Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito will open the Para Sol expo at La Marqueta and will lead a “Sunday in El Barrio” tour in East Harlem this Sunday, June 28.
Para Sol expo is an artist collective exhibition of more than 60 artists using para-sol umbrellas from Taipei, Taiwan as their canvas. The current installation will open at La Marqueta Retoña in East Harlem, located underneath the elevated tracks of the Metro North railroad at 1590 Park Avenue, on June 28 from 12-6pm and will be up through September 2015.
“I am excited to open the Para Sol expo at La Marqueta,” said Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito. “It brings together Puerto Rico and its diaspora in an effort to strengthen the ties between Puerto Ricans here, there and everywhere. I am also thrilled to lead a Sunday in El Barrio tour through some of the most historical places in East Harlem that convey the rich heritage of Puerto Ricans.”
This exhibit starts with Puerto Rico and its diaspora. As the expo travels it grows as Puerto Ricans join in each host city while it strengthens the bonds with the global community. The Inema Art Center in Rwanda will be the first invited country to join the expo in late August, 2015 at La Marqueta Retoña in Harlem, New York.
The original concept was developed by Alvero Racines of La Respuesta where he partnered with JP Eaglin of Worldwide UnderGround. The two creative teams have been developing projects together since 2003.
With each new inception of the Para Sol expo we transform spaces and infuse live art & music as we blend cultures and empower communities. After its exhibit in La Marqueta, the Para Sol expo will continue to travel the world.
Sunday in El Barrio
As part of La Marqueta Retoña, Speaker Mark Viverito will lead a tour this Sunday, June 28 of El Barrio/East Harlem. It will start at La Marqueta from 2pm, where the public is invited to come to Vendy Plaza at La Marqueta, located at 1607 Park Avenue, where people can choose from 20 vendors serving a curation of Vendy-winning cuisine as well as East Harlem food.
From 3:30-5pm, Speaker Mark Viverito will lead a tour of El Barrio by taking a stroll down Lexington Avenue to the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center, located at 1780 Lexington Avenue, to see the “De Aquí Pa’llá” Exhibition by renowned artist Antonio Martorell. This installation, by Martorell and his friends, reflects on the theme of Puerto Rican migration by air and simultaneously serves as screening venue for a video documentary by Ric Burns. The seats of this theater-plane-bus are filled by passengers who travel through time and space between 1945 and the present, between San Juan and New York. There will be a special film screening at 4pm.
Points of interest during the Sunday in El Barrio tour:
- Cuchifritos 168 E 116th St, New York, NY 10029
- El Barrio Music Center (1870 Lexington Ave # 4, New York, NY 10029)
- Charlie Palmieri Way on 112th Street & Park Ave
- Young Lords Way on 111th Street & Lexington Ave
- Graffiti Hall of Fame on the corner of 116th Street and Park Ave
- Julia de Burgos Mural on 106th Street between Lexington Ave and 3rd Ave
- East Harlem Café 1651 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029
The Sunday in El Barrio will end at 5pm with a cocktail at El Paso or Lexington Social.
Vendy Plaza brings award-winning street-chefs together to East Harlem’s historic open-air market space every Sunday until September 9th. It features over 20 vendors each week serving a curation of Vendy-winning cuisine as well as East Harlem food. Participants will also have the chance to enjoy live music inspired by El Barrio and beer from a beer garden featuring a different local New York City brewery each week.
This is the second year that Speaker Mark-Viverito has hosted La Marqueta Retoña or “reblooming.” This initiative, in collaboration with local vendors and artists, expands this historic neighborhood landmark to include a vibrant food market, community open space at La Placita, opportunities for workforce and youth development at El Barrio Youth Marqueta, and cultural programming, like live music and poetry, grounded in the neighborhood.
La Marqueta, located underneath the elevated tracks of the Metro North railroad at 1590 Park Avenue, has been a cultural and commercial center for the residents of East Harlem for nearly 100 years. For decades, it served as a location for residents across the city in search of foods they couldn’t find anywhere else. After a period of decline, a collaborative effort across City stakeholders is driving the market towards vibrancy.
For more information, visit http://lamarquetaretona.com/ & http://parasolexpo.com/ & http://larespuestapr.com.
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