EL MUSEO'S HISTORY

1970s The Beginning

El Museo serves as a non-profit organization out of a series of storefronts and brownstones before finding its permanent home in the Heckscher Building on 5th Avenue and 104th Street. It is a decade of firsts including the first donation to the permanent collection, as well as, the first large-scale exhibition collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum called “The Art Heritage of Puerto Rico.”

Select a specific year below:

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1970

WINTER 1969
SPRING 1970

Montañez Ortiz appoints Puerto Rican art historian Marimar B. [Benítez] Quintana as Assistant Director. Montañez Ortiz and Benítez organize two exhibitions which are presented at PS 206, 508 East 120th Street and Pleasant Avenue. Other early participants in El Museo del Barrio’s activities included Hilda Arroyo, Carmen Bocachica, Félix Cortés, Elena Gil, Alberto Martínez, and Justo Santana (Antonio Gil de Lamadrid, “El Museo del Barrio Apuntala Cultura Boricua,” El Diario La Prensa, 28 July 1970, Supplement, 15).

MAY

The Art of Needlework, curated by Marimar Benítez and Rafael Montañez Ortiz, including knitting, crochet and embroidery, is presented at PS 206. (Your Thing, August 7, 1970, 8)

LATE SPRING–THROUGH JULY

An exhibition of Puerto Rican paintings and graphics, curated by Marimar Benítez and Rafael Montañez Ortiz, is presented at PS 206. It includes paintings by Osiris Delgado, Victor Linares, Bart Mayol, Waldemar Morales, Miguel Pou, Jorge Rechany, and Rafael Tufiño, loaned from Museo de Arte de Ponce; and graphics by Luis Germán Cajigas, Manuel Hernández Acevedo, Lorenzo Homar, Carlos Raquel Rivera, and Rafael Tufiño, loaned from Riverside Museum.

SUMMER

Montañez Ortiz conducts research in Puerto Rico.

JULY

The New York Times notes that El Museo is moving from headquarters at PS 125. Journalist Grace Glueck notes that “El Museo was born in June 1969, the brainchild of Martin W. Frey.” While she credits Montañez Ortiz as Director, she initiates the misconception that Frey intended to found a museum in East Harlem. (Grace Glueck, “Barrio Museum: Hope Si, Home No,” The New York Times, 30 July 1970: 38)

SEPTEMBER 22–NOVEMBER 29

Bruce Davidson, after two years of photographing in El Barrio, presents the exhibition East 100th Street at the Museum of Modern Art. Felipe Dante, a photographer, early participant in El Museo, and a founder of En Foco, authors the article, “But Where is Our Soul,” a critical response to the exhibition, which generated some controversy (The New York Times, Sunday, October 11, 1970).

FALL

El Museo del Barrio relocates entirely to PS 206 as a result of a citywide reorganization of school districts.

Rafael Montañez Ortiz (left) and Marimar B. Quintana (right), with a painting by Miguel Pou, on loan from Museo de Arte de Ponce, in an exhibition presented at PS 206, New York, accompanied by Elena Gil, Carmen Bocachica, Felix Cortes, Hilda Arroyo, and Alberto Martinez. Antonio Gil de Lamadrid, “El Museo del Barrio Apuntala Cultura Boricua,” El Diario La Prensa, 28 July 1970, Supplement, 15.

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1971

JANUARY 21

“El Museo del Barrio” is filed as a not-for-profit corporation. Ralph Ortiz, José García, and Jerald Ordover are listed as the initial directors.

MARCH 2—MAY 31

Boricua—Aquí y Allá (Puerto Ricans— Here and There), curated by Rafael Montañez Ortiz, is presented in The Corner Gallery of the American Museum of Natural History. The 20-minute audio-visual program is comprised of 486 color slides depicting Puerto Rican life in the United States and on the Island. The images, taken by Felipe Dante, Richard Globus, and Rafael Montañez Ortiz, among others, were presented through six, computer-linked projectors in a 20 x 30 foot oval room, lined with five 10 x 6 foot mirrors and three 9 x 6 foot screens, accompanied by a soundtrack. The presentation was designed and installed in collaboration with a photodigital non-profit organization, The Museum of The Media (New York Post, February 24, 1971; Ernesto Leogrande, Daily News, March 19, 1971). Ironically, this exhibition generates some of the same criticism that Bruce Davidson’s project did: some claimed its depictions were too negative, while others celebrated the first depiction of Puerto Ricans, by Puerto Ricans, inside a major New York cultural institution.

SPRING

Community activists at School District 4 and Community Board 11 hold hearings on the future of El Museo del Barrio. Educator and artist Marta Moreno Vega applies for the position of Director after an ad was placed in The New York Times. Both Rafael Montañez Ortiz and Moreno Vega make presentations; Moreno Vega is voted in as second Director of El Museo del Barrio. Moreno Vega continues the dialogue begun by Montañez Ortiz with parents, teachers, artists, and other museum directors in the city about the need to support a community museum for Puerto Ricans in East Harlem. Hilda Arroyo Gillis and Carmen Bocachica continue to work with El Museo; Hiram Maristany, a photographer and member of the Young Lords party, as well as Adrián García, Manuel Otero, Armando Soto, Sammy Tanco and Nitza Tufiño (Breitman), members of the artists’ collective Taller Boricua, and Laura Moreno, photographer José Gomez, Edgar Ruíz Zapata, and others help El Museo by organizing educational activities, exhibitions, programs and workshops. Montañez Ortiz publishes a version of his presentation in Art in America (see citation above) while Moreno Vega eventually presents her ideas in “The Community Museum Concept,” (Quimbamba: Bilingual Education Quarterly, New York: El Museo del Barrio, June 1972, 19–22) and “Museums Redefined,” (Quimbamba, December 1973, np). Marta Moreno Vega serves as director from Spring 1971 until her resignation on March 15, 1975.

JULY 9

Homage to Our Painters inaugurates El Museo del Barrio’s third location, a brownstone at 206 East 116th Street. “Puerto Rican Art on Display” (The Daily News, July 10, 1971, 23) notes that “El Museo del Barrio, the city’s first Puerto Rican art museum, opened yesterday at 106 (sic) East 116th Street, with 31 paintings by 19 artists on display.” (See also the Journal of the Board of Education of the City of New York, Ed. 8.1b, May 19, 1971, 594–595; motion submitted on April 8 by Martin Frey).

SEPTEMBER 22

“Amigos del Museo del Barrio” is filed as a not-for-profit corporation, and a second legal name. Martha Vega, Eugene Calderón, Hilda Arroyo, and Hiram Maristany are listed as the initial directors.

FALL

A successful series of workshops and exhibits, including the first exhibit of Taíno artifacts, are implemented during the year. School groups from all five boroughs of New York visit El Museo del Barrio. Ongoing discussions with Irvine Mac Manus, Education Assistant for Community Programs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, result in the initiation of a collaboration between both institutions.

NOVEMBER

The first donation to the Permanent Collection of El Museo del Barrio is noted in a Press Release: “El Museo del Barrio, Community School District 4M, has received its first major art donation from Florencio García Cisneros, owner of Cisneros Gallery, New York, N.Y. The donation, a graphic arts portfolio, constitutes the first publication of the Centro de Arte Puertorriqueño in 1951. It is the result of the collective endeavors of some of our most outstanding Puerto Rican Artists: J.A. Torres Martinó, Félix Rodríguez, Rafael Tufiño, Lorenzo Homar, Rubén Rivera Aponte, Samuel Sánchez, Carlos R. Rivera and Carlos Marichal. These prints will be on view at El Museo del Barrio starting November 8, 1971.” El Museo del Barrio begins receiving donations from artists and other supporters to establish a permanent collection. They initiate a tradition that continues to the present.

NOVEMBER 8

Graphic Portfolio of the Centro de Arte Puertorriqueño opens.

El Museo receives its first support from the New York State Council on the Arts in 1971–1972.

One of El Museo’s earliest bankbooks.

El Museo staff badges: Adrián García, Manuel “Neco” Otero, and Sammy Tanco.

El Museo’s brownstone at 206 East 116th Street (El Museo promotional booklet; photography by Hiram Maristany).

El Museo’s first logo, a stylized rendering of Atabex, the Taíno goddess depicted in petroglyphs.

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1972

MID-1972

Taíno, organized by Marta Moreno Vega and Irvine Mac Manus, includes Taíno objects from the Museum of American Indian and is presented at 206 East 116th Street.

AUGUST 7

Barbara Rose publishes an article about El Museo del Barrio, entitled, “Art in the Barrio,” NY Magazine, 58. She quotes Marta Vega and mentions exhibitions of Taíno art, masks, and handcrafts; the programs of Taller Boricua, including artists Marcos Dimas and Carlos Osorio; and the organization Ola, headed by Petra Cintrón. Rose also mentions the contributions of Puerto Rican artists Ralph Ortiz and Rafael Ferrer in the New York avant-garde.

SEPTEMBER

Quimbamba lists the upcoming exhibition schedule as: September: El Taller Movil: Paintings and Graphics by Puerto Rican Contemporary Artists, including El Taller Boricua; Oct/Nov: Artesanos: Handcrafts from Puerto Rico; Dec/Jan: Felicidades, Christmas presentation with the Three Kings, slide show, and santos; Feb/Mar/Apr: Revelations, a survey of Puerto Rican art from the 17th century to the present; May: El Arte de la Aguja: (The Art of Needlework), needlecrafts done by mothers of the community; June/July/Aug: Art Workshops-El Barrio, works created by children.

NOVEMBER

El Museo del Barrio leases its fourth location, a series of storefronts on Third Avenue, between 107th and 108th Streets. While the building numbers eventually incorporated 1931–1935 and 1947–1959, the main or mailing address was always listed as 1945. El Museo remains here until 1977, later adding on “Galeria II” at 1935 Third Avenue, and the Firehouse on 104th Street. From this location, El Museo del Barrio initiates its “Mobile Unit,” a long van with exhibitions and displays inside, that travels to various locations to serve students, community festivals, and other groups. (See Marta Vega, ”Annual Report, Amigos del Museo del Barrio, Quimbamba, December 1973) El Museo del Barrio receives its first support from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1972–1973.

Installation of Taíno materials in the brownstone at 206 East 116th Street. (El Museo promotional booklet; photography by Hiram Maristany).

Children exiting El Museo’s “Mobil Unit” (photo by José Gomez).

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1973

JANUARY

Quimbamba continues to list El Museo’s location as 206 East 116th Street, perhaps during renovation of the Third Avenue storefronts.

APRIL 30–JULY 1

The Art Heritage of Puerto Rico: Pre- Columbian to the Present is the first exhibition presented at El Museo’s new location on Third Avenue, as noted by George Gent in his article, “Puerto Rican Art is Shown Uptown,” (The New York Times, Tuesday, May 1, 1973). The exhibition includes over 150 works by over forty artists. The objects range from Taíno artifacts, wooden santos, musical instruments,18th- and 19th-century paintings and prints (including José Campeche, Francisco Oller, and José Manuel Loira), and paintings and prints by modern and contemporary Puerto Rican artists. These include: Roberto Alberty, Olga Albizu, José R. Alicea, Ramón Atiles, Myrna Báez, Luis G. Cajigas, Fran Cervoni, Leoncio Concepción, Ramón Frade, Domingo García, Natividad Gutiérrez, Manuel Hernández Acevedo, Luis Hernández Cruz, Lorenzo Homar, Carlos Irizarry, Epifanio Irizarry, Marcos Irizarry, Domingo López, Antonio Maldonado, Augusto Marín, Antonio Martorell, Joaquín Mercado, Julio Micheli Lebrón, Nicolasa Mohr, José Morales, José R. Oliver, Carlos Osorio, Rafael Palacios, Miguel Pou, Carlos Raquel Rivera, Rafael Rivera Rosa, Francisco Rodón, José A. Rosa, Julio Rosado del Valle, Julio Santiago Bracero, Carmelo Sobrino, María E. Somoza, Antonio Torres Martino, Rafael Tufiño, and Isabel Vázquez. This exhibition is the first to survey the history of Puerto Rican art. It is accompanied by 120-page catalogue, published in 1974 (also see Amei Wallach, “ ‘New York Ricans’ Seek Their Heritage,” Newsday, The Arts II, Sunday May 20, 1973).

The exhibition was based on the scholarship of Dr. Ricardo Alegría, Executive Director of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña; Dr. Osiris Delgado, Director of the Museo de Antropología, Historia y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico; and Dr. Arturo Dávila, Curator of La Colección del Arzobispo de Puerto Rico. The exhibition team from the Metropolitan Museum of Art included: Henry Geldzahler, Curator, Twentieth-Century Art; John Howat, Curator, American Paintings and Sculpture; John McKendry, Curator, Prints and Photographs; Theodore Rousseau, Curator in Chief, and James Pilgrim, Assistant Curator in Chief. The entire project was supervised by Harry S. Parker III, Vice-Director for Education, and coordinated by the Department of Community Programs, which included in its staff Catherine Chance, Dora Rubiano, and María E. Somoza. Irvine Mac Manus, Education Assistant for Community Programs, was responsible for bringing the exhibition successfully to fruition. From El Museo del Barrio, the team included Marta Vega, Director; Carmen Morgan, Education; and the artists Lorenzo Homar, Carlos Osorio, and Rafael Tufiño.

JULY 1

Proposed cuts in state urban education funds threaten El Museo del Barrio’s financial support from the New York City Department of Education. The staff elects to work without pay until additional funding sources can be secured.

JULY 25–SEPTEMBER 16

The Art Heritage of Puerto Rico: Pre- Columbian to the Present is presented at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the galleries now designated The Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries of Southeast Asian Art.

AUGUST 11–DECEMBER

La historia del Cartel Puertorriqueño/The History of Puerto Rican Posters, curated by Rafael Tufiño, Irene Delano, and the staff of El Museo del Barrio, opens. Quimbamba (December 1973) mentions the participation of artists Manuel Hernández Acevedo, Antonio Maldonado, Rafael Tufiño, and Antonio Martorell in this exhibition.

This Quimbamba lists the prior programs as: Felicidades, Felicidades; Artesanías; What Puerto Rico Means to Me; El Arte de la Aguja; Un Saborcito de los Talleres; Exposición Rodante; Artesanías, Santos.

DECEMBER

Marta Vega publishes El Museo’s first annual report, which explains the reason for the second incorporation, and El Museo’s two legal names—“El Museo del Barrio” and “Amigos del Museo del Barrio” (Quimbamba, December 1973). She writes El Museo “was created in 1969 as a result of the parents in the community voicing a need and desire for their children to receive this type of information as a part of their formal education. During the first two years of its existence the program mounted its exhibits in one of the schools in the district. This space was inadequate because we could not service all the children we wanted to reach. In 1971 El Museo del Barrio acquired a brownstone on East 116th Street.The first exhibit in that building took place in July 1971 and was titled, “Homage to our Painters” . . . It was therefore necessary in November 1972 to relocate . . . . . Amigos del Museo del Barrio, Inc. was formed in 1971 to function as the vehicle for providing quality educational and resource materials on a larger scale. Under Amigos del Museo del Barrio, Inc. grants were received to augment the exhibition component of El Museo del Barrio.”

The Art Heritage of Puerto Rico: Pre-Columbian to the Present exhibition catalogue cover.

Director Marta Moreno Vega (Quimbamba: Bilingual Education Quarterly, New York: El Museo del Barrio, January 1973, photographers Hiram Maristany and José Gomez).

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1974

JUNE

Aspectos de la esclavitud en Puerto Rico, curated by Marta Moreno Vega, a groundbreaking exhibition documenting slavery and Afro-Puerto Rican heritage, includes the sections: Africa to Puerto Rico, Drawings by Tomás Vega; Contemporary Graphics and Paintings from Artists of Puerto Rico and New York, including Edgar Ruíz Zapata, Nitza Tufiño, Gilberto Hernández, Antonio Martorell, Rafael Tufiño, José Alicea, López del Campo, Torres Martinó, Ramón Olivera, José Rosa, Antonio Maldonando, Myrna Báez, Jaime Romano, Augusto Marín, and Rafael Colón Morales; Bélgica and Loiza Aldea, photographs by Hiram Maristany; and Original African Artifacts, loaned from the American Museum of Natural History.

JUNE 28–OCTOBER 15

Art as Survival, a collaboration between El Museo and the Puerto Rican Studies Department of Livingston College, Rutgers University (NJ) is on view. Curated by Carlos Osorio (artist), Prof. Ernesto J. Ruíz de la Mata (Special Assistant for Cultural Affairs of the Office of the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico in the United States), Prof. Rafael Rodríguez (Director of Puerto Rican Studies Department in Queens College), and Marta Vega, the exhibition includes 46 contemporary works by: Sigfrido Benitez, Jacqueline Biaggi, Samuel Cardona, Harry Cosme, Antonio de la Vega, Henry de León, Ricardo González, Gilberto Hernández, Victor Linares, José A. López, León López, Samuel López, Andres Rodríguez Santos, Nelson Rosado, Edgar Ruíz Zapata, Nitza Tufiño, Dennis Urrutia, Carmen Vega, William S. Vila, and Pedro Villarini. It is accompanied by a 28- page catalogue (noted by John Russell, “At El Museo del Barrio, a Mission and a Sense of Fun,” The New York Times, 15 August 1974: 28).

SEPTEMBER

Quimbamba lists Hediberto Rodríguez as Curator of El Museo del Barrio. El Museo receives its first funding from the City of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs in 1974–1975.

DECEMBER 31, 1974

Marta Vega takes a one-year leave of absence.

Boriquen... y después Colón (and then Columbus), educational material produced by El Museo in 1973 (drawing by Tomás Vega).

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1975

JANUARY 15

Hilda [Arroyo] Gillis is appointed Acting Director; Hiram Maristany is named Acting Assistant Director.

JANUARY 23

Marta Vega sends letters dismissing Board and staff members Hilda Arroyo Gillis, Carmen Bocachica and Nitza Tufiño Breitman. Board member Eugene Calderón had been dismissed in mid-1974. Hiram Maristany and Laura Moreno, also Board members, were not dismissed.

JANUARY 24–FEBRUARY 18

“Siete” 7, Group exhibition of 7 Puerto Rican artists, presented at La Galleria II, is on view.

FEBRUARY 14 [Arroyo] Gillis, Bocachica, and Tufiño bring a lawsuit against Vega and the Amigos del Museo del Barrio, Inc. for her dismissal of the Directors of the corporation, as well as violations of her fiduciary duties.

FEBRUARY 18–APRIL 18

Expresiones del Alma/Expressions of the Soul, is on view. It includes Puerto Rican folk arts as well as Taíno and African artifacts.

FEBRUARY 28–MARCH 31

Two Person Exhibition, including works by Hiram Maristany, is on view.

MARCH 1–APRIL 1

Carlos Osorio, a one person exhibition, is on view.

MARCH 12

Community Board 11 approves El Museo del Barrio’s application to expand by leasing the firehouse of former Engine Company 53, at 175 East 104th Street, which ceased active use on October 1, 1973, and was surrendered in June 1974. Manhattan Borough President, Percy Sutton, lobbied on behalf of El Museo; Hope Community Inc., an El Barrio civic organization, championed El Museo’s application. Upon taking control of the badly vandalized firehouse, El Museo with the help of volunteers from Teatro 4 and neighborhood youth, make the building useable. The firehouse contains El Museo’s school of art and Teatro 4 by 1979–1980. In 1981, El Museo begins seeking funding to rehabilitate the structure and bring the building up to code; by 1985 the firehouse no longer is used, due to its dilapidated and dangerous condition, requiring major funding to renovate.

MARCH 15

Marta Vega resigns as Director and president of Amigos del Museo del Barrio, Inc.

APRIL 9

[Arroyo] Gillis, Bocachica, and Tufiño resign from the staff. Maristany serves as Acting Director from April 9, 1975 until July 1977.

MAY 28–JUNE 25

Photography Exhibition, curated by gallery coordinator Gilberto Hernández, includes photographs by Stanley Banos, Manuel Dumont, Roberto Bienv Espier, Julio Nazario, David Francisco Ocampo, Rico, and José Antonio Vázquez. The exhibition is accompanied by a 12-page catalogue, and presented at La Galleria II.

JUNE 6–AUGUST 25

4th Anniversary Exhibition: Puerto Rican Graphic Arts from the Permanent Collection is presented in the conference room of 1935 Third Avenue.

JUNE 13–JULY 8

Homage to Casals is on view.

JUNE 25

Due to the pending lawsuit between the Board and Director, the interim Board cannot select a new Director. Eventually, the lawsuit is dropped.

THROUGH OCTOBER 31

A Photo Essay: Pre-colombiana Hasta 1940, organized by Marta Vega (Senior Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) presents photographic resources from the collections of El Museo del Barrio, the Museum of Natural History (NY); the Library of Congress, the Smithsonican Institute (Washington DC); the Archivo General de Puerto Rico, the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (San Juan, PR); and private collections. The exhibiton includes photographs by Jack Delano, among others, and is accompanied by a 24-page catalogue.

DECEMBER 1, 1975– JANUARY 15, 1976

Exhibicion Navideña is on view.

DECEMBER 5–DECEMBER 30

9 Puerto Rican Artists, curated by Aníbal Cruz Ramos, Curator, El Museo del Barrio is on view. It includes paintings, drawings, prints and mixed media works, by Louis Aponte, Sigfrido Benítez, Jacqueline Biaggi, Luis R. Cancel, Maritza Dávila, Humberto Figueroa Torres, Erick R. Lluch, Samuel Quiñones, and Raul Antonio Torres. It is accompanied by a 12-page catalogue, and presented at La Galleria II.

Established in 1885, the firehouse at 175 East 104th Street was leased by El Museo in 1975 and purchased in 1980 (Historical cover photo from George E. Calvert and Robert F. Wood, A Tribute to Engine Co. 53, NYFD: 88 Years of Service to East Harlem from 104th Street, New York: Church of The Living Hope, 1973).

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1976

A new Board of Trustees, composed of artists, writers, educators and business professionals, is formed after a New York Supreme Court hearing rules that El Museo del Barrio’s staff cannot also act as trustees.

FEBRUARY 6–FEBRUARY 27

Exhibition of Women Artists, curated by gallery coordinator Gilberto Hernández, includes 40 paintings, prints, and drawings by Isabel Álvarez Nazario, Imna Arroyo, Jacqueline Biaggi, Alicia Maury Rodríguez, Gladys Rosa, and Carmen Vega. It is accompanied by a poster and 14-page catalogue, and is presented at La Galeria II.

FEBRUARY 20–MARCH

Nostalgia, developed by Marta Vega and coordinated by Aníbal Cruz Ramos is a mixed-media group exhibition designed to capture New York Puerto Ricans‘ memories of the Island. The exhibit includes the artists Jenaro “Heny” Álvarez, Luis Aponte, Jacqueline Biaggi, Rosalía Cruz, David De Silva, Nydia Figueroa, José Gómez, Gilbert Hernández, José Hernández, Maria Jameson, Jeannie Matos, Federico Mojíca, Laura Moreno, Melody Moreno, Sammy Quinoñes, Aníbal Cruz Ramos, Migdalia Rivera, Segundo Rohena, Héctor Salas, Richard Sánchez, Grace Vargas, and Mary Wilson; it also includes photographs by Vitín Avilés, Ernie Ensley, Frank Grillo (Machito), Luis Máquina, Hiram Maristany, Federico Pagani, Charlie Palmieri, Segundo Rohena, Grace Vargas, Felipe Rivera of the Asociación de Trabajadores Agrícolas, Mr. Noble and Betty Maingot of the Museum of the City of New York, and Life Magazine. Nostalgia is accompanied by a 70- page catalogue.

MARCH 26–APRIL 23

Exhibition of Sculpture is on view.

JULY 30–AUGUST 27

We the People, coordinated by Cindy Hawes and Esau Quiroz, includes works by Abelardo Delgado, Carole M. Byard, Cliff Joseph, Cork Lee, Esau Quiroz, John Alan Fisher, John A. Taboada, Jorge Soto, Julio Nazario, Patty Harso, Ramon Muñiz, and Tomie Arai. It is accompanied by an 18-page catalogue, and is presented at La Galeria II.

SEPTEMBER 13–OCTOBER 22

El Barrio-New York: Our History 1910–1969, a photographic survey documenting the evolution of culture, heritage, and aesthetics in East Harlem, is created with information, documentation, and photographs provided by people in El Barrio.

MID-1976

Children of El Barrio: Artists of the Future, curated by the coordinator of the children’s workshop, Humberto Figueroa Torres, is presented. It is accompanied by a 40-page catalogue.

OCTOBER 18–NOVEMBER 19

Santos (Religion) is on view.

NOVEMBER 15–29

Mitología y Artes of Pre-Columbian Caribbean is on view.

DECEMBER 6, 1976– JANUARY 1977

Aguinaldo: Un canto navideño, an exhibition of traditional Puerto Rican Christmas offerings and celebrations, is presented.

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1977

APRIL 22–JUNE 3

Teatro: Hispanic Theatre in NYC (1420–1976), presented by the Off Off Broadway Alliance, in cooperation with El Museo del Barrio, is on view. It is accompanied by a 32-page catalogue.

JULY

Jack Agüeros, poet, novelist, playwright and former co-Director of Cayman Gallery (with Nilda Peraza), is appointed Director of El Museo del Barrio by the Board of Trustees. Agüeros serves as director from July 1977 until March 14, 1986.

SEPTEMBER 9–OCTOBER 9

Confrontación: Ambiente y Espacio is on view. The exhibit includes artists, Cándida Álvarez, Louis Aponte, Jacqueline Biaggi, Niles Cruz, José Luis Díaz de Villegas, Marcos Dimas, José Rubén Gaztambide, Vilma Maldonado, Felipe Morales, Nestor Otero, Wanda Quiñonez, María Riquelme, Jorge Soto, José Antonio Vásquez, and Pablo Vengoechea, the exhibition coordinator. It is accompanied by a 25-page catalogue, postcards, and posters.

FALL

Agüeros negotiates with Boys Harbor, a non-profit youth services agency, to relocate El Museo del Barrio to its present location—the main floor of the Heckscher Building, a multi-tenant, city-owned property at 1230 Fifth Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets. Already based on the second floor, Taller Boricua members help move El Museo del Barrio into the building. El Museo leases 12,000 square feet and immediately begins renovation on 3,000 square feet of gallery space.

WINTER

El Museo del Barrio joins the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) through a decree from Edward J. Koch, Mayor of New York City. The Cultural Institutions Group is an association of thirty-three cultural organizations housed in city buildings, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, The American Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Wave Hill.

Director Jack Agüeros in front of the Heckscher Building at 1230 Fifth Avenue between 104th and 105th Street (photo by Carlos V. Ortíz, “The Arts: Museo de la Gente,“ Nuestro, April 1978).

Curator of Resurgimiento, Petra Barreras del Río (El Diario La Prensa, 16 May 1978).

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1978

JANUARY

Agüeros begins El Museo del Barrio’s annual tradition of organizing a Three Kings Day Parade in East Harlem in which school groups from all five boroughs participate. Artists and staff members over the years contribute to props and decorations. For example, Antonio Martorell creates the “gigante” King Melchior. In 1996, Mario César Romero designs an ensemble of royal costumes. Pepe Figueroa leads the parade’s band.

APRIL 28–JUNE 30

Resurgimiento inaugurates El Museo del Barrio‘s new galleries in the Heckscher Building. A group exhibition of contemporary Puerto Rican and Latin American artists working in New York, it is curated by Petra E. Barreras del Río. It includes works by Tony Bechara, Mario Bencastro, Eloy Blanco, Fred Carrión, Carlos Cevallos, [Papo] Colo, Rafael Colón Morales, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Maritza Dávila, Nicolás Espósito, Rafael Ferrer, Rafael Figueroa, Domingo García, John Isern, Claudio Juárez, Washington Ledesma, Victor Linares, María Lino, Robert Llimós, Evelyn López de Guzmán, Laura Márquez, Peter Martínez, Anthony Morales, Felipe Morales, José A. Pizarro, Domingo Poublé, Pico Reynoso, Jaime Romano, Federico Ruíz, Fernando Salicrup, Fanny Sanín, Peter Schira, Jorge Soto, Walter Terrazas, Francisco Toledo, and Ricardo Torres Villalobos. The exhibition is accompanied by a 38- page catalogue that contains the first appearance of El Museo’s window logo, designed by artist Nestor Otero (see article by Vivien Raynor, “Art: Resurgence in El Barrio,” The New York Times, 28 April 1978). In an interview, Director Jack Agüeros states the expanding vision of El Museo del Barrio. “Our focus is no longer limited to Puerto Ricans,” admits Agüeros. “We are too culturally rich to force ourselves into ghettoes of narrow nationalism. El Museo now wants to embody the culture of all of Latin America. New York is the fourth or fifth largest Spanish speaking city in the world, with people from every Spanish speaking country, and El Museo must reflect everything that is Latino. We must look upon Latin America as our Indian ancestors did. They did not see artificial boundaries dividing nations. They saw an open world where they were free to travel from one place to another, pursuing their livelihood and mixing their culture” (Carlos V. Ortíz, “The Arts: Museo de la Gente,” Nuestro, April 1978).

AUGUST 8–SEPTEMBER 30

En Foco Documentation Portfolio No. 1: The Puerto Rican Experience, is presented. It includes 80 photographs by Charles Biasiny-Rivera, Roger Cabán, and Felipe Dante, and is accompanied by a 8-page brochure.

OCTOBER 13–NOVEMBER 12

Recent Acquisitions of El Museo del Barrio is on view. It includes works by John Balossi, Eli Barreto, José Caraballo, Harry Cosme, Jesse Fernández, Domingo García, Gilberto Hernández, Luis Hernández Cruz, Manuel Hernández Acevedo, Epifanio Irizarry, Claudio Juárez, Carlos Osorio, Samuel Quiñones, Carlos Raquel Rivera, Félix Rodriguez Báez, Radamés Santos, Jorge Soto, Carmelo Sobrino, Nitza Tufiño, Rafael Tufiño, and Pedro Villarini. This exhibit is accompanied by a 30-page catalogue that notes the Permanent Collection numbers over 600 works on paper, and approximately 70 paintings and sculptures, collected over the past 4 years.

DECEMBER 8, 1978– FEBRUARY 25, 1979

Photographs of Mexico: Modotti/Strand/Weston, organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., is on view. It includes 37 photographs by Tina Modotti, Paul Strand, and Edward Weston, and is presented in conjunction with the citywide celebration, “Mexico Today.”

DECEMBER 1978– JANUARY 1979

Fragmentos de mis Islas: Photographs by José Rubén Gaztambide, is presented. It includes 32 photographs, and is accompanied by a 4-page brochure.

Resurgimento exhibition catalogue cover.

El Museo’s second logo, based on a window in the Heckscher Building, designed by artist Nestor Otero.

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1979

Agüeros implements a series of capital improvements and gallery expansions from the late 1970s through the early 1980s, with the help of artist and staff member Federico Ruíz and architect William Bowles. Expansion and cataloguing of the Permanent Collection begins. Gladys Peña is hired as El Museo del Barrio’s first professional Curator. The galleries are sometimes referred to as the Main Gallery, the Santos Gallery, and the F-stop Gallery.

FEBRUARY 27–APRIL 1

Bridge Between Islands: Retrospective Works by Six Puerto Rican Artists in New York is presented. It includes 45 works by Olga Albizu, Tony Bechara, Eloy Blanco, Marcos Dimas, Evelyn López de Guzmán, and Jorge Soto. It is accompanied by a 32-page catalogue. The exhibit was originally presented at Henry Street Settlement- Louis Abrons Arts for Living Center (November 3–December 1, 1978) and the Bronx Museum of the Arts (January 6–February 18, 1979).

APRIL 17–JUNE 7

Personajes del Recuerdo: Recent Works by Domingo García, is on view. The exhibit is accompanied by a 13-page catalogue.

APRIL 27

Santos de Palo, a permanent installation including over 94 santos, designed by Pablo Vengoechea, with William Bowles opens. It is accompanied by a 48-page catalogue. The santos were on rotating, but permanent display, in various galleries, from 1979 to 1993. This exhibition was sited in a “special gallery, adjacent to the main gallery“ (Uptown Weekly News, May 12–18, Vol. 1 No.9, 10). In November 1996, the santos were again placed on long-term view until January 2001.

SPRING

El Museo del Barrio opens an art school in the firehouse, with a faculty largely composed of local artists. A 32-page course catalogue from January 1980 lists Carmen Biascoechea as the Director of the School of Art. A later 23-page course catalogue, Escuela de Arte del Museo del Barrio, 1981–1982, lists Pepe Castillo, Dean of Music; Oscar Ciccone, Dean of Theatre Arts; and Jorge Soto, Dean of Visual Arts. In the Theatre Arts Department, the faculty included Norman Brisky, Ramón Concepción, and Eva de la O. In the Department of Visual Arts, the faculty included Papo Colo, Rafael Colón Morales, Gilberto Hernández, and Luis Colón Morales. In the Department of Music, the faculty included Rosendo Acosta, Alberto (Tito) Cepeda, and Jorge Pérez Rolón. Faculty members include Brenda Alejandro, Henny Álvarez, Luis Aponte, Margaret Ambrosini, Imna Arroyo, Petra Barreras del Río, Sigfrido Benítez, John Betancourt, Jacqueline Biaggi, Carmen Biascoechea, Abe Breitman, Roy Brown, Luis Cancel, Angelo Cruz, Elizam Escobar, Humberto Figueroa, Adrián García, Domingo García, José Rubén Gaztambide, Vita Giorgi, Jane Hedal, Adál Maldonado, Vilma Maldonado, Luis Meléndez, Felipe Morales, José Manuel Morales, Isabel Nazario, Julio Nazario, Armindo Nuñez, Carlos Osorio, Manuel Otero, Samuel Quiñones, Manuel Ramos Otero, Roberto Reverón, Jorge Luis Rodríguez, Gladys Rohena, Félix Romero, Gladys Rosa Rey, Edgar Ruíz Zapata, Ivan Silen, Ken Sofer, María Somoza, Luis Soto, Merián Soto, Samuel Tanco, Mario Toral, Ricardo Torres Villalobos, Gladys Toulis, Gus Toulis, Nitza Tufiño, Luis D. Vega, Manuel Vega, and Pedro Velásquez.

JUNE 8–JULY 20

Jorge Soto Sánchez: Works on Paper 1974–1979, is on view. The oneperson exhibit of over 56 works is accompanied by a 30-page catalogue.

SUMMER

Portrayals, photographs by José Antonio Vázquez, is presented in the F-stop Gallery. The exhibition includes 20 works, and is accompanied by 4-page brochure.

JUNE 10

El Museo del Barrio co-founds the annual Museum Mile Festival on Fifth Avenue with ten major institutions, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of the City of New York, Mount Sinai Medical Center, The International Center of Photography, The Jewish Museum, The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Church of Heavenly Rest, The National Academy of Design, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and Goethe House.

AUGUST

El Museo del Barrio gathers 2,300 petition signatures from the local community, successfully halting the city’s sale of the firehouse that contained its art school and theatre (David Vidal, “East Harlem Tries to Bar Auction of Old Firehouse,” The New York Times, Thursday, August 16, 1979, B2).

AUGUST 6–SEPTEMBER 28

Paintings, Collages and Sculptures from the Permanent Collection of El Museo del Barrio, is presented at the Arsenal Gallery. It highlights more than 25 artists, including Domingo García, Fernando Salicrup, Gilberto Hernández, Eli Barreto, Manuel Hernández Acevedo, Jorge Soto, Carlos Osorio, Rafael Tufiño, and Pedro Villarini.

SEPTEMBER 21

La Familia—The Latin Family, an exhibition of 7 Latino photographers, curated in collaboration with En Foco, opens. It includes Luis Carlos Bernal, Charles Biasiny-Rivera, Naomi Castillo de Semonetti, Frank Gimpaya, Frank Xavier Méndez, Joe Bernal Ramos, and Raul Rubiera, and is accompanied by a 18-page catalogue.

NOVEMBER 9, 1979– MARCH 3, 1980

Mujeres 9: A Photographic Exhibition, coordinated by Evelyn Collazo, is on view in the F-stop Gallery. It includes Nydza Bajandas, Sylvia Arlene Calzada, Evelyn Collazo, Marili Forastieri, Perla de León, Carmen Mojíca, Sophie Rivera, Josefa Vázquez, and Ivonne Villaquiran, and is accompanied by a 4-page brochure.

NOVEMBER 16, 1979– FEBRUARY 29, 1980

José Morales: Paintings and Drawings, New York Series # 1, a one-person exhibition of over 20 works, is on view. It is accompanied by a 32-page catalogue.

Ken Sofer, printmaking instructor, Manny Vega, ceramics instructor and artist Anibal Chisa at the Escuela de Arte del Museo del Barrio (El Diario La Prensa, 16 May 1978).

Jorge Soto Sánchez, Lillian López, Ernesto Ruíz de la Matta, and Irvine Mac Manus (El Diario La Prensa, 9 July 1979).

Taller Boricua logo (right) and members (left to right): Gilberto Hernández, Fernando Salicrup (standing), Jorge Soto Sánchez (seated), Josie Gonzalez, Marcos Dimas, Julio Quiñones, Wanda Quiñones, and Jesus Muñiz. (Invitation to Taller Boricua open house, at their new facilities on the 2nd floor of the Heckscher Building, Friday March 23, 1979).

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El Museo del Barrio New York