January 20, 2021 New York, NY The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Education Center has been awarded a $200,000 grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the vision of its new Executive Director, Libertad Guerra. This generous gift will help the organization recover its history and mission, while re-committing to the Lower East Side’s expansive ethos of art and place-based activism. Operating from The Clemente’s landmark-quality premises, this new executive vision will bridge the interdependent dynamics of place, amplifying the voices of the cultural bearers of our beloved neighborhood, including the remarkable experiences of its multi-layered Puerto Rican/Latinx communities.
“Big and exciting things are happening at The Clemente. We are embarking on a major renovation that will make our historic building more accessible to more communities; expanding opportunities that will support BIPOC artists and creatives; creating new initiatives that bolster more equitable forms of cultural and artistic engagement; in short, we envision our future as a polyphonic space of radical possibility in the imagination of all New Yorkers.
We are grateful to the support our Board has provided during this critical year, and especially proud of the timely support that The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has offered us in this new phase. We can now turn vision into reality. This gift will hopefully inspire others to understand cultural work as essential work that bridges the complex identity, civic participation, and collective action of the Latinx and local communities we serve, and invest accordingly in these,” said Ms. Guerra.
“We are so grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their generosity and support for The Clemente at this pivotal time in our history. Thanks to Libertad’s unwavering commitment, vision and leadership we see a great future for the organization and the communities we serve,” said Elena Martínez, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors.
The new Mellon Initiative will aid The Clemente in fulfilling an explicit role that connects past and future from a Latinx perspective too often excluded, and also be embedded within its larger im/migrant legacy and collaborative context of peer cultural organizations.
Having so far survived the challenges of 2020, while simultaneously accomplishing an extensive governance restructuring, the new administration has demonstrated its commitment to make The Clemente the go-to place in New York City for those seeking the Puerto Rican, Latinx, downtown, multi-disciplinary narrative not in isolation of other communities on the ground. At this critical juncture for Latinx artists and for organizations serving and led by people of color, Guerra’s long-term vision of an institution that resonates equally with a hyperlocal and an international audience, will engage its sprawling artist community, of which the Clemente is home to more than 50 visual arts, 13 organizations, four theaters, and two galleries.
The Mellon Initiative at The Clemente is undergirded by a distinct programmatic approach Guerra has consolidated into:
Responsive Arts, presentations and initiatives that underscore active participation, promotion of civic engagement, builds networks and connection;
Heritage Conservation, programming that spurs remembrance and celebration of past and present assets and achievements, recognition of diasporic heritage and im/migrant bridges; and
Provocative Collaborations that push the envelope artistically and culturally while examining our own ever-evolving identities.
The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center Inc. (The Clemente) is a Puerto Rican/Latinx cultural institution that has demonstrated a broad-minded cultural vision and a collaborative philosophy. While The Clemente’s mission is focused on the cultivation, presentation, and preservation of Puerto Rican and Latino culture, it is equally determined to operate in a multi-cultural and inclusive manner, housing and promoting artists and performance events that fully reflect the cultural diversity of the Lower East Side and the city as a whole.
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