Loisaida Inc.

Community Screen Printing Workshops - Class #1
2016-03-17 19:00 - 21:00, 2016-03-15 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Hester Street Collaborative & Loisaida Inc. presents:
Community Screen Printing Workshops

RSVP:

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.

Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops - Class #2
2016-03-12 13:00 - 16:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. presents:
Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops (Pandero, Güiro & Plena Dance)

RSVP:

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.
– Friday, March 18th: Class 3
one (1) hour ensamble and
one (1) hour of basic plena dance instruction
– Saturday, March 19th: 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

Feminism 101 (Group Discussion & Workshop)
2016-03-05 13:00 - 15:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
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:

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

Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops - Class #1
2016-03-05 13:00 - 15:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. presents:
Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops (Pandero, Güiro & Plena Dance)

RSVP:

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.
– Saturday, 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

Feminism 101 (Group Discussion & Workshop)
2016-02-27 13:00 - 15:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
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

The Poetics of Live Writing / Escritura-Acto
2016-02-18 18:30 - 21:30, 2016-02-16 18:30 - 21:30, 2016-02-11 18:30 - 21:30, 2016-02-09 18:30 - 21:30, 2016-02-04 18:30 - 21:30, 2016-02-02 18:30 - 21:30 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Escritura Acto/The Poetics of Live Writing
with Casa Cruz de la Luna Theater Company
Focusing on “escritura acto”-or the act of live computerized writing projected onstage- this workshop will develop a consciousness of the performer as another medium (medio, mediumnidad) interacting physically and energetically with other mediums (actors, spectators, objects, apparatuses, locations, programs) in performance. Exercises will explore the different mechanisms for generating tension through escritura acto, such as: disjunction (writing one content while speaking another); precognition (playing with expectations on how words and sentences are going to be completed): body kinetic responses to the writing as it is being produced; and the movement of texts through translation / dictation / reading /copying chains. The lab process will culminate in a presentation open to the public on the last day of class.

Requisites:
-18 years and older (we will also have a workshop for younger participants, stay tuned)
-Participants should be able to attend the 6 sessions since the work is cumulative and leading to a final performance.
-Participants will be asked to memorize short texts as assignments.
-Especially useful for theatre makers; performance, visual and sound artists; writers; students focused on literature and/or the performing arts; and people interested in transmedia narratives
Facilitator: Aravind E. Adyanthaya
This workshop is free, but space is limited!

Company Profile:
English: Casa Cruz de la Luna. Originally based in an old house in the historical district of the town of San Germán in the Southwest of Puerto Rico, Casa Cruz de la Luna, has as its mission the continuous study of the limits of the theatrical experience. Founded in 1998 by Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya, the group has engaged in experimental stagings of classical works by Jorge Luis Borges, Cervantes, García Lorca, Oscar Wilde and Maeterlinck, as well as the development of new plays by Puerto Rican authors such as José “Pepe” Liboy, Mayra Santos Febres, Carlos Canales, Jaime Carrero, Fátima Santana, Lina Nieves Avilés and Manuel Ramos Otero.
Since 2012, the company has begun to establish a second home-base in New York City, collaborating in joint projects with New York Theatre Workshop, Theatre for the New City, The Organization of Puerto Rican Artists (OP Art), LA TEA at the Clemente Soto Vélez Center, Pregones/PRTT and now The Loisaida Inc.Center.
Website: Click here.
Spanish: CASA CRUZ DE LA LUNA se fundó en 1997 con la visión de proveer un ámbito de movimiento para las artes y las humanidades en el área suroeste de la Isla. En el 1998 empieza a funcionar desde su base en la Calle Luna, Esquina de la Cruz en el distrito histórico del pueblo de San Germán. Su actividad se ha extendido desde actividades educativas y de presentación hasta la creación de una compañía profesional de teatro experimental. Desde el 1999, la Casa ha crecido como foro donde discursos sobre arte, sociedad y teoría se materializan a través de conferencias, exposiciones, talleres, proyectos de investigación y puestas escénicas. La inauguración de la Casa como galería (1999), la organización de la Biblioteca Marcos A. Ramírez (2001-3) y la participación de la compañía de teatro en giras y proyectos internacionales (desde el 2000) han servido de puntales para nuestra labores presentes y aspiraciones futuras.

For more information contact (646) 757-0522,
email info@loisaida.org, or visit loisaida.org.
Follow The Loisaida Inc. Center on Facebook and Twitter

CLOSED*
2015-12-15 09:00 - 2016-01-15 17:00
*The center will be closed from Dec. 15th, 2015 – Jan. 15th, 2016

If you need to communicate with us please write us an email to info@loisaida.org
Expect more in 2016, it promises to be a full year of activities for the whole community.
Happy Holidays!
The Loisaida Inc. Center

¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York. (CLOSING)
2015-12-01 12:00 - 16:45 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. presents
¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York.
Date: December 1st, 2015
Exhibition Closes
Loisiada Inc. will focus on the Young Lords’ founding and impact in the Lower East Side—displaying rarely seen photographs, posters, and audio and video recordings of live performances. The exhibit begins with the announcement of the founding of the New York Chapter of the Young Lords at Tompkins Square Park on Saturday, July 26, 1969. The exhibition will feature lesser-known perspectives of the Young Lords legacy within the Lower East Side, and their cultural impact upon New York’s cultural scenes. Some highlights include the organizing efforts of the Gay and Lesbian Caucus, the transgender activism of Sylvia Rivera, and innovative “artivism” generated by Eddie Figueroa, the founder of the New Rican Village, an influential multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary art space once located at 101 Avenue A.
Felipe Luciano and Tato Laviera in pre-production planning of the 1st Festival de Loiza Aldea in the LES. Photo by Máximo Colón.
The exhibition is co-curated by Libertad Guerra and Wilson Valentín-Escobar and features many un-published photographs by Máximo Colón and Hiram Maristany, as well as poster art by Sandra Maria Esteves, and rare live video and audio recordings of some of the leading salsa and Latin jazz musicians, plus an art installation commissioned specifically for this exhibition by contemporary artist Adrian “Viajero”Román.
The overall collection of materials depict the critical role that YL members played in the environment that lead to Loisaida becoming a safe refuge for a community struggling for respect, belonging, political power, and public legitimacy.

“I was involved with the Young Lords… it was a time of initiation -into ourselves, into the history of our people, and into the deep images of our culture”.

-Eddie Figueroa, Founder New Rican Village

¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York is co-organized by El Museo del Barrio (July 22 – October 17), Bronx Museum of the Arts (July 2 – October 15) and Loisaida Inc. (July 30 – October 10). The multi-venue exhibition is accompanied by an ambitious range of programs and events to build awareness of the Young Lords’ innovative contributions to the struggle for civil rights and influence on contemporary artists, and to spark conversations about grassroots community activism today. For a limited time only, the first 1000 visitors at each partnering organization will receive a commemorative button, inspired by the Young Lords. Collect them all! For more info, please visit our featured items page.

At Loisaida Inc. ¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York was made possible with support from:

About the Curators:
Wilson Valentín-Escobar, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Sociology at Hampshire College. He holds a Ph.D. in American Studies and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in Sociology and Puerto Rican/Latin@ and Latin American Studies Studies from Fordham University. He was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University in 2011-2012. A Brooklyn New York-native, Dr. Valentín-Escobar is currently completing his forthcoming book, Bodega Surrealism: The Emergence of Latin@ Artivists in New York City (New York University Press). The book examines the cultural activism, or “artivism,” of two community-based art communities and projects that originated in the 1970s within the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City: the New Rican Village Cultural Arts Center and El Puerto Rican Embassy. His scholarship, which he regularly presents at national and international conferences, has been published in various academic journals and anthologies, and has received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among several others. He, along with the late Dr. Juan Flores, co-edited a special two-volume issue on Puerto Rican music for the Puerto Rican Studies journal, Centro. Dr. Valentín-Escobar currently Chairs the Five College Consortium Program in Latin@, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies.
Libertad O. Guerra is an urban anthropologist, educator, social researcher/historian, independent curator and environmental activist. Her academic research and publications have focused on Puerto Rican, Latino and Latin American social-artistic movements and cultural activism in urban immigrant settings. Publications include Uncommon Commonalities: Aesthetic Politics of Place in the South Bronx in Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, (2011); and ‘Building the Aura: a social aesthetics of placement in-the-making.’ in New York / Berlin: Kulturen in der Stadt, (2008). Ms. Guerra has organized numerous local and international exhibitions, panels and conferences among them:
–Loisaida: the Visible/Invisible Body of Puerto Ricans sectors on the Lower East Side to the Downtown scene, PRSA Biennial Conference, (2010).
–Spanic Attack: Living, Making, and Reading the Latin/o American City, LASA Conference, Rio de Janeiro, (2009).
–Re- Membering Loisaida: Lure of the Retro Lens, and Visualizing Hindsight, sponsored by Council Member Rosie Méndez and The Center for Puerto Rican Studies, (2009).
–Noricua: Performing the Living City, The House of World Cultures, Berlin, (2007).
–Going Down for Real: Imagining the Estate of our Town, NYU’s Center for Latino and Caribbean Studies, (2006).
–Constructivismo 2006, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, (2006).
–La Marginal, Centro Cultural España (CCE) Lima, (2004).
She is Artistic Director of Loisaida Inc., and current curator/event planner of the Loisaida Festival since 2014.

CLOSED*
2015-11-25 09:00 - 2015-11-30 17:00
*The center will be closed from Nov. 25th, 2015 – Nov. 30th, 2015

If you need to communicate with us please write us an email to info@loisaida.org
Expect more in 2016, it promises to be a full year of activities for the whole community.
Happy Holidays!
The Loisaida Inc. Center

¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York.
2015-11-24 17:00 - 19:00, 2015-11-21 12:00 - 15:00, 2015-11-19 12:00 - 19:00, 2015-11-17 12:00 - 19:00, 2015-11-14 12:00 - 15:00, 2015-11-12 12:00 - 17:00, 2015-11-10 12:00 - 19:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. presents
¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York.
Dates : July 30th – October 10th
Now extended through December 1st, 2015
*NEW HOURS*
Tuesday & Thursday (12:00 pm – 7:00 pm) Saturday (12:00 pm – 3:00 pm) All other days are by appointment only. For more information please email info@loisaida.org or call (646) 757-0522
Loisiada Inc. will focus on the Young Lords’ founding and impact in the Lower East Side—displaying rarely seen photographs, posters, and audio and video recordings of live performances. The exhibit begins with the announcement of the founding of the New York Chapter of the Young Lords at Tompkins Square Park on Saturday, July 26, 1969. The exhibition will feature lesser-known perspectives of the Young Lords legacy within the Lower East Side, and their cultural impact upon New York’s cultural scenes. Some highlights include the organizing efforts of the Gay and Lesbian Caucus, the transgender activism of Sylvia Rivera, and innovative “artivism” generated by Eddie Figueroa, the founder of the New Rican Village, an influential multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary art space once located at 101 Avenue A.
Felipe Luciano and Tato Laviera in pre-production planning of the 1st Festival de Loiza Aldea in the LES. Photo by Máximo Colón.
The exhibition is co-curated by Libertad Guerra and Wilson Valentín-Escobar and features many un-published photographs by Máximo Colón and Hiram Maristany, as well as poster art by Sandra Maria Esteves, and rare live video and audio recordings of some of the leading salsa and Latin jazz musicians, plus an art installation commissioned specifically for this exhibition by contemporary artist Adrian “Viajero”Román.
The overall collection of materials depict the critical role that YL members played in the environment that lead to Loisaida becoming a safe refuge for a community struggling for respect, belonging, political power, and public legitimacy.

“I was involved with the Young Lords… it was a time of initiation -into ourselves, into the history of our people, and into the deep images of our culture”.

-Eddie Figueroa, Founder New Rican Village

¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York is co-organized by El Museo del Barrio (July 22 – October 17), Bronx Museum of the Arts (July 2 – October 15) and Loisaida Inc. (July 30 – October 10). The multi-venue exhibition is accompanied by an ambitious range of programs and events to build awareness of the Young Lords’ innovative contributions to the struggle for civil rights and influence on contemporary artists, and to spark conversations about grassroots community activism today. For a limited time only, the first 1000 visitors at each partnering organization will receive a commemorative button, inspired by the Young Lords. Collect them all! For more info, please visit our featured items page.

At Loisaida Inc. ¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York was made possible with support from:

About the Curators:
Wilson Valentín-Escobar, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Sociology at Hampshire College. He holds a Ph.D. in American Studies and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in Sociology and Puerto Rican/Latin@ and Latin American Studies Studies from Fordham University. He was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University in 2011-2012. A Brooklyn New York-native, Dr. Valentín-Escobar is currently completing his forthcoming book, Bodega Surrealism: The Emergence of Latin@ Artivists in New York City (New York University Press). The book examines the cultural activism, or “artivism,” of two community-based art communities and projects that originated in the 1970s within the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City: the New Rican Village Cultural Arts Center and El Puerto Rican Embassy. His scholarship, which he regularly presents at national and international conferences, has been published in various academic journals and anthologies, and has received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among several others. He, along with the late Dr. Juan Flores, co-edited a special two-volume issue on Puerto Rican music for the Puerto Rican Studies journal, Centro. Dr. Valentín-Escobar currently Chairs the Five College Consortium Program in Latin@, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies.
Libertad O. Guerra is an urban anthropologist, educator, social researcher/historian, independent curator and environmental activist. Her academic research and publications have focused on Puerto Rican, Latino and Latin American social-artistic movements and cultural activism in urban immigrant settings. Publications include Uncommon Commonalities: Aesthetic Politics of Place in the South Bronx in Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, (2011); and ‘Building the Aura: a social aesthetics of placement in-the-making.’ in New York / Berlin: Kulturen in der Stadt, (2008). Ms. Guerra has organized numerous local and international exhibitions, panels and conferences among them:
–Loisaida: the Visible/Invisible Body of Puerto Ricans sectors on the Lower East Side to the Downtown scene, PRSA Biennial Conference, (2010).
–Spanic Attack: Living, Making, and Reading the Latin/o American City, LASA Conference, Rio de Janeiro, (2009).
–Re- Membering Loisaida: Lure of the Retro Lens, and Visualizing Hindsight, sponsored by Council Member Rosie Méndez and The Center for Puerto Rican Studies, (2009).
–Noricua: Performing the Living City, The House of World Cultures, Berlin, (2007).
–Going Down for Real: Imagining the Estate of our Town, NYU’s Center for Latino and Caribbean Studies, (2006).
–Constructivismo 2006, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, (2006).
–La Marginal, Centro Cultural España (CCE) Lima, (2004).
She is Artistic Director of Loisaida Inc., and current curator/event planner of the Loisaida Festival since 2014.

Puerto Rican Güiro 101: with Tato Torres
2015-11-19 17:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Details

We will be having an “EMERGENCY” basic güiro workshop by Tato Torres, director and güirero of the Boricua Roots ensamble YERBABUENA.
Get ready for Christmas and parrandas! $15.
BYOG….bring your own guiro. Or we will be selling artisanal guiros that evening.
Part of the #PlenatoriumProject
ALL proceeds go to the #PLENATORIUM Project.

El Gran Tour
2015-11-15 08:00 - 16:00
In honor of Puerto Rican Heritage Month, The New York Regional Office of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in collaboration with The Puerto Rican Creative Network, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer invite you to accompany us on the first annual El Gran Tour: Experiencing Puerto Rican Visual Artists’ Artworks and Spaces Sunday, November 15th, 2015 | 9:00 am to 4:30 pm | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Begin the day at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for a light breakfast and become acquainted with the significance of Puerto Rican art within New York City. Afterwards, prepare to explore the various themed exhibitions throughout historic neighborhoods which foster and celebrate Puerto Rican art and heritage. Each attendee will learn more about Boricua artwork currently featured in a spectrum of cultural centers, galleries, and museums throughout Manhattan and the Bronx.
Please arrive at the Met at 9:00am through the Fifth Avenue & Eihty-First Street entrance, where a representative will greet and direct guests to the Bonnie J. Sacerdote Hall in the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education. At 10:30 am, guests will leave the Met and board either the uptown OR downtown tour bus to visit centers exhibiting creative and influential Puerto Rican artists.
This event is made possible thanks to the support from Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, Hostos Community College, Acacia Network, Taller Boricua, Bill Aguado and Comité Noviembre.
We hope you can make it!
Cheers,
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, New York Regional Office & Loisaida Inc.

¡CASA ABIERTA!
2015-11-14 14:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. Center
OPEN HOUSE
November 14th, 2015 – 2:00pm – 9:00pm

2:00 pm
Guided tour of ¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York with Wilson Valentín-Escobar and Pepe Flores. Featuring rare footage of Eddie Figueroa and The New Rican Village assembled by Henry Medina and Henry Medina’s Archives.

3:30 pm
Artist talk with Adrian ‘Viajero’ Román.

5:00 pm
Screening of documentary “A Cuban Legend: The Story of Salvador Gonzalez” followed by Q&A with director, producer and editor Bette Wanderman. Music by Tata Guines, Steve Turre, Clave Y Guaguanco. Theatrical release 2002. (80 mins.)
This documentary has been featured in the following:Sofia International Film Festival – International House Philadelphia – Latin American Film Festival London – Raindance—London, Aijjic Mexico – Mill Valley International – Havana International Festival of Latin American Cinema – San Diego Latino Film Festival – Chicago Latino Film Festival – San Francisco Latino Film Festival – Trieste, Italy Latino

7:00 pm
Performance of ISLA NO ISLA: Cuba-New-Ricua featuring: Edwin Torres, Casa Cruz de La Luna and Plenatorium Project.
Edwin Torres, The Plenatorium Project and Casa Cruz de la Luna will celebrate the newly charged complexity of our two islands with multi disciplinary performances that cross-pollinate Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Featuring:
Edwin Torres has represented New York in the 1992 National Poetry Slam, celebrated in Boston, and he has won the Nuyorican Poets Cafe First Annual Prize for Poetry with his poem “Po-Mo Griot“. He has also appeared on MTV’s Spoken Word Unplugged and the Charlie Rose Show and been featured on Newsweek, in Rolling Stone Magazine and in New York Magazine. His poem, “I Saw Your Empire State Building” was included in the book, Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam[1] in the chapter which dealt with the poetry slam community’s response to 9/11, and his work has appeared in numerous anthologies such as Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe,[2] Short Fuse: The Global Anthology of New Fusion Poetry,[3] and Heights of the Marvelous: A New York Anthology,[4] among many others.

Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya (born 1965) is a Puerto Rican writer, performer, and theater director. He is the founding artistic director of Casa Cruz de la Luna, an experimental theater company and cultural center based in an old house in the historical district of San Germán, Puerto Rico.[1][2] He holds a PhD in theatre historiography from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and an MD from the Mayo Medical School. Adyanthaya has been awarded a Jerome Playwriting Fellowship and a McKnight Advancement Grant, both from the Playwrights’ Center; a Jerome Performance Art Fellowship by Intermedia Arts and an Artist of Color Directing Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop. For his play The Faculties, he received the Pregones Theater’s Asunción Prize and First Prize in Theatre at Casa de Teatro in the Dominican Republic.

BARRIOS(ˈbär-ē-ˌōz) A Seis del Sur Town Hall
2015-11-12 20:00 - 21:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Details

Loisaida Inc. Center presents:
November 12th, 2015 – 6:30pm
The six photojournalists from the Seis del Sur photo collective will participate in a special Town Hall gathering to discuss the imagery and perception of the various Latino diasporas from within and without the Americas.
Featuring: Joe Conzo, Ángel Franco, Ricky Flores, David González, Edwin Pagán & Francisco Molina Reyes II

The New Rican Spirit
2015-11-07 16:00 - 20:00 | Lower Eastside Girls Club, 402 East 8th Stree, NYt, 10009, United States
Please click on image to RSVP

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.
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 form.
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 University
Carlos Aponte,
Lisa Baltazar,
Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé,
Pepe Flores,
Libertad Guerra,
Ana Ramos,
Wilson Valentín-Escobar.

¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York.
2015-11-05 12:00 - 19:00, 2015-11-03 12:00 - 19:00, 2015-10-31 12:00 - 17:00 | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Inc. presents
¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York.
Dates : July 30th – October 10th
Now extended through December 1st, 2015
Modified hours from October 20th and 22nd – 11am to 3pm
*NEW HOURS*
Tuesday & Thursday (12:00 pm – 7:00 pm) Saturday (12:00 pm – 3:00 pm) All other days are by appointment only. For more information please email info@loisaida.org or call (646) 757-0522
Loisiada Inc. will focus on the Young Lords’ founding and impact in the Lower East Side—displaying rarely seen photographs, posters, and audio and video recordings of live performances. The exhibit begins with the announcement of the founding of the New York Chapter of the Young Lords at Tompkins Square Park on Saturday, July 26, 1969. The exhibition will feature lesser-known perspectives of the Young Lords legacy within the Lower East Side, and their cultural impact upon New York’s cultural scenes. Some highlights include the organizing efforts of the Gay and Lesbian Caucus, the transgender activism of Sylvia Rivera, and innovative “artivism” generated by Eddie Figueroa, the founder of the New Rican Village, an influential multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary art space once located at 101 Avenue A.
Felipe Luciano and Tato Laviera in pre-production planning of the 1st Festival de Loiza Aldea in the LES. Photo by Máximo Colón.
The exhibition is co-curated by Libertad Guerra and Wilson Valentín-Escobar and features many un-published photographs by Máximo Colón and Hiram Maristany, as well as poster art by Sandra Maria Esteves, and rare live video and audio recordings of some of the leading salsa and Latin jazz musicians, plus an art installation commissioned specifically for this exhibition by contemporary artist Adrian “Viajero”Román.
The overall collection of materials depict the critical role that YL members played in the environment that lead to Loisaida becoming a safe refuge for a community struggling for respect, belonging, political power, and public legitimacy.

“I was involved with the Young Lords… it was a time of initiation -into ourselves, into the history of our people, and into the deep images of our culture”.

-Eddie Figueroa, Founder New Rican Village

¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York is co-organized by El Museo del Barrio (July 22 – October 17), Bronx Museum of the Arts (July 2 – October 15) and Loisaida Inc. (July 30 – October 10). The multi-venue exhibition is accompanied by an ambitious range of programs and events to build awareness of the Young Lords’ innovative contributions to the struggle for civil rights and influence on contemporary artists, and to spark conversations about grassroots community activism today. For a limited time only, the first 1000 visitors at each partnering organization will receive a commemorative button, inspired by the Young Lords. Collect them all! For more info, please visit our featured items page.

At Loisaida Inc. ¡PRESENTE! The Young Lords in New York was made possible with support from:

About the Curators:
Wilson Valentín-Escobar, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Sociology at Hampshire College. He holds a Ph.D. in American Studies and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in Sociology and Puerto Rican/Latin@ and Latin American Studies Studies from Fordham University. He was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University in 2011-2012. A Brooklyn New York-native, Dr. Valentín-Escobar is currently completing his forthcoming book, Bodega Surrealism: The Emergence of Latin@ Artivists in New York City (New York University Press). The book examines the cultural activism, or “artivism,” of two community-based art communities and projects that originated in the 1970s within the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City: the New Rican Village Cultural Arts Center and El Puerto Rican Embassy. His scholarship, which he regularly presents at national and international conferences, has been published in various academic journals and anthologies, and has received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among several others. He, along with the late Dr. Juan Flores, co-edited a special two-volume issue on Puerto Rican music for the Puerto Rican Studies journal, Centro. Dr. Valentín-Escobar currently Chairs the Five College Consortium Program in Latin@, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies.
Libertad O. Guerra is an urban anthropologist, educator, social researcher/historian, independent curator and environmental activist. Her academic research and publications have focused on Puerto Rican, Latino and Latin American social-artistic movements and cultural activism in urban immigrant settings. Publications include Uncommon Commonalities: Aesthetic Politics of Place in the South Bronx in Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, (2011); and ‘Building the Aura: a social aesthetics of placement in-the-making.’ in New York / Berlin: Kulturen in der Stadt, (2008). Ms. Guerra has organized numerous local and international exhibitions, panels and conferences among them:
–Loisaida: the Visible/Invisible Body of Puerto Ricans sectors on the Lower East Side to the Downtown scene, PRSA Biennial Conference, (2010).
–Spanic Attack: Living, Making, and Reading the Latin/o American City, LASA Conference, Rio de Janeiro, (2009).
–Re- Membering Loisaida: Lure of the Retro Lens, and Visualizing Hindsight, sponsored by Council Member Rosie Méndez and The Center for Puerto Rican Studies, (2009).
–Noricua: Performing the Living City, The House of World Cultures, Berlin, (2007).
–Going Down for Real: Imagining the Estate of our Town, NYU’s Center for Latino and Caribbean Studies, (2006).
–Constructivismo 2006, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, (2006).
–La Marginal, Centro Cultural España (CCE) Lima, (2004).
She is Artistic Director of Loisaida Inc., and current curator/event planner of the Loisaida Festival since 2014.
