Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
A group exhibition honoring Puerto Rican heritage, history
and diaspora, November 5th, 2025to January 3rd, 2026.
Claire Oliver Gallery is proud to announce We Americans, a
group exhibition curated by acclaimed photographer and
curator Ruben Nadel. San Miguel.
(00:21):
On view November 5th, 2025 to January 3rd, 2026.
Opening during National Puerto Rican Heritage Month, the
exhibition brings together multiple generations of Puerto
Rican and Puerto Rican descendant artists Carlos
Betancourt, Elsa Maria Melendez,Erika Morales, Ruben Nadel, San
(00:44):
Miguel, Dave Ortiz, Felix Plaza,Wanda Raymondi Ortiz, Nitza
Turpino, Beatriz Williams, JamesCubos, and Inoc Porres, whose
works reflect the history, resilience, and cultural
contributions of the Puerto Rican community in New York City
and beyond. The exhibition title is inspired
(01:05):
by the celebrated 1985 poem American by Tato Lavira, a
pioneering New York Rican poet whose work embraced cultural
hybrid ID, identity, and pride. We Americans features artists
whose practices span painting, photography, sculpture,
printmaking, textiles, and mixedmedia, creating a multivocal
(01:27):
portrait of Puerto Rican identity and its diasporic
reach. This exhibition is a celebration
and an act of preservation, documenting the creativity,
strength, and ongoing impact of Puerto Rican artists across
generations, says curator and artist Ruben Nadel San Miguel.
Through their work, we see not just personal narratives, but
(01:51):
the collective story of migration, labor resilience, and
cultural pride, Claire Oliver adds.
We are honored to present this important exhibition during
National Puerto Rican Heritage Month, continuing our mission to
support artists whose work expands our understanding of
history, identity and community.Among the participating artists
(02:14):
are internationally celebrated figures such as Carlos
Betancourt, known for his performative installation staged
worldwide, including a major takeover of South Beach during
Art Basel Miami Beach 2024. James Q Boss is a member of the
Raphael Tufeno Printmaking Workshop in East Harlem under
(02:36):
the direction of artist Nitsa Tufeno, and a member of the
Lower East Side Print Shop. He is presently working and
experimenting with the followingtechniques.
Gumby chromate lithography, silkscreen and monoprinting.
Inoc Porres, a contemporary Puerto Rican artist best known
(02:56):
for his paintings and oil stick renditions of modernist
architecture, depicts his subject matter as a witness to
historically relevant locations and events, while pioneering
artist Nitsa Tufino, Co founder of El Mucio del Barrio and
Taller Boricua Printmaking Studio, grounds the exhibition
in a lineage of cultural activism and institution
(03:19):
building. Wanda Raymondi Ortiz, an
interdisciplinary Afrolatics artist whose practice draws from
European portraiture, comics, performance, and folkloric
traditions to confront race, trauma, and healing, has
exhibited at major institutions including the Smithsonian
National Portrait Gallery, Muciode Arte de Puerto Rico, and the
(03:42):
Monifesta and Performa Biennials.
The exhibition also highlights artists who have been central to
expanding the visual language ofPuerto Rican identity.
Textile artist Elsa Maria Melendez, winner of the
Smithsonian S People S Joyce Award at American Portraiture
Today, presents works that we personal and political
(04:04):
narratives. Erika Morales, recipient of the
2022 Rhema Hortman Emerging Artist Grant, reflects on her
dual role as educator and practicing artist in New York
City. Painter Beatrice Williams, the
youngest participant, bridges the divide between her Puerto
Rican roots and her family in New York, evoking A poignant
(04:28):
longing for the island S traditions and histories.
Felix Plaza, meanwhile, makes his gallery debut, offering
audiences the discovery of a fresh and urgent voice in
printmaking and painting. Anchoring the exhibition is the
curatorial vision of Reuben Nadal San Miguel, an acclaimed
(04:48):
photographer whose own works arehoused in the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston Studio Museum of Harlem, and El Museo del Barrio.
His perspective as both artist and cultural historian brings
together these intergenerationalpractices to tell a story of
migration, labor resilience, andcultural pride.
(05:09):
The exhibition draws historical grounding from the Great
Migration of Puerto Ricans to New York City, a transformative
wave beginning in the mid 20th century when hundreds of
thousands migrated from Puerto Rico to the mainland.
Factors such as economic hardship, increased job
opportunities in New York, and the accessibility of air travel
(05:31):
fueled this movement, making NewYork City the largest Puerto
Rican Cultural Center outside ofthe island.
By the mid 1960s, more than 1,000,000 Puerto Ricans had
settled in the United States, with the majority residing in
New York City. We Americans also pays tribute
to Puerto Rican women who were instrumental in the garment
(05:54):
industry of New York City, particularly in the Lower East
Side S Garment District, where their skill, creativity and
resilience shaped an industry and provided economic stability
for their families and communities.
About Claire Oliver Gallery Claire Oliver Gallery is located
in central Harlem in a four story brownstone.
(06:17):
For nearly 25 years, Claire Oliver Gallery has showcased and
celebrated artwork with a focus on work by women and people of
color, which transcends and challenges the traditional art
historical Canon. Our forward thinking program and
exclusive commitment to the primary market allows for an
intensive focus that has nurtured and grown the careers
(06:40):
of our artists. Many of the gallery S artists
have been included in the VeniceBiennale, the Whitney Biennial
and Biennials in Sydney, Pittsburgh, and Leon, and have
exhibited works in major international museums including
the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of
Chicago, Center George's Poppy Do, the Philadelphia Museum of
(07:03):
Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, amongst others.
Claire Oliver Gallery artists are included in the permanent
collections of many important museums worldwide, including the
Smithsonian American Art Museum,the Art Institute of Chicago,
the Tate Britain, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
(07:23):
State Hermitage Museum, MO, MA, and the Museum of Arts and
Design, amongst many others. Claire Oliver Gallery held the
first American exhibition for the Russian collaborative AES
Plus F, whose work went on to twice represent Russia in the
Russian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.
Gallery artists have received prestigious fellowships
(07:45):
including Fulbright, Guggenheim,US Artist and National Endowment
for the Arts. 2288 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Blvd., New York,
NY 10030 www.claireoliver.com.
A group exhibition honoring Puerto Rican heritage, history
and diaspora, November 5th, 2025to January 3rd, 2026.
Claire Oliver Gallery is proud to announce We Americans, a
group exhibition curated by acclaimed photographer and
curator Ruben Nadel. San Miguel.
(00:21):
On view November 5th, 2025 to January 3rd, 2026.
Opening during National Puerto Rican Heritage Month, the
exhibition brings together multiple generations of Puerto
Rican and Puerto Rican descendant artists Carlos
Betancourt, Elsa Maria Melendez,Erika Morales, Ruben Nadel, San
(00:44):
Miguel, Dave Ortiz, Felix Plaza,Wanda Raymondi Ortiz, Nitza
Turpino, Beatriz Williams, JamesCubos, and Inoc Porres, whose
works reflect the history, resilience, and cultural
contributions of the Puerto Rican community in New York City
and beyond. The exhibition title is inspired
(01:05):
by the celebrated 1985 poem American by Tato Lavira, a
pioneering New York Rican poet whose work embraced cultural
hybrid ID, identity, and pride. We Americans features artists
whose practices span painting, photography, sculpture,
printmaking, textiles, and mixedmedia, creating a multivocal
(01:27):
portrait of Puerto Rican identity and its diasporic
reach. This exhibition is a celebration
and an act of preservation, documenting the creativity,
strength, and ongoing impact of Puerto Rican artists across
generations, says curator and artist Ruben Nadel San Miguel.
Through their work, we see not just personal narratives, but
(01:51):
the collective story of migration, labor resilience, and
cultural pride, Claire Oliver adds.
We are honored to present this important exhibition during
National Puerto Rican Heritage Month, continuing our mission to
support artists whose work expands our understanding of
history, identity and community.Among the participating artists
(02:14):
are internationally celebrated figures such as Carlos
Betancourt, known for his performative installation staged
worldwide, including a major takeover of South Beach during
Art Basel Miami Beach 2024. James Q Boss is a member of the
Raphael Tufeno Printmaking Workshop in East Harlem under
(02:36):
the direction of artist Nitsa Tufeno, and a member of the
Lower East Side Print Shop. He is presently working and
experimenting with the followingtechniques.
Gumby chromate lithography, silkscreen and monoprinting.
Inoc Porres, a contemporary Puerto Rican artist best known
(02:56):
for his paintings and oil stick renditions of modernist
architecture, depicts his subject matter as a witness to
historically relevant locations and events, while pioneering
artist Nitsa Tufino, Co founder of El Mucio del Barrio and
Taller Boricua Printmaking Studio, grounds the exhibition
in a lineage of cultural activism and institution
(03:19):
building. Wanda Raymondi Ortiz, an
interdisciplinary Afrolatics artist whose practice draws from
European portraiture, comics, performance, and folkloric
traditions to confront race, trauma, and healing, has
exhibited at major institutions including the Smithsonian
National Portrait Gallery, Muciode Arte de Puerto Rico, and the
(03:42):
Monifesta and Performa Biennials.
The exhibition also highlights artists who have been central to
expanding the visual language ofPuerto Rican identity.
Textile artist Elsa Maria Melendez, winner of the
Smithsonian S People S Joyce Award at American Portraiture
Today, presents works that we personal and political
(04:04):
narratives. Erika Morales, recipient of the
2022 Rhema Hortman Emerging Artist Grant, reflects on her
dual role as educator and practicing artist in New York
City. Painter Beatrice Williams, the
youngest participant, bridges the divide between her Puerto
Rican roots and her family in New York, evoking A poignant
(04:28):
longing for the island S traditions and histories.
Felix Plaza, meanwhile, makes his gallery debut, offering
audiences the discovery of a fresh and urgent voice in
printmaking and painting. Anchoring the exhibition is the
curatorial vision of Reuben Nadal San Miguel, an acclaimed
(04:48):
photographer whose own works arehoused in the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston Studio Museum of Harlem, and El Museo del Barrio.
His perspective as both artist and cultural historian brings
together these intergenerationalpractices to tell a story of
migration, labor resilience, andcultural pride.
(05:09):
The exhibition draws historical grounding from the Great
Migration of Puerto Ricans to New York City, a transformative
wave beginning in the mid 20th century when hundreds of
thousands migrated from Puerto Rico to the mainland.
Factors such as economic hardship, increased job
opportunities in New York, and the accessibility of air travel
(05:31):
fueled this movement, making NewYork City the largest Puerto
Rican Cultural Center outside ofthe island.
By the mid 1960s, more than 1,000,000 Puerto Ricans had
settled in the United States, with the majority residing in
New York City. We Americans also pays tribute
to Puerto Rican women who were instrumental in the garment
(05:54):
industry of New York City, particularly in the Lower East
Side S Garment District, where their skill, creativity and
resilience shaped an industry and provided economic stability
for their families and communities.
About Claire Oliver Gallery Claire Oliver Gallery is located
in central Harlem in a four story brownstone.
(06:17):
For nearly 25 years, Claire Oliver Gallery has showcased and
celebrated artwork with a focus on work by women and people of
color, which transcends and challenges the traditional art
historical Canon. Our forward thinking program and
exclusive commitment to the primary market allows for an
intensive focus that has nurtured and grown the careers
(06:40):
of our artists. Many of the gallery S artists
have been included in the VeniceBiennale, the Whitney Biennial
and Biennials in Sydney, Pittsburgh, and Leon, and have
exhibited works in major international museums including
the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of
Chicago, Center George's Poppy Do, the Philadelphia Museum of
(07:03):
Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, amongst others.
Claire Oliver Gallery artists are included in the permanent
collections of many important museums worldwide, including the
Smithsonian American Art Museum,the Art Institute of Chicago,
the Tate Britain, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
(07:23):
State Hermitage Museum, MO, MA, and the Museum of Arts and
Design, amongst many others. Claire Oliver Gallery held the
first American exhibition for the Russian collaborative AES
Plus F, whose work went on to twice represent Russia in the
Russian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.
Gallery artists have received prestigious fellowships
(07:45):
including Fulbright, Guggenheim,US Artist and National Endowment
for the Arts. 2288 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Blvd., New York,
NY 10030 www.claireoliver.com.
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