Members and friends of the Frente Independentista Boricua gather in fron of the Federal Building in downtown Manhattan on July 4th to demand independence for Puerto Rico from the US.
By Luis Cordero Santoni luiscorderosantoni@gmail.com Ever since relocating to Borikén I have tried to connect with art and artists. Borikén is the best place for that. Here you can find museums, galleries, public art, arts and crafts fairs, local shops that sell handmade crafts, and artists that set up galleries wherever they can. So far, I’ve been lucky to have found some great craft fairs here on the west coast. Every town seems to have a fair every week from up in Isabela to down in Cabo Rojo. The Puerto Rican artist plays an important role in maintaining our culture alive. Their role falls right in line with the mission of The Institute for Puerto Rican Culture: ...research, preserve, promote, and disseminate Puerto Rican culture in its diversity and complexity. With the memory and promise of culture, the different levels, sectors, ages and interests of the community create the set of ways of life, customs and artistic manifestations that identify us as a country. I dare to s...
By Ramón Serrano — Diógenes Ballester is one of Puerto Rico's hidden treasures. His paintings have graced the walls of the most prestigious art galleries in the world. From Paris to Japan, from Bulgaria to Brazil he has raised the Puerto Rican flag with accompanying accolades and awards. He is presently the Artist in Residence in Ponce's famed Museum of Art. I first met Diógenes in the early eighties when i was learning acupuncture. I was called by a friend who told me that one of our great artists was suffering from intense pain and could not get up out of bed. I had never heard of Diógenes but was convinced to go to his aid. When I arrived at his house/gallery in El Barrio I immediately informed him that I was not qualified to treat his condition. He insisted that I proceed. When I returned the following week he was walking around pain free. No one was more surprised than I. We would not see each other again for another 35 years. When we finally reunited he told me that the...