Flamboyan Arts Fund – Meet the Grantees

Beta Local is an artist-run non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting critical thought and aesthetic practices in Puerto Rico through programs that foster knowledge exchange and trans-disciplinary collaboration.

The mission of this organization is to carry out scientific research on Puerto Rican culture and its humanistic and socio-economic aspects. Centro de Investigaciones Folklóricas de Puerto Rico conducts conferences, workshops and other gatherings for student and community members. At the historic Casa Paoli, the organization also maintains permanent exhibitions dedicated to the African heritage, traditional Puerto Rican musical instruments, and the singer Antonio Paoli.

COPI’s mission is the transformation of impoverished and racialized populations in communities so that they are free of racism and oppression. The organization’s programs support social community work, economic development, defense of the environment, anti-racist activism and the artistic and cultural expressions of the community of Piñones-Loíza and the Puerto Rican people in general.

Crearte has been in operation since 2001. This arts institution offers services aimed at helping young people between the ages of 4 and 21 who live in high risk communities build values and character through the arts. Crearte offers social work services in addition to its education programs to the communities in which it works.

The main objective of the Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular (National Foundation for Popular Culture) is to further the development of Puerto Rican popular culture through the study and promotion of cultural events and artists.

La Calle Loíza, Inc. contributes to the social and economic development of Santurce by creating quality cultural content and developing projects that, with art as a tool, highlight the richness of the local culture and the contribution of the residents of the neighborhood to the development of the island

Mujeres de isla promotes the emotional health, cultural, environmental and socioeconomic development of Culebra through programming that is driven by community needs.

Through its permanent exhibitions of historical and anthropological themes, its temporary exhibitions, its educational program and its community outreach program -called “Extramuros” -, the Museo de las Américas fulfills its mission to offer an educational program to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico and the Americas. The museum has presented around 525 temporary exhibitions of art, history, ethnography and anthropology. Programming also includes a variety of creative workshops, conferences, symposiums, musical presentations, and other activities.

Old San Juan Heritage Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that strongly advocates for community development with initiatives that support the goals of creating a “Sustainable Community”. OSHF is a membership organization whose mission is to become the premiere Cultural Heritage enterprise in Puerto Rico that connects with the diaspora. Our goal is to help visitors experience Old San Juan as The Cradle of Hispanic Heritage in The New World while promoting social equity and economic development in the area.

A nonprofit institution leader in the education and professionalization of dance in Puerto Rico, Ballets de San Juan, promotes the development of the art of dance, nurturing national values and enhancing the Puerto Rican culture and identity.

Danzactiva presents educational and artistic works emphasizing dance and music, integrating classical and popular forms and highlighting the Puerto Rican culture with all its diverse influences.

The organization promotes the creation and production of all kinds of experiences and scenic works, in order to provide new life opportunities, involving the less fortunate and the general public in art and culture. Specific programming includes a youth ballet company and classes in dance, theater and art.

The Jane Stern Dorado Community Library enhances public-school education for the local community, providing services not otherwise available for students. The organization operates one main library and six satellite sites in public schools. In addition to the library, the organization provides after school programming and theater and instrumental music classes.

Casa Histórica de la Música Cayeyana promotes the study and dissemination of the musical history of the town of Cayey, while honoring the residents who have dedicated their lives to music or other arts. The organization uses the space for exhibitions, music performances, and music lessons.

The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a specialized public university that offers professional programs of undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as services, studies, and programs aimed to attract, educate, and develop students artistically and intellectually in the performance, teaching, and research of music.

The mission of Coro de niños de Ponce is to fully educate the children of the Southern Area of Puerto Rico through choral, vocal, and instrumental music; and, through concerts and presentations, educate the public promoting choral music of excellence, especially Puerto Rican music.

The San Juan Children’s Choir is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a musical education to children between 5 and 18 years old. Students are selected after a detailed audition where the child’s musical skills and aptitude are evaluated. Founded in 1966, by its current Artistic Director, Evy Lucío Córdova, the San Juan Children’s Choir was the first institution of its kind in Puerto Rico and is today one of the more distinguished art organizations in Puerto Rico.

Decimanía promotes international exchange among “trovadores”; incentivizes children to learn how to write and improvise in the art of the Décima; and educates audiences about one of the most important poetic traditions in Puerto Rico.

Fundación de Culebra (Música pa’ Culebra) offers music classes to Culebra’s children and youth. In addition to teaching music skills, the program seeks to develop other life skills such as teamwork, structure, and perseverance to attain goals.

Instituto Folklórico Puertorriqueño Rafael Cepeda Atiles. The organization promotes the teaching of traditional music and dance, starting from the theoretical and practical foundations, such that students come to know, appreciate, value and develop his/her connection to the Puerto Rican cultural environment.

The organization provides opportunities for local opera singers to be recognized internationally by running the Puerto Rico auditions for the Metropolitan Opera National Council.

Orfeón San Juan Bautista is a professional ensemble with a mission to enrich choral art in Puerto Rico through educational and cultural activities that include, but are not necessarily limited to: concerts for the general public, educational programs, recordings, and illustrated talks.

Taller Folklórico Central is an organization established to rescue the Puerto Rican folklore through educational workshops for children in trova, folk dancing and painting.

Agua, Sol y Sereno creates and stages new, experimental works of theater, in addition to offering workshops to public housing complexes and school communities. Their mission is to promote the development of Puerto Rican experimental theater and to democratize art so there’s access to theater and creative expression for broad sectors of society.

Since 2010, the School of Theater has bet on creativity as a tool to build a new and better world. Through their courses, workshops, and community programs, they provide skills that students can use to creatively transform each experience in their lives and provide solutions to the problems that exist in their environment.

The historic Teatro UPR, part of the University of Puerto Rico was inaugurated in 1939. Since its construction, the Teatro UPR has been Puerto Rico’s most important cultural center and has been the venue for diverse productions, from theater and dance to symphonic orchestras, operas and popular artists. The theater also serves as the university’s aula magna and hosts academic activities, conferences and symposiums. Artists such as Marian Anderson, Monserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Richar Tucker, Zinka Milanoff, and Leonard Warren (who sang here before his debut with the Metropolitan Opera House) have performed at Teatro UPR. The theater has also hosted the world’s greatest ballet companies: Montecarlo’s Russian Ballet with Alicia Alonso, Margot Fonteyn, Alicia Markova, Ludmililla Scharina, Fernando Bujones and Igor Youskevitch.

Founded in 2005, this theater company gives communities a firsthand experience with visual and scenic arts through workshops, theater and other cultural projects. Its mission is to provide interdisciplinary artistic experiences that awake sensibility, beauty, creativity, social conscience and solidarity in the public. Through their work in education, they have visited many municipalities in the island to give workshops on creation and use of masks and puppets made with papier mache and recycled materials, among other initiatives.

Cuarzo Blanco is a coalition of artists that creates and organizes inclusive theater pieces, films, radio, readings for children, congresses, talks, editorial publications, and workshops. Cuarzo Blanco specifically focuses on accessibility and inclusion of the deaf community in the arts.

Liga de Arte de San Juan provides artistic education without curricular restrictions, supporting the creative process of each student, in a unique cultural environment in Puerto Rico. The organization averages 420 students in each session of classes; in addition, it offers scholarships and exhibitions of professional artists.

The Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art collects, documents, preserves, promotes and studies art produced from the 1950’s until now from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America and its diasporas. One of its main programs is MAC del Barrio which brings art to several communities around Santurce (where the Museum is situated) and the rest of the island.

The Museo de Arte de Ponce connects the community with the richness of Western art and its makers, from the 14th century to the present. It promotes discovery, stimulates curiosity, and fosters dialogue.

Opened in 2000, the mission of the Puerto Rico Art Museum is to enrich the lives the public by providing them with the knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts of Puerto Rico and the world. With 24 exhibition halls in the building, its dynamic and innovative permanent and temporary exhibitions offer visitors the opportunity to explore works of great diversity from artists, historical periods and themes, allowing them to catch up on the development of local and international art.

MADMi (Miramar Museum of Art and Design) is an interactive space that aspires to generate ambitious, relevant projects that foster art-making and creativity and a positive impact on the community. Its mission is to inspire through art and design and encourage inventiveness, innovation, and creativity as catalysts for social well-being.

CERF+ was started by artists for artists in the craft community as a grassroots mutual aid effort in 1985. It has since emerged as the leading nonprofit organization that uniquely focuses on safeguarding artists’ livelihoods nationwide. CERF+ serves artists who work in craft disciplines by providing a safety net to support strong and sustainable careers. Our core services are education programs, advocacy, network building, and emergency relief.

Inversión Cultural is a non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen the cultural and creative ecosystem through research, education, and consulting to entities whose main activities are arts, culture, and creative industries. The organization encourages the development of arts and cultural initiatives through projects such as the Nido Cultural. The organization stands out for its holistic capacity to offer finances and accounting, management, audience development, and strategic planning services oriented towards the cultural sector.

Since 1989, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures has delivered programs that stabilize and revitalize the US Latino arts and cultural sector via funding, leadership training, convenings, research, and advocacy.