Causes: Arts & Culture, Arts Education, Cultural & Ethnic Awareness

Mission: Taller Puertorriqueno, Inc. (Taller) is a community-based cultural organization whose primary purpose is to preserve, develop and promote Puerto Rican arts and culture, grounded in the conviction that embracing one's cultural heritage is central to community empowerment. Taller is also committed to the representation and support of other Latino cultural expressions and our common roots.

Target demographics: promote Latino arts and culture

Geographic areas served: Philadelphia

Programs: - Cultural Awareness and Advance Cultural Exploration Programs introduce young students to renowned local artists, performers, and educators who guide the children on a year-long journey of self-discovery. The program encourages self-expression through classes in traditional disciplines such as folkloric dance, salsa, drama, ceramics, painting, and printmaking. - Youth Artist Program is a two-year program for talented high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. With the guidance of professional artist mentors, students develop their artistic skills and produce a solid portfolio of work they can use to apply to highly competitive arts colleges and universities. Graduates of this program have gone on to Moore College of Art and Design, The Philadelphia Art Institute, and Arcadia University, among others. - Visítenos is an outreach program in which K-12 grade students and their teachers engage in creative exploration of Latino cultures through videos of traditional dances, music records, and hands-on experiences with vejigante masks, drawing and painting, dance, T-shirt decorating, and more. These experiences meet the criteria of Philadelphia School District Arts Standards and Multicultural Competencies, and promote self-understanding, self-respect, and appreciation for cultural diversity. With this program, Taller touches the lives of over 5,000 participants on an annual basis. - The Eugenio Maria de Hostos Archives is a resource center that includes a varied collection of books, periodicals, articles, oral histories and research often out of print--focusing on Latino culture and history. The Archives are a resource for students and scholars. - The Visual Arts Progam manages the galleries at Taller (The Lorenzo Homar Gallery, Galería de mis Vecinos, and El Vestíbulo) as the region's only art galleries dedicated to Puerto Rican and Latin American and Caribbean art, many of the exhibitions highlighting contemporary artists from the Philadelphia region. Off-site exhibits, like the permanent exhibition at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, provide additional access and audiences to Taller's art collection. - Julia de Burgos Books and Crafts Store, a destination for original Puerto Rican/Latino artwork, crafts, handmade jewelry and collectibles, serves as the only bilingual bookstore of its kind in the Pennsylvania, Delaware and South Jersey region. Augmenting the store is an ongoing series of book readings and author presentations. - The annual Arturo Schomburg Symposium brings scholars from around the globe to Taller for discussions about the relationship between the African Diaspora and Latin American culture that feature lectures and panel discussions.