Exhibitions of 2017 - 2018

April 20 - May 15, 2018

This multi-disciplinary exhibition will include over 200 artworks created during the 2017-2018 after school-year. Enjoy video documentation of performances by Casita’s Young Violinists, Musical Theater Makers and Choir plus Poetry Is Not A Luxury Open Mic Youth Night. Artwork explores self expression, youth identity, culture, social justice, and activism.

Youth voice is a principle that Casita Maria embraces and practices, therefore program participants were invited to select the title for this year’s showcase. The young artists love that it has a direct connection to this year’s youth musical based on the Wizard of Oz!

Casita Maria Parent Quotes

“Casita Maria...teaches our kids values, about art, about music, about drawing…these activities keep kids away from trouble and teach them to know how much more they can do through art and music - they can speak out through painting, they can find a voice through writing poems, they can express themselves through art...I feel safe when [my child is] here. [When] I am at work I know she’s in good hands.”

“For my daughter to be able to express her whole self through drawing, through writing, through poems and now with the piano it’s priceless and beautiful! She is learning and enjoying everything she does here...In here, she finds herself!” 

Quotes from Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education Staff

Gail Heidel, Associate Director of Creative Arts Programs.

“This exhibition is a community celebration of youth voice and youth choice.” 

Vanessa Tricoche, Director of Programs

“Art is healing, art inspires us, art helps us to feel resilient and alive. In this exhibit Casita Young Artists get to share what they can authentically create.” 

January 24 to March 29, 2018

¡Si Se Puede! / Yes You Can!, an exhibition honoring and celebrating women of color from yesterday and today who are leaders, mentors, and sheroes who chose to be in service of the community. This exhibition, titled after a call to action coined by labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, is curated by Casita Maria in collaboration with the Bronx’s very own shero Elba Cabrera.

¡Si Se Puede! honorees were invited to self-select two images and write a short bio for a young audience. For the first selection, women shared a coming of age image that captured the moment in time when the seed sprouted for the work they do. For the second image, they provided a photograph or ephemera that represented their female mentor to highlight the importance of role models. In the bios, they describe their coming of age story and who inspired them to be in service of the community. Lillian Jiménez and Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, CUNY provided additional research and archival photographs. Gallery attendees will be invited to share who their mentors are and why on an interactive post-it wall.

Five films are included in the exhibition produced and directed by Lillian Jiménez, a media arts center manager, media activist, exhibitor, funder and educator. Four of the films were produced to celebrate International Working Women’s Day in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and include interviews with and about unsung Puerto Rican women such as Thay-Ling Moya, Doña Rosa Escobar, Sandra Maria Esteves, Sandra Hernandez, and Carmen Villegas among others. The fifth film titled, Antonia Pantoja ¡Presente!, is a documentary about Dr. Antonia Pantoja who was an educator, activist and founder of ASPIRA, a non-profit organization focused on empowering Puerto Rican and Latino youth.

October 4, 2017 to January 6, 2018

Casita Maria Center For Arts & Education is proud to present Arte de La Borinqueña curated by Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez, writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel La Borinqueña.

Over 30 La Borinqueña fine art prints will be on view, each created by a different professional comic book and animation artist. Prints will be signed and numbered with printing generously donated by London-based gallery: Art You Grew Up With International. We invite avid collectors and newcomers to the scene to pre-game for Comic-Con and to purchase affordable limited prints at $200 a piece (tax, shipping and handling not included). Proceeds from this exhibition will go directly towards the Hurricane Irma recovery effort in Loíza, Puerto Rico being led by the non-profit organization La Corporación Se Integra (COPI) based in Loíza, Puerto Rico.

Miranda Rodriguez will also be exhibiting original artwork from La Borinqueña comic book, work from his recent exhibition at the Smithsonian, plus, videos from previous work with Casita Maria will be screened.

The Three Sisters is a coloring book and exhibition in the Casita Maria Gallery based on the lives of Evelina López Antonetty, Lillian López and Elba Cabrera; three pioneers of the Puerto Rican community. Evelina López Antonetty the oldest sister was an activist and champion for social causes. She was the founder of United Bronx Parents Inc.; a social service agency established in 1965 to serve the Puerto Rican and Latino parents in navigating the educational system for their children. Presently, United Bronx Parents Inc. serves the community in a variety of areas including providing day care services, GED programs and youth enrichment and leadership programs, among others. Evelina was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Manhattan College.

Lillian López the middle sister was among the first Puerto Rican librarians in the New York Public Library system and was the first Puerto Rican Administrator. She was successful in introducing Spanish language books to the system and in developing innovative programs that served the Puerto Rican and Latino communities. During her tenure, López held several important positions including: Coordinator of the Special Services Office, New York Public Library Bronx Borough Coordinator and was appointed to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences’ Minorities Task Force. Lillian received her BA from Hunter College and a Masters in Library Science from Columbia University.

Elba Cabrera the youngest of the three sisters established herself as an ambassador and advocate for the arts. As such, she became the Assistant Director for the Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA) where she promoted activities for over one hundred arts organizations throughout New York City. Cabrera created the Directory of Hispanic Arts Organizations and was the editor for AHA’s bi-monthly newsletter, Hispanic Arts. She also hosted a weekly television program called Hispanic Arts on WNYC-TV. Elba received her BA from SUNY at Old Westbury in Politics, Economics and Societies.