FREE EVENT

We are very pleased to showcase the latest design proposal of the outdoor space on Monday, August 14^th, from 6 to 9 pm hosted at Puertorriqueño. We will have food and drink, so bring family and friends!

In 2016, Taller Puertorriqueño moved to a new building—El Corazón Cultural Center at 2600 North 5^th Street. Its construction was the most comprehensive endeavor Taller has undertaken since its founding in 1974. The building is used in a variety of ways, but arts and culture are the focus—art classes are offered for all ages; a gallery showcases emerging artists in the community; works of art from the organization’s founders, neighbors, and activists cover every wall. The “Sala Abierta” project, or “Open Living Room,” seeks to harness the love, care, and identity that occurs within the building and have it spill out to its underutilized exterior courtyards in hopes of providing spaces for wellness and gathering. These improvements plan to physically connect Taller with its community so staff, students, and neighbors alike may benefit from them!

Penn Praxis is a non-profit design and planning organization that creates a platform for University of Pennsylvania faculty and graduate students to collaborate with partners on projects that demonstrate the power of community-engaged design. Over the past few months, students, alumni, and faculty from the building and landscape architecture masters’ programs at Penn worked with Taller and its neighbors and friends on the “Sala Abierta” project to design improvements to the outdoor spaces surrounding El Corazón. We discovered from community focus groups that people are excited for nature, spaces to gather, and the various types of events that could be held in these spaces.