El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem stands as firm platform for Hispanic pride
EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- At El Museo del Barrio, every day is Hispanic Heritage Month. Located on Fifth Avenue and 104th Street in Spanish Harlem, the museum is dedicated to presenting and preserving the art and culture of Latin Americans in the United States.
"El Museo del Barrio really is the community's museum," said Cynthia Carrion, El Museo del Barrio Director of Government and Community Affairs. "We really want to honor and promote what it means to be a proud Latino resident here of New York City."
The current exhibit "Jangueando," features the work of dozens of Hispanic artists, and has almost as many meanings.
"'Jangueando' is Spanglish, it's a very Puerto Rican word, it literally means 'to hang out,' and also, 'hang art on the walls,'" said Museo Del Barrio assistant curator, Zuna Maza.
Everything inside is part of the museum's permanent collection, which includes over 8,500 works of art.
"This is basically speaking to Shamanic practices where people would morph with animals to protect their communities," Maza said.
Forty works are recent acquisitions and are being displayed for the first time.
The exhibit's multi-media art encompasses themes of kinship and community.
The museum is a-buzz this fall. Cuban American artist Coco Fusco's first U.S. survey opens Thursday, and the popular Dia de los Muertos celebration, featuring a full day of free, family-friendly programming, happens Nov. 1.
El Museo was founded in 1969 by a community of Puerto Rican educators and parents, led by artist Raphael Montanez Ortiz, who felt representation was lacking. It quickly became a cornerstone of El Barrio.
Today, it stands as a firm platform for Hispanic pride.
"In a moment where it feels like there's an erasure of what it means to be Latino, it's super important at this moment for us to celebrate it," Carrion said.
El Museo del Barrio moved to the fantastic location at the top of Fifth Avenue, right across from the Conservatory Garden, in 1977, where it has remained a beloved fixture of East Harlem ever since.
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