El Museo del Barrio is a Caribbean and Latin American art museum founded by New York Puerto Ricans in “El Barrio” East Harlem. Its Three Kings Day Parade is one of the highlights of New York’s holiday season. In the Latin way, El Museo functions both as a museum and community center. Many outside producers present there as well.
Latin Culture at El Museo Del Barrio
Well, it’s all Latin culture at El Museo.
AUGUST
Jangueando: Recent Acquisitions, 2021-2025
Jangueando: Recent Acquisitions, 2021-2025; an exhibition about getting together in the Latin way (Jangueando is Puerto Rican slang for “hanging out”); is at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem, Manhattan; from Thursday, August 28, 2025 to Summer 2026. Suggested admission is $9. elmuseo.org 🇧🇷 🇨🇴 🇲🇽 🇵🇪 🇵🇷
Artists in the exhibition include William Cordova, Danielle de Jesus, Munda Meza, Carlos Motta, and Daiara Tukano. It is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
The curation by Zuna Maza, Lee Sessions, and Susana V. Temkin is excellent. The art was acquired over the last four years, but much of it is very relevant to the social issues that are challenging the United States now. Regardless of the artist’s origin, if you are Latin, it’s easy to see parts of yourself in the work because even though every Latin country has its own unique culture(s), we do share a common experience as Latins of the Americas, especially in the United States where many Americans can’t tell the difference between us.
Puerto Ricans are Americans of the United States, but have long been treated like second-class citizens. This rejection forces people to question their identity, and the identity most Puerto Ricans connect with is Indigenous Taíno. Spanish colonizers claimed the Taíno died out. It was a lie told to avoid responsibility for the island’s Indigenous peoples. The Spanish just stopped counting the Taíno in their census. That same trick is being repeated in the United States right now as census manipulation and voter suppression. The tribe may be gone (although it is being resurrected in Bayamón, San Juan), but the Taíno way lives on in the way all Puerto Ricans hang out with family and friends. So after 500 years of denial, the Taíno social structure remains intact, and there are similar Indigenous and African family structures across the Americas. It’s a precious thing to be part of, and a core strength of all Latin peoples. So let’s jangueando. 🇵🇷
Past Featured Artists
- Caña Dulce y Caña Brava, Mexican women’s son jarocho and zapateado 🇲🇽
- David Sánchez Puerto Rican jazz 🇵🇷
- International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival 🇵🇷
- Maluca Mala, New York Dominican hip hop
- Museum Mile Festival, Fifth Avenue museum street party
- Opera Lafayette, French opera 🇫🇷 🇬🇳 🇲🇽 🇵🇷
- Zilia Sánchez, Cuban artist who lives in Puerto Rico 🇨🇺
About El Museo del Barrio
El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 by New York City’s Puerto Rican community. It has a strong permanent collection of Indigenous Taíno and Puerto Rican art, and produces some world-class exhibitions.
The Puerto Rican community worries that the museum is no longer led by Puerto Ricans and has gone beyond Puerto Rican culture. Yet the island itself is a mix of many cultures. Let’s be proud of what we have accomplished and that we are leading the way for other Latin communities in New York and across the United States.
Annual Programs
Museum Mile Festival is a Fifth Avenue block party and museum open-house on the second Tuesday in June.
Three Kings Day Parade is on or around the nearest school day to January 6. Los Tres Reyes Magos are loved in Puerto Rico.
Social Media
Instagram @elmuseo
Facebook @elmuseo
Get Tickets
El Museo has a pay-what-you-can policy with a suggested admission. If you can’t pay, just go; but if you can pay, El Museo deserves your support. It keeps getting stronger, and we need this type of organization in New York and the United States, more than ever.
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue
(at 104th St)
East Harlem, Manhattan