RoJo Entertainment and Piragua Art Space Presents
Our Chorus NYC
Caroling & Holiday Party
in Loisaida!
Making stops at the Piragua Art Space (367 E 10th St)
Date: December 20th, 5 to 7 pm (caroling) and 7 – 9 pm (after party)
Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, Pepe Flores, Lyn Pentecost, Gary Cruz, and Kiki Cotto invite you to the opening of
Teatro Cuatro: The Privilege of Memory
Join us this Thursday (12/19) from 5:30 PM to 7 PM to celebrate the story of Teatro Cuatro and the birth of community theater in Loisaida, as shown through a photo documentary produced by La Sala de Pepe y Foto Espacio.
Live Music & refreshments will be provided.
Location: Office of Assembly Member Epstein (107 & 109 Avenue B)
50 Years of Bimbo Rivas “Loisaida”
December 10, 2024, 6 ~ 7:15 PM
The Loisaida Center
710 E 9th St
New 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.
Thespian Maestro, TEOFILO TORRES, performs about post-hurricane María crisis in specially commissioned X-mas show. One night only @ LOISAIDA CENTER.
NEW YORK, NY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 – Puerto Rico’s most treasured monologist, Teófilo Torres, whose acting career spans over 40 years ––will perform at Loisaida Cultural Center on December 28th with his new creation: Pateco el Sepulturero (Pateco the Gravedigger).
Pateco’s character is borrowed from an old Puerto Rican folk tale. Legend has it that in 1899, after the deathly devastation of hurricane San Ciriaco, so many people died in the island -both during and in the hurricane’s aftermath- that dead bodies were left piling up at the gate of a local cemetery. The gravedigger was called Pateco, it is said. From then on, after someone has passed away, the people in the island have been known to say that ‘Pateco took them under’, ‘a fulano se lo llevó Pateco’.
Torres’ take on Pateco comes back to life in 2017, this time after hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico, to take to the grave those “dead bodies” and zombies now piling up all over the island. Torres’ Pateco character is portrayed as a half-drunk, half-political pundit, that has found a new devotion to singing jíbaro folk music “Décimas”. He is a jokester, however a complicated character that takes a swing at killing us (the audience) softly with his rhymes, and makes us aware of the current political and fiscal crisis facing the Caribbean island.
You can find more information online at loisaida.org/events
Loisaida Inc. has produced many performances throughout this year, some that recasts the current fiscal crisis of Puerto Rico, and more recently others hosting visual artists, musicians and academics interpreting through their work the impact on Puerto Rican communities in the wake of the 2017 hurricane season. Loisaida keeps the creative diaspora stemming from the Caribbean island to present a forward-looking merger of eco-urbanism and art-based community making.
Teófilo Torres (born 6 March 1954 in Ponce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actor, director and professor of theatre. He has acted for both television as well the big screen, and has performed in Puerto Rico and internationally.
Teófilo Torres (born 6 March 1954 in Ponce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actor, director and professor of theatre. He has acted for both television as well the big screen, and has performed in Puerto Rico and internationally.
2017, Education, Events, Family Activities, Latin America, Neighborhood, New York History, Partners, Past, Photography, Politics, Storytelling, Style, Visual Art, Youth
La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017 (EXTENDED)
La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017
“Top of the list at New York Times of must-see galleries in the Lower East Side!”
Overview:
In 1985, Eva Cockcroft, founder of Artmakers Inc., gathered together 34 “artists of conviction” to create 26 political murals on four vacant buildings overlooking the then neglected La Plaza Cultural community garden. Known as La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues, the murals addressed six political issues: gentrification, police brutality, immigration, feminism, and opposition of U.S. intervention in Central America and apartheid in South Africa. Today, the garden is thriving, the issues remain of grave concern, and only two of the murals still exist, the paint cracked and faded.
Exhibition Details:
Opening Date:
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Now Extended through July 31st 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
New York, NY 10009 United States + Google Map Email: info@loisaida.org
Past Public Programming:
April 19, 6:30-8 PM. Panel: Loisaida: Then & Now. With Chino Garcia, Maria Dominguez, Noah Jemisin, Kristin Reed, Seth Tobocman. Libertad Guerra, moderator
April 26, 6:30-8 PM. Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration: Community Murals of the 1970s & 1980s in Loisaida and on the Historic Lower East Side. Jane Weissman, presenter
April 30. 1 PM Gallery Talk / 2 PM Garden Visit to La Plaza Cultural at 9th & C. (Gallery remains open to 5 PM)
*SECOND ILLUSTRATED TALK, BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND*
May 11, 7:00-8:30 PM. Illustrated Talk: Protest & Celebration: Community Murals of the 1970s & 1980s in Loisaida and on the Historic Lower East Side. Jane Weissman, presenter
*May 23, 6:30-8 PM. Illustrated Talk: La Lucha Continua The Struggle Continues: 1985 & 2017. Jane Weissman, presenter. City Lore Gallery (56 East 1st Street). Also co-sponsored by Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation & City Lore
*May 27, 2 PM Gallery Talk / 3 PM Garden Visit to La Plaza Cultural at East 9th Street & Avenue C Unless noted, all events take place at The Loisaida Center (710 East 9th Street, NYC) Part of the 2017 Loisaida Festival Weekend Programming.
All events are co-sponsored by Artmakers Inc. and The Loisaida Center
*In conjunction with Lower East Side History Month
Media Queries: Jane Weissman, ArtmakersNYC@aol.org, 212.989.3006
Loisaida inc. is proud to present as part of The 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Daniela Fabrizi will be complementing with textiles and fabric; the collaborative atelier created by the 3 invited street theater artists: Daniel Polnau, Pablo Varona and Adam Ende. This collaborative atelier will be open to visitors and the community at large, all FREE.
Specific Dates by theme:
Re-plasti-cycle your Garments: May 10,17, 24 (3pm-6pm)
Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!: May 9,16, 23 (3pm-6pm)
Workshop description:
- Re-plasti-cycle your Garments
Learn how to reuse plastic and repurpose everyday plastic trash into your own hand-made fabric. We will focus at making fabric from plastic junk, crafting our own textile patterns and building handmade garments and wearable pieces that would be used by individuals at the parade.
This workshop is aimed at younger audiences, who are in the beginning of their journey on their textiles and design interests. Also participants will explore the idea of reusing, recycling and re-inventing with what they have and experiment letting their mind to be their own limit to create new beautiful and usable things.
(Recommended for Pre-teen and Teens)
- Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!
Fabric is one of the most versatile, used and indispensable materials that could transform any parade into a memorable experience within any community. On this workshop we will learn and apply some basic skills on textiles to make costumes, banners, flags and giants. Open to all artists interested in textiles with any experience. In collaboration with Zuleyka Alejandro.
All creations can be part of this year’s edition of the Loisaida Festival Community Parade.
(Recommended for kids, adults, EVERYONE)
Artist Bio:
Daniela Fabrizi. Always inspired by the work of women and her own travels, she is a costumes and textiles lover. Based in New York, and having working experience in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, France and London, she works in all crafts related to this medium: from film, tv and theater to textile arts work with the community and her own independent projects. She enjoys the most working and sharing her craft with the community, while learning and getting inspired from them.
Contact Daniela Fabrizi at dani.fabrizi@gmail.com or call (347) 314-3555
Loisaida inc. is proud to present as part of The 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Daniela Fabrizi will be complementing with textiles and fabric; the collaborative atelier created by the 3 invited street theater artists: Daniel Polnau, Pablo Varona and Adam Ende. This collaborative atelier will be open to visitors and the community at large, all FREE.
Specific Dates by theme:
Re-plasti-cycle your Garments: May 10,17, 24 (3pm-6pm)
Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!: May 9,16, 23 (3pm-6pm)
Workshop description:
- Re-plasti-cycle your Garments
Learn how to reuse plastic and repurpose everyday plastic trash into your own hand-made fabric. We will focus at making fabric from plastic junk, crafting our own textile patterns and building handmade garments and wearable pieces that would be used by individuals at the parade.
This workshop is aimed at younger audiences, who are in the beginning of their journey on their textiles and design interests. Also participants will explore the idea of reusing, recycling and re-inventing with what they have and experiment letting their mind to be their own limit to create new beautiful and usable things.
(Recommended for Pre-teen and Teens)
- Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!
Fabric is one of the most versatile, used and indispensable materials that could transform any parade into a memorable experience within any community. On this workshop we will learn and apply some basic skills on textiles to make costumes, banners, flags and giants. Open to all artists interested in textiles with any experience. In collaboration with Zuleyka Alejandro.
All creations can be part of this year’s edition of the Loisaida Festival Community Parade.
(Recommended for kids, adults, EVERYONE)
Artist Bio:
Daniela Fabrizi. Always inspired by the work of women and her own travels, she is a costumes and textiles lover. Based in New York, and having working experience in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, France and London, she works in all crafts related to this medium: from film, tv and theater to textile arts work with the community and her own independent projects. She enjoys the most working and sharing her craft with the community, while learning and getting inspired from them.
Contact Daniela Fabrizi at dani.fabrizi@gmail.com or call (347) 314-3555
Loisaida inc. is proud to present as part of The 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Daniela Fabrizi will be complementing with textiles and fabric; the collaborative atelier created by the 3 invited street theater artists: Daniel Polnau, Pablo Varona and Adam Ende. This collaborative atelier will be open to visitors and the community at large, all FREE.
Specific Dates by theme:
Re-plasti-cycle your Garments: May 10,17, 24 (3pm-6pm)
Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!: May 9,16, 23 (3pm-6pm)
Workshop description:
- Re-plasti-cycle your Garments
Learn how to reuse plastic and repurpose everyday plastic trash into your own hand-made fabric. We will focus at making fabric from plastic junk, crafting our own textile patterns and building handmade garments and wearable pieces that would be used by individuals at the parade.
This workshop is aimed at younger audiences, who are in the beginning of their journey on their textiles and design interests. Also participants will explore the idea of reusing, recycling and re-inventing with what they have and experiment letting their mind to be their own limit to create new beautiful and usable things.
(Recommended for Pre-teen and Teens)
- Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!
Fabric is one of the most versatile, used and indispensable materials that could transform any parade into a memorable experience within any community. On this workshop we will learn and apply some basic skills on textiles to make costumes, banners, flags and giants. Open to all artists interested in textiles with any experience. In collaboration with Zuleyka Alejandro.
All creations can be part of this year’s edition of the Loisaida Festival Community Parade.
(Recommended for kids, adults, EVERYONE)
Artist Bio:
Daniela Fabrizi. Always inspired by the work of women and her own travels, she is a costumes and textiles lover. Based in New York, and having working experience in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, France and London, she works in all crafts related to this medium: from film, tv and theater to textile arts work with the community and her own independent projects. She enjoys the most working and sharing her craft with the community, while learning and getting inspired from them.
Contact Daniela Fabrizi at dani.fabrizi@gmail.com or call (347) 314-3555
Loisaida inc. is proud to present as part of The 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Daniela Fabrizi will be complementing with textiles and fabric; the collaborative atelier created by the 3 invited street theater artists: Daniel Polnau, Pablo Varona and Adam Ende. This collaborative atelier will be open to visitors and the community at large, all FREE.
Specific Dates by theme:
Re-plasti-cycle your Garments: May 10,17, 24 (3pm-6pm)
Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!: May 9,16, 23 (3pm-6pm)
Workshop description:
- Re-plasti-cycle your Garments
Learn how to reuse plastic and repurpose everyday plastic trash into your own hand-made fabric. We will focus at making fabric from plastic junk, crafting our own textile patterns and building handmade garments and wearable pieces that would be used by individuals at the parade.
This workshop is aimed at younger audiences, who are in the beginning of their journey on their textiles and design interests. Also participants will explore the idea of reusing, recycling and re-inventing with what they have and experiment letting their mind to be their own limit to create new beautiful and usable things.
(Recommended for Pre-teen and Teens)
- Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!
Fabric is one of the most versatile, used and indispensable materials that could transform any parade into a memorable experience within any community. On this workshop we will learn and apply some basic skills on textiles to make costumes, banners, flags and giants. Open to all artists interested in textiles with any experience. In collaboration with Zuleyka Alejandro.
All creations can be part of this year’s edition of the Loisaida Festival Community Parade.
(Recommended for kids, adults, EVERYONE)
Artist Bio:
Daniela Fabrizi. Always inspired by the work of women and her own travels, she is a costumes and textiles lover. Based in New York, and having working experience in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, France and London, she works in all crafts related to this medium: from film, tv and theater to textile arts work with the community and her own independent projects. She enjoys the most working and sharing her craft with the community, while learning and getting inspired from them.
Contact Daniela Fabrizi at dani.fabrizi@gmail.com or call (347) 314-3555
Loisaida inc. is proud to present as part of The 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Daniela Fabrizi will be complementing with textiles and fabric; the collaborative atelier created by the 3 invited street theater artists: Daniel Polnau, Pablo Varona and Adam Ende. This collaborative atelier will be open to visitors and the community at large, all FREE.
Specific Dates by theme:
Re-plasti-cycle your Garments: May 10,17, 24 (3pm-6pm)
Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!: May 9,16, 23 (3pm-6pm)
Workshop description:
- Re-plasti-cycle your Garments
Learn how to reuse plastic and repurpose everyday plastic trash into your own hand-made fabric. We will focus at making fabric from plastic junk, crafting our own textile patterns and building handmade garments and wearable pieces that would be used by individuals at the parade.
This workshop is aimed at younger audiences, who are in the beginning of their journey on their textiles and design interests. Also participants will explore the idea of reusing, recycling and re-inventing with what they have and experiment letting their mind to be their own limit to create new beautiful and usable things.
(Recommended for Pre-teen and Teens)
- Costumes! Banners! Flags! GIANTS!
Fabric is one of the most versatile, used and indispensable materials that could transform any parade into a memorable experience within any community. On this workshop we will learn and apply some basic skills on textiles to make costumes, banners, flags and giants. Open to all artists interested in textiles with any experience. In collaboration with Zuleyka Alejandro.
All creations can be part of this year’s edition of the Loisaida Festival Community Parade.
(Recommended for kids, adults, EVERYONE)
Artist Bio:
Daniela Fabrizi. Always inspired by the work of women and her own travels, she is a costumes and textiles lover. Based in New York, and having working experience in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, France and London, she works in all crafts related to this medium: from film, tv and theater to textile arts work with the community and her own independent projects. She enjoys the most working and sharing her craft with the community, while learning and getting inspired from them.
Contact Daniela Fabrizi at dani.fabrizi@gmail.com or call (347) 314-3555