El Museo's founder, artist educator Raphael Montañez Ortiz, refers to the founding of El Museo as a response to the community's need for a "powerful cultural institution that would reveal its past; affirm and guide its present (critically and with respect); and inspire its future, with integrity and intellectual authority." The Department of Education and Public Program's approach is rooted in the tradition established by Ortiz, and dedicated to cultural empowerment and understanding, civic engagement and social capital.
Our Education Programs offer people of all ages multiple entry points from which to explore the Museum's mission and history, Permanent Collection, exhibitions, and cultural celebrations. Whether through guided-tours and hands-on workshops, classroom residencies or educator forums, we seek to foster a space for individual and collective sharing and understanding of objects and topics through inquiry and dialogue. Participants have the opportunity to consider the experiences of people from Puerto Rico, Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States in a meaningful way by learning about these regions' diverse and related histories and cultures and our relationships to them.