiPoc connection to land.
Alejandro Epifanio, born in 1982 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural advocate. He earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and began his career balancing creative work with activism. As executive and artistic director of Loisaida Inc. since 2020, Epifanio has revitalized this historic Puerto Rican–founded organization, focusing on social change through arts and culture. Under his leadership, Loisaida has returned to its grassroots ethos, expanded its budget, and strengthened partnerships to support diverse community programming for residents, artists, and activists.

Senior Day at Loisaida Center
2024-12-06 10:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
2024 Senior Day at the Loisaida Center
Location: 710 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009
When: First Friday of the Month from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Activities: Art Workshops, Zumba/Aerobics, Educational Panels, Live Music, Snacks, Coffee and more!
Questions? Contact Angel Santini (917-634-6963) or Loisaida Inc. (646-726-4715 / info@loisaida.org)
2024 Calendar:
Friday, December 6, 2024 (Holiday Celebration)

Artisferio
2024-12-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Artisferio is hosting an art and culture event at the Loisaida, Inc. Center, on December 7th, 2024, at 7pm.
Location: 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
Join us for a Latinx-driven multimedia showcase, where artists from various disciplines present their original works. Let’s celebrate Latinx cultural heritage, identity, and art!
Follow Artisferio on Instagram!

50 Years of Bimbo Rivas’ “Loisaida”
2024-12-10 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
50 Years of Bimbo Rivas “Loisaida”
December 10, 2024, 6 ~ 7:15 PM
The Loisaida Center710 E 9th StNew York, NY 10009

Co-sponsored by The Loisaida Center
Bimbo Rivas was a Puerto Rican artist and activist who lived and made his mark on the Lower East Side. He played a key role in the Nuyorican Movement and authored the poem “Loisaida,” which popularized the term and reinforced a sense of cultural identity in the neighborhood. To mark the 50th anniversary of that poem’s publication, this event will celebrate Bimbo’s life, work, and legacy.
The program will feature a live performance of the poem by one of his daughters, with live music by one of Bimbo’s mentees, Daso, and a photo montage by the great East Village photographer Marlis Momber. This performance will be followed by an overview of life in the neighborhood at the time of the poem’s publication, a discussion of Bimbo’s various artistic efforts, and an assessment of his influence on the Nuyorican Movement. Participants will include some of Bimbo’s relatives, friends, and colleagues, as well as artists who followed in his wake.

Maraluna Rivas
Maraluna Rivas Mico, daughter of iconic poet Bittman “Bimbo” Rivas, grew up as the middle child in a family deeply rooted in culture, activism, and community. Today, she is a devoted wife, mother, and recent grandmother. A passionate educator with the Board of Education, Maraluna inspires her community while also working as an actress, dancer, and performer. She frequently collaborates with the families and friends of her father’s close companions, such as Chino Garcia. Deeply influenced by places like Charas/El Bohio, Maraluna is committed to ensuring these cultural hubs remain accessible, empowering future generations to connect with Loisaida’s vibrant spirit. Whenever possible, she loves to recite her father’s poems, keeping his spirit alive and close to her heart and voice.

David Soto
Renowned singer, songwriter, community organizer, and youth advocate David Soto, known artistically as DāSo, embarked on his musical odyssey during his formative years, gracing stages alongside his mother in the esteemed Puerto Rican folkloric dance ensemble, Grupo Cemí. Raised in the vibrant tapestry of Loisaida, New York City, amidst the effervescent cultural milieu of Nuyorican poetry in the early ’70s to ’80s, DāSo imbibed wisdom from luminaries such as María Hernández, Bimbo Rivas, Tato Laviera, and Luis Guzmán, refining his artistry through electrifying performances at iconic venues like the Nuyorican Poets Café, Tompkins Square Park, intimate community garden soirées, and CHARAS fundraisers.

Caridad De La Luz Caridad De La Luz “LA BRUJA” won an Emmy in 2022 (for ABC’s Cultural Short – Legacy of Puerto Rican Poetry) after becoming the Executive Director of the NUYORICAN POETS CAFE where she began her career in 1996. Winner of the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship and David Prize finalist, Caridad balances a career of activism, education, entertainment, and motherhood. She has been one of America’s leading spoken word poets for over 20 years and has received The Edgar Allan Poe Award from The Bronx Historical Society. She was honored as a Bronx Living Legend by The Bronx Music Heritage Center and was named “Top 20 Puerto Rican Women Everyone Should Know”.

Jesus Papoleto Melendez
Jesus Papoleto Melendez is one of the founding poets of the Nuyorican poetry movement. Melendez’s poetry collections include Casting Long Shadows (1970), Street Poetry & Other Poems (1972), Concertos on Market Street (1993), and the bilingual volume Hey Yo! Yo Soy! 40 Years of Nuyorican Street Poetry: The Collected Work of Jesús Papoleto Melendez (2012, volume 1). His work has also been featured in numerous anthologies. His honors include a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Louis Reyes Rivera Lifetime Achievement Award, an Artist for Community Enrichment Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and a joint fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and Combined Arts of San Diego.

Bob Holman
Bob Holman is a spoken word performer, professor, impresario, activist, founder of the Bowery Poetry Club, filmmaker, and host of Language Matters (2015 Documentary of the Year, Berkeley Film Festival). He has been a central figure in redefining poetry as it exists on, off, and beyond the page. Dubbed a member of the “Poetry Pantheon” by the New York Times Magazine, Holman is the author of over 20 poetry collections. He has taught at Princeton University, Columbia University, N.Y.U., Bard College, and The New School. As an arts administrator, he has served as coordinator and curator at St. Mark’s Poetry Project and was the original Slammaster and a director of the Nuyorican Poets Café. A scholar of oral traditions in West Africa and beyond, Holman co-founded the Endangered Language Alliance, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors.

Event Info/RSVP

Nuyoricans in Loisaida Celebrate 120 Years of the Tompkins Square Library
2024-12-17 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Nuyoricans in Loisaida Celebrate 120 Years of the Tompkins Square Library
The Nuyorican Poets Cafe and the Loisaida Center converge to celebrate the cultural and community significance of both iconic LES institutions and the Tompkins Square Library. This one-night-only event celebrates the diverse voices of our city through spoken word, music, and visual arts, showcasing the raw talent that makes the Lower East Side a beacon of artistic innovation.
Site: Tompkins Square Library, Community Room (331 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009)
Date: Tuesday, December 17th
Duration: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Participants:
Nuyorican Poets Cafe:

Sumbodies Mama & Brittany Barker
cap

Loisaida:

David “Daso” Soto
Maria Dominguez
Marlis Momber, CHICO

David Soto aka DASO is a Singer, Songwriter, Youth Development & Community Organizer. A few of his accomplishments include: Music Artist As Daso El Afro Caribeño, Founder of the PIRAGUA clothing brand, Owner of the PIRAGUA ART SPACE, Founder of the yearly multicultural New Village Music Festival and Production Company DeKora Digital, Founder of the New Village Foundation engaging youth through the arts and connecting artists to community.
Jesica “Sumbodies Mama” Blandon is a multifaceted artist hailing from the vibrant Bronx, NY, celebrated for her roles as a poet, spoken word artist, and actor. Her list of accolades is impressive, including being crowned the February 2024
Nuyorican Poets Cafe Final Friday Slam winner and securing 2nd place in the 2024 Women of the World Poetry Slam. Her journey to success began when she was named the 2009 Nuyorican Poets Café’s Youth Poet of The Year and continued when she won the 2010 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry slam as a member of the Urban Word NYC team. She has shared stages with luminaries such as Georgio Armani, Oscar Award-winning Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Savion Glover. Sumbodies Mama’s artistry is a force to be reckoned with, inspiring audiences far and wide with her compelling narratives and poignant performances.
Brittany Barker is a poet and educator from Harlem, NYC. She has impacted hundreds of youth and adults as a creative leader and advocate for community wellness. Brittany was most recently ranked 3rd in the world at the 2023 Womxn of the World poetry slam. Currently, she is the Executive Director of Creative Soul House, a community-development organization that designs and facilitates people-development workshops, programs and events for youth and adults. As an educational consultant, she has served a diverse set of communities, including NYU, Columbia Business School, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University, Twitter, NBCU Comcast, Girls Write Now and DREAM Charter network, etc. Brittany finds inspiration through God, deep interpersonal connections and art spaces.

Holiday Party and Booksale (Surrealist Gypsy Artist and Illustrator Margarita Deida Petri)
2024-12-20 16:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | La Sala de Pepe y Foto Espacio, 73 Loisaida Avenue, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Surrealist Gypsy Artist and Illustrator Margarita Deida Pietri
invites you to a holiday party and booksale
featuring the works of the famed Loisaida Poet
Pedro Pietri
Date: Friday, December 20th, 4 ~ 7 PM
Location: La Sala de Pepe y Foto Espacio (73 Avenue C, between 5th and 6th St)

Presentación del LIBRO DÉCIMAS POR SACOS (De: Teófilo Torres, Edición: Maritza Rodríguez-Marrero)
2025-01-31 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Presentación del LIBRO DÉCIMAS POR SACOS
De: Teófilo Torres, Edición: Maritza Rodríguez-Marrero
Viernes 31, De Enero, a las 7:00 pm
en el Loisaida Center (710 E 9th St, NYC)

————————————–
Book Presentation : DECIMAS POR SACOS
Author: Teófilo Torres, Edited by: Maritza Rodríguez-Marrero
January 31st, Friday, at 7:00 pm
at the Loisaida Center (710 E 9th St, NYC)

Loisaida x Whitney ART INSPIRED BY YOU for super adults (60+)
2025-02-04 11:30 - 13:30, 2025-02-11 11:30 - 13:30, 2025-02-18 11:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida x Whitney Museum of American Art
ART INSPIRED BY YOU
Guided super-adult (60+) art-making workshop
with Jeannette Rodríguez-Piñeda
Talleres guiados de arte (gratuitos) en Español
In this 4 week program for seniors (age 60+), participants will explore personal narratives through the hands-on art processes of papermaking, printmaking and bookbinding.
We will look at examples of contemporary and modern art while thinking about our personal stories and respond through artmaking. Participants will learn how to make their handmade paper out of natural materials and create relief prints through the use of language and symbols. Each participant will hand bind their work into a one of a kind chapbook.
All materials will be provided.
Program schedule:
Tuesdays from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm starting on February 4th and ending on March 11th.
6 sessions on Tuesdays (11:30 am – 1:30 pm)
Dates: February 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, March 4th, and 11th
Location: Loisaida, Inc. Center (710 E 9th St, NYC)
<<Registration link>>

SENIOR DAY at Loisaida Center
2025-02-07 09:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
SENIOR DAY at the LOISAIDA CENTER on February 7, 2025!
Activities include art workshops, educational panels, live music, snacks, coffee, and more!
Senior Day always takes place on the first Friday of the month (except for the month of June), from 10AM to 1PM.
Location: Loisaida, Inc. Center
710 E 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
Questions? Contact Loisaida, Inc. at
(646) 726-4715
or
info@loisaida.org

1st Annual Daddy-Daughter Day at Loisaida Center
2025-02-14 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
RSVP for Daddy-Daughter Day on 2/14 at the Loisaida Center!
Time: Friday, February 14th, 4pm-6pm
Location: the Loisaida Center (710 East 9th Street in Manhattan’s Alphabet City)
Join families to celebrate Daddy-Daughter Day alongside The Lower Eastside Girls Club’s Center for Wellbeing and Happiness, the Loisaida Center team, and New Leaders Council-NYC!
The day will provide respite for young and working fathers, including those who have limited access to support, so that they can enjoy Valentine’s Day with their daughters in a meaningful way, complete with food, giveaways, arts and crafts projects, entertainment, and more!
Register for free through the <<RSVP link>>

PIPIRIS NIGHTS FEST 2025 at the Loisaida Center
2025-02-21 18:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
PIPIRIS NIGHTS FEST 2025 Schedule at Loisaida Center
Welcome to Pipiris Nights Fest! This festival celebrates the rich musical and cultural traditions of Venezuelan Joropos, right here in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. Happening on February 21, 22 and 23; save the dates! Register to attend!
Feb 21, 6:00 pm
Loisaida Inc, 710 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009
Screening / Talk
Archivo Sonoro del IIEt: Cantos de ordeño en Altagracia de Orituco (Ven). A 50 años del trabajo de campo de Elena Hermo.
Mg. Carlos Balcázar (Arg)
Mariangeles Pacheco (Ven)

RSVP Link
