May 26, 2016

El Taller Latino Americano brings students to El Barrio

Dancers in a beautiful, bright indoor space with artworks on the wall behind them.

El Taller Latino Americano is proud to be partnering with Medgar Evers College Preparatory School on an all- day workshop on June 2, featuring artists from El Barrio’s Artspace PS109. As a part of their Spanish language studies, students at the Crown Heights school have been learning about the Latin American immigrant experience, and are coming to El Taller to get an immersive experience in El Barrio.

Forty-five 9th grade students will participate in 2 hour-long workshops in Mural-Making and Salsa Dance, taught by PS109’s residents Giannina Gutierrez and Emmanuel Hernandez in El Taller’s Grady Alexis Gallery and adjacent Artspace Dance Studio. Kids and chaperones will learn a little about the history of these two art forms that blossomed in East Harlem and then gain some practical experience through painting and dancing.

In the afternoon, they will meet with PS109 resident, and poet laureate of El Barrio, Jesus “Papoleto” Melendez, who will give a brief introductory talk about El Barrio’s murals before directing the group over to local Mexican restaurant, El Paso. After lunch, Papoleto will lead the students around El Barrio on a 90-minute walking tour focusing on the murals and street art of the neighborhood.