An exhibition featuring student art from Taller Puertorriqueño’s Education Programs

June 11 to July 24, 2021

Reception/Apertura June 25, 5 PM – 8PM

The year 2020 marked an unprecedented and challenging school year because of the worldwide spread of COVID 19. As a result, we discovered opportunities for our education programs to adapt and shift our approach to arts education. This year’s Children & Youth Create Art exhibition highlights work created through groundbreaking virtual programs as Taller continues to commit to high-quality arts education in our community. 

El año 2020 marcó un año escolar desafiante y sin precedentes debido a la propagación mundial de COVID 19. Como resultado, descubrimos oportunidades para que nuestros programas educativos se adaptaran y cambiaran nuestro enfoque de la educación artística. La exhibición Children & Youth Create Art de este año destaca el trabajo creado a través de programas virtuales innovadores a medida que Taller continúa comprometiéndose con la educación artística de alta calidad en nuestra comunidad.

Message from the Education Director

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taller Puertoriqueño has worked hard to serve our children’s and parent’s needs. First, we shifted and refocused our art programming—a massive undertaking for all staff and students. Lastly, we made changes to the way we engage with our community who we serve daily. Our after-school programs are a haven, and “in the blink of an eye,” the pandemic took that “haven” away. The transition was not easy, but it was an awakening moment for all.

As we transitioned to teaching online, it became apparent we needed to create a program that can meet all our student’s needs. So we explored options for directing virtual learning and meeting our families where they are. But when it became possible to gather safely in our multi-use performance space, we saw opportunities for engaging our students directly. So we began to offer in-person programming by partnering with the city to support our families.

Our multi-use-performance space served as an Access Center where children could meet in person with supervision and attend school virtually. More so, we were able to offer art and enrichment programming with our teaching artists. We felt it was crucial for our kids to feel comfortable through this process. But overall, the in-the-person art classes helped them heal, express their feelings, and have fun playing with others. This year’s exhibition presents their achievements during a challenging past year. – Marilyn Rodriguez