A series of free concerts on Thursday evenings will highlight and celebrate the diversity of contemporary Latin music

July 10 - September 11, 2003

June 20, 2003, (New York City) - El Museo del Barrio officially announces Summer Nights at El Museo del Barrio, a free series of outdoor concerts that will take place on ten consecutive Thursday evenings from July 10 through September 11. This year, Summer Nights at El Museo del Barrio is made possible through the generous title sponsorship of Budweiser.

The concerts will take place in El Museo's courtyard, 1230 Fifth Avenue (between 104th and 105th Streets) with two sets per evening at 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm. In the event of rain, the concerts will take place indoors. Each musical performance will showcase exciting talent making their way onto the national and international music scene.

Over the years, Summer Nights at El Museo del Barrio has become enormously popular, with hundreds of visitors attending this free program of art and entertainment. Designed to celebrate the diversity of contemporary Latin music, the musical performances will range from rock to contemporary Cuban son, and will feature a live DJ dance party, and a special tribute to the first pioneers of "urban" music.

Summer Nights at El Museo del Barrio also provides museum visitors the opportunity to enjoy the current exhibitions: Rafael Tufiño: Painter of the People and the pre-Columbian exhibition of pan-Caribbean art and artifacts, Taino: Voyagers of the Caribbean, as well as the opportunity to browse through a wide array of gifts and books from El Museo's gift store.

Anheuser-Busch's support of the Hispanic community dates back more than a century. In the last two decades Anheuser-Busch has supported some 700 community-based, local and national Latino organizations and special events contributing over $45 million. Continuing that tradition today, Anheuser-Busch is recognized as a valued partner among Latinos in the United States and Puerto Rico.

In addition to supporting Hispanic cultural, civic, and educational non-profit causes, Anheuser-Busch is also a leader in meeting a critical need for Latino college students. Since 1982, Anheuser-Busch has helped raise more than $20 million and helped award more than 18,000 scholarships through Hispanic scholarship granting organizations. To learn more about Anheuser-Busch's programs in the Hispanic community, please visit www.hispanicbud.com.

About El Museo del Barrio
Heralded by The New York Times as "an institution in its ascendancy," El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 by a group of Puerto Rican educators, artists, parents and community activists in East Harlem's Spanish-speaking El Barrio, the neighborhood that extends from 96th Street to the Harlem River and from Fifth Avenue to the East River on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Since then, El Museo del Barrio has evolved into New York's leading Latino cultural institution, representing the diversity of art and culture in the Caribbean and Latin America. As the only museum in New York City that specializes in representing these cultures, El Museo del Barrio continues to have a significant impact on the cultural life of New York City and is now a major stop on Manhattan's Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue.

The mission of El Museo del Barrio is to present and preserve the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and all Latin Americans in the United States. To learn more about El Museo del Barrio, visit: www.elmuseo.org.

Location and Directions
El Museo del Barrio is located at 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street, and may be reached by subway: #6 to 103rd St. station; or by bus M1, M3, M4 on Madison and Fifth Avenues to 104th St; local cross-town service between Yorkville or East Harlem and the Upper West Side in Manhattan M96 and M106 or M2.

Museum Hours & Admission
Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.
Suggested admission: $6 Adults; $4 Students and Seniors. Free for members and children ages 12 and under accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Extended Summer Hours: Free Admission.
Thursday evenings from 6 - 9pm, July 10 - Sept 11, 2003

Press Contacts
The press can contact Neyda Luz Martinez, Monserrat Ltd., at T: 718 399 6369; C: 917 656 7846 or by email at monserrat536@msn.com or Monica Armendariz at El Museo del Barrio, T: 212. 821.7272; or by email at marmendariz@elmuseo.org.