Hispanic Community; 3; The Puerto Rican Cultural Center

it's a community it's b hispanic community is a weekly series of programs devoted to the cultural and public affairs in the world's community of spanish speaking nations your host for these programs is peter block president of the association for puerto rican hispanic culture it's been puerto rican cultural center set

you just heard from he told what billy calls greatest and most authentic folk singer ain't it was the song of what really cool off around eighteen hundred and only goal who lives in the new york area like many puerto rican artists is one of the outstanding thinkers or puerto rican cultural life will cooperate with the puerto rican hispanic cultural center in new york and this is peterborough and they're going to tell you tonight about that center which deserves to be better known well our fellow citizens the guests wong's me tonight are that ever end up alone will release your minister or the christian church law and malls are

wary of these puerto rican cultural center dislocated and misogyny london dina a teacher at a public school one or seventy east harlem an active member of the association for puerto rican hispanic culture and curator in charge off the puerto rican library and busy and add that more time i have to tell you that the association for what we can use spending cuts if the successor to a group which used to be a subdivision office moral foundation it became independent last year and it took the port lincoln library which i had the privilege or establishing in nineteen sixty six island off the

building where it's not formally located as well as our collection of puerto rican religious forgot about which the shelter new light on and then they were all in a very good reasons because at the previous place we had been exposed to one anti what lincoln and i spending backlash when it on our own no green forty find dignified place for the puerto rican collections which we own and i was sounding out various preston's in a position possibly for her boss i'm not that various stories we got quite a few polite explanation for why it was not possible a feasible or not advisable onto difficult to

give us the place for the public library and museum that we were intending to establish with our elections and then one day last summer though haven't pablo corporal these bomb american minister of the riverside church a number of our board of directors a friend suggested that i didn't touch ways that ever end up alone you may lose your the minister of my own was a christian church at five west won the tense trade center park moss called fifth avenue i did i talk to have admittedly still and nearly still not only was interested the walls and resisted and he told me that about ten years ago he already had plans to establish a puerto rican cultural center

at his church and i want to release your drawer tell us a little about that i am many different to me to be the bread up because they as he dollar you we had a dream of a gorgeous center and there was a member for chick cordoba silent night demon wars have been there but that really couldn't come about any bank but as mississippi to go past though you a last omen i saw the door open for our dream and we're reading today for talking because the contests and that is what is being a humbler placing our premises as the building that we now own forty church was set a lasting blow up that we book in nineteen sixty

and between the gun legally may lead to remotely to accommodate a small congregation an exhibit is very unfortunate that the same government panel called door corey symon is that dangerous i change was the mine was directed our home a congregation was about seven or eight members you know nineteen forty two or nineteen forty three the congregation has grown to live for membership of over five hundred members now but we ask it and read i did before we are ready to pay for that means defeat ago request that replacing our premises and we may and they were a sect or evading humbler delays but we i barely glad i'm happy because our dreams has come

mesothelioma ice and teaches now besides the court should've sent there as a layman institute where we have glasses and fioretti glasses seen bible a hand graf music and so forth in the community east being that point that that we yes it change it a nominee church easing a place where the people are really needy and another scene that we are climbing police a house and brilliant in which we're planning to be two hundred and nine am a pie minutes for where people were leaving these places some of them coming no heat softening maybe much we of course is another green what he said our first dream of a quarter of center trust

me realize we're hopeful that the house in private is going to really realize too and really we hope that they go gerson but we serving quarterly how a community is going to do more what were people i'm for all the people in these place where so many puerto ricans leaf think you haven't been laced so i'm very touched by your generous praise and i can only say that resolve the vision of minutes here without his waist to see a port lincoln cottage send an established last into cds that was at his church with all this the cartoons and i would not have been possible and then he says it is a humble place that's in one point except for his eccentric pray for me at one point well i have to contradict him be called the places not that hobbled the church is located in a full advanced palace and this building is another

spacious it's actually is very large it's more than looking and there aren't many rules way it's isis the church itself is a beautiful it looks somewhat like the light concert hall was crystal generally yes it's a very elegant it's a very festive and dignified whole as far as a cultural center it is located on the syrup from our and it is an integrated you wanted which we did not have at the place are connections were previously located until last year the cutthroat center on this up for oregon are more the church consists of a large room with the public library and museum and or of a fairly large auditorium which is adjacent to it and serves at the same time as our art gallery four hispanic artists and if necessary when an unnecessary begin even knew was awesome larger

roles in the church in case we have a very large crowd and for certain exceptional events yet even allow apparently so do you was the church property sold recently cannot say that the place is so humble i worked very briefly tell your now what the puerto rican library and museum contains we have a library then as often now in colt about twelve hundred books and it's still growing and i'm sure we continue to grow all these twelve from the books about nine hundred out walks by puerto rican offers all about quick to recall these books have been donated by organize asians by government agencies by authors and publishers and by individuals the remaining three hundred books our enjoyment in itself and they are about

spain the mother country or a hispanic civilization because if you study the culture of puerto rico in the history of what political you have to go back to spain to suspend its origins of puerto rico and the us spanish collection is called the monolith fact that the ballot collection because it was donated by a mighty lustrous friend is excellent scene the spanish minister of information and tourism the monolith that it about these three hundred folks from spain are most instructive to thank you lord psalm one of the finest spanish office and dead though there are gold mine of information would like to mention something that is of particular interest that was something that i've never seen anywhere else there is for example a collection of books about each of the spanish province is

and each of these books has on the inside cover a plastic record it's almost like payback and that this record has some of the authentic folk music of that particular province so this is something that i haven't eaten seeing in this country so far in a book the puerto rican books also include many beautiful lee illustrated books many books were to go to look at justice some of the sponge books in our collection illustrated by leading artists and art collection is fairly i wouldn't say well rounded we have books about practically every field of endeavor from poetry taught science we have a very large

alexa for the plan too patient as art history history of the language and what have you so we can say this is a research library which even in its press and modest size already permits a person to know about puerto rico when a journalist teacher or student or any other person wanted to do research on puerto rico would generally like to know we have received a very generous cooperation from such agencies as he is a group of puerto rican culture in someone's will he's director of a couple of big idea was a good friend of ours and has given us every possible support this is a research lab in other words people are not allowed to take the books our behalf to read them there they can read them for as long as they want but they have to read the band because we do not have to start that would be necessary to trace books which don't come back i must say the border reagan

library is an old dream or of the community just as the cultural center in general it is still true that many people talked about a public library and they made the first moves to establish won but the netherlands who was it and we've succeeded where others failed this affect ignored one of these books has been bought up one of them they all have people make it and i want to thank all those who made this possible because without them i could have done nothing in the postage was donated they didn't have to pay a stand and igor the most marvelous cooperation from famous states among such as for example the former speaker of the puerto rican house of representatives policy on maduro who was one of the speakers at the so i'm opening up the puerto rican cultural center last november we can especially to new york for one day to dedicate it we got donations from individuals

who just heard that a lively was being created a new york anthem it was very gratifying to see that this response we also have a puerto rican museum we have the connection of puerto rican stumbles carvings to some polls are the religious folk out of puerto rico especially of the past they are relatively small wooden figures of saints and of the holy family and this collection was permitted them is the perfect founder julius in puerto rico is one of the foremost collector of the smart one of the foremost experts on it and this collection has tremendous value mullally money wise but especially artistically and as a document as it has to be old what lincoln called chop the part there's a beautiful collection and it is of course a very instructive for people to see this especially for young people to have other connections a museum part of the center is growing and

growing and we have some fabulous and t park still make it viable friend and fellow member senate and whisper one fund for years of puerto rico it is quite a correction it also has some beautiful puerto rican pollsters is that it has an original paintings by the public and paint and make a kind of guzman was living in east harlem and what has helped us very much to establish the center and use your viewpoint be of changing art exhibitions each month another one art exhibitions by professional artists mostly puerto rico's but they can also be either hispanic caucus and they do not even necessarily have to be is unequivocal that in most to be spent now we have regular cultural events at our center generally as a vote twice each month but sometimes they're all from and these events include music poetry letters and also

events that apple's civic and cultural and of course as i mentioned the art exhibitions the opening of the options the show great job you mentioned the curator of the puerto rican library and museum who is especially in charge of relations ways the school is a god this is a wonderful place for schools to visit is a teacher at ps one hundred and seven a close collaborator mine one of all active members recently land on the net and i want to list the net put us something about the significance of the center for the school isn't about her experience bringing her class to the center to the museum because it was incidentally the first class that has visited the corporate library a museum since it has been opened it that mozart was the yankees to block the significance it can't really be put into words

it is the fairest puerto rican hispanic museum in north america we're just starting now of course and our collection isn't quite built up much as we want to be but it is a beginning and since it is a first i think it's something that we can be very proud of certain they were proud and we're really rich very grateful i have to repeat button as reverend lasers dated very grateful that just a black son out claims to east orlando community is believed android this amusing to the people which is really what he did i myself am in charge of getting groups of schoolchildren to come and visit the museum and the gallery the very first class to visit was my own a second grade class well i can set begin today the excitement that was generated among the chosen because i tell them that it was their very amusing it belongs to the community we want them to feel that it does

and just by going there and seeing the collections and knowing that this is your own using enables the chosen to have a sense of pride and what they can see and what they know is there for their viewing their pleasure and their instruction of course they are too young to use the books in the library but at least they know that there is a collection of books about spain about puerto rico that they're welcome to use it that their parents are sisters and brothers can use any time when they so the calais action of saints be euthanized were really something to hear they had never seen anything like this before and we did give them a brief history explain to them exactly what the saints we use for and they understood and they were very impressed the idea of him using to these children as something so distant i suppose something that's called a really out of reach i think the best way to acquaint

him with the scenes cultural centers is to have something that is in the neighborhood that they can go do not where they have to have a special trip made by a bus or where they had no they going along way it's very exciting to go on a job but here they know there's a new seemed as a collection is something they can see right in their own neighborhood it's how it should be part of them and we're starting out to bring in other groups of children from other schools of course there's always the difficulty that there is someone there full time looking guy the chosen through the museum but we are working on that now and then there were going to be very successful with this in the future and the eye and i'm the curator in charge of the library in the information center and i know that when people who need these books can come right here and they are it is a fabulous collection people who need these books can come here use the books alive rate copy what they need from it and just to look through the pages of some of these illustrated books is

just the most rewarding experience the beautiful are absolutely beautiful doe don't even have to speak spanish to allow our book collection because the pictures themselves are just fabulous and as for the art gallery i can only say that this is going to be something that i hope will become very publicized a very well known we are giving unknown artist a chance and these very often autism wouldn't ever be able to exhibit in galleries downtown for various reasons we feel their talents should be discovered up in east harlem think you think you i also would like to get that first of all read do not receive any money from foundations of the new york state council on the arts so far and frankly i'm not too hopeful in this respect all the money we have received and it is of course a very small room where a small amount of money but which keeps us going to

keep us going comes from members and friends it the dollars and cents of members and friends and other thing that i want to mention is that ms dena also is the founder of our citizens of our own and i want to say just a few words about this because i feel this was also very meaningful guest the citizens award as for those individuals who are working up in the stolen area who've done things with the community that no it seems to know about the not very publicized it'll just be things that people in the area know about the first recipient of this so i have to say i mean i'm not without bragging that i didn't initiate the wood because i felt that our organization should somehow give an award to a person who has done something and selfishly without asking for any anything in return and to serve the community for

many many years the first recipient of the award was in mr christopher ortiz who stood on the corner where my school is located and direct traffic for twenty two years when there was never a policeman there to cross the children in the morning and he would come from his home in brooklyn direct traffic across that help the children cross the street and then go to work downtown in manhattan so you can see what this man has done for it just the fact that he himself had grown up in that neighborhood and he wanted to do something for the children they're the second recipient of the wardens and mr blake hobbs who was the musical director of union sentiment which is a well known institution that's been in east on for many years and the stops is trained and taught and what pleasure to so many chosen to his musical activities that i recommended him as the second recipient of the award thank you and it was a beautiful ceremony by the way and done a very very meaningful

one with the vikings a wonderful children's band which has been formed oh i missed that they owed the main scene there was also a music teacher working very close to the hawks and there's much more that you would like to tell you what i think we have to close this podcast just reminded that the public museum and the library is at the church let animals at five west one hundred ten street corner of fifth avenue and now at and let us hear the famous spanish pianist and he said a lot of chopped laying it can loan to buy him a ticket gratis upgrade a sponge pianist playing a bud but a great a spanish composer you have been listening to hispanic community a weekly series of

programs about the cultural and public affairs in the world's community of spanish speaking nations the peak it's b your host for these programs says peter bach president of the association for puerto rican hispanic culture we invite you to join us again next week at this time for largo in america these programs were produced in the studios of wypr in new york i'm barney lane and this is andy are a national educational radio network nice

it's b this week