Please join us to celebrate the accomplishments of our young talented musicians! Direct from Puerto Rico: a special guest performance by Christian Nieves.

The Cuatro and Spanish Guitar Program provides free lessons on Puerto Rican music throughout the school year. This program is made possible through the generous donations of our supporters, including: The Illinois Arts Council, American Airlines, The Chicago Community Trust, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, the Woods Fund, and a CityArts Program 2 Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. This program is conducted in partnership with the Chicago Park District, Music Express, Inc., Lowell Elementary, Chopin Elementary, Roosevelt High School, Prosser Career Academy and Kelvyn Park High School.

This community lecture will be presented by Dr. Antonio Curet, Associate Curator and Archaeologist from The Field Museum of Chicago; and Irka Mateo, Dominican Folk Music and Taíno Culture Researcher from the Dominican Republic.

This lecture will discuss the communal ceremonies and structures of the Taínos of Puerto Rico, Cuba and Hispaniola. Dr. Curet will present archaeological and historic evidence of these ceremonies, which are critical to Taíno religion and society. Through a unique blend of academic and artistic presentations, Irka Mateo will unveil the myth of Taíno extinction through history, rural daily practices, recent genetic studies and Dominican folk music.

The lecture, in partnership with the Dominican-American Midwest Association, will also highlight new tendencies in Taíno research which are changing the history of the Caribbean people.

This community lecture will be presented by Miguel A. Rodriguez, Archaeologist and Chancellor at the Center of Advance Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

This lecture, in partnership with the Puerto Rican Foundation of Wisconsin, will emphasize the presence and importance of the Taíno heritage in Puerto Rican contemporary culture and society. Miguel Rodriguez will comment on the survival of pre-Columbian Taíno influences on the Spanish language, the Caribbean natural environment, and the use of traditional music and instruments as a powerful symbol of Puerto Rican national identity on the island and in the USA.

All lectures are free and open to the public. If you have special needs because of a disability, please contact the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance at 773-342-8865 to discuss arrangements.

The PRAA is celebrating The Taíno Project’s 5th year by exhibiting a variety of student artwork within the community. Created by Chicago Public School students during the PRAA 2008 Taíno Project, the work displayed in this exhibit reflects upon the significance of the Taíno people in Puerto Rican Culture. Works include: Antiqued fabric painting, Tapestries reflecting the afflictions of the Taíno people, Mosaic/tile with woodcarving and other student work.

This exhibition will be on display from May 29 through June 29, 2008 at Park National Bank, 2958 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL 60618
Lobby hours: Mon-Frid 9 am – 5 pm; Sat 9 am – 12 pm

Contact Person: Maria Isabelle Nieves 773-342-8865

The Taíno Project is an educational program on the history and culture of the Taíno people for youth and adults. This program is made possible through the generous donations of our supporters, including: The Illinois Arts Council, American Airlines, Park National Bank, The Chicago Community Trust, the Woods Fund, and a CityArts Program 2 Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. This program is conducted in partnership with: Latino Arts, Inc. the Dominican-American Midwest Association, The Puerto Rican Foundation of Wisconsin, and the Consejo Consultivo de Chicago.

Arnaldo Roche is the pre-eminent expressionist painter in Puerto Rico. His vibrant and impassioned canvases, usually realized on a very large scale, are created by using live models and a wide range of objects for his typically frottage technique of rubbing shapes as a starting point for most of his pictures. This exhibition of approximately 20 works is Roche's first major solo exhibition in Chicago since an early survey of his drawings and paintings was presented at the Chicago Cultural Center in 1987. In the past two decades, Roche has achieved increasing prominence and has had major group exhibitions around the United States, as well as solo exhibitions and monographic catalogs in Puerto Rico and Mexico. Organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, this exhibition is co-sponsored by the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, Chicago, and the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Download the exhibit brochure.
 

Conversation with Arnaldo Roche
Robert Hobbs, a New York based curator, writer and featured essayist in the Arnaldo Roche catalog, will guide visitors through the exhibition Arnaldo Roche: Brotherhood / Hermandad as he interviews the artist and discusses his work.

Details: Special guest speaker, Dr. Antonio Curet