A celebration of the life and times of Evelina Antonetty
Images of Evelina
This exhibition consists of ten portraits by contemporary artists who were asked to produce new work depicting Evelina Antonetty, one of the most effective and impactful leaders of the Puerto Rican diaspora of the twentieth century. The exhibition is a program of Evelina 100, Celebrating the Life and Times of Evelina Antonetty in observance of her centennial (1922-2022).
These artists had a professional or personal relationship with Antonetty or they have been long-time admirers of her and her work. In selecting the artists, the organizers of Evelina 100 strived to include a collective of artists with different styles and sensibilities.
The paintings run the gamut of straightforward portraiture to representations with ethereal, highly symbolic imagery that reference Antonetty’s Puerto Rican ancestry, her experience as an immigrant, her role as a pioneer of the early Puerto Rican community in New York City and her distinguished career as an activist and champion of urban America.
Culture & Arts Committee, Evelina 100
Wallace I. Edgecombe, co-chair, Elena Martínez, co-chair
María Aponte, Elba Cabrera, Rosalie Román
Graphics by Emily Tenzer Santoro
Photography by Joe Conzo, Jr
Digital Exhibition Design by Mikey Cordero(CCCADI)
Evelina
Evelina Antonetty was many things to many different people: precocious child, model grade schooler, generous and caring neighbor, labor organizer, meticulous strategist, master diplomat and tactician who could analyze any situation and move people thoughtfully and spiritually, charismatic advocate of bilingual education and parents’ rights, mentor to a cadre of young people who would impact New York in the arts, politics and social service…and she was a patriot.
Indeed, she was a force to be reckoned with, one of the most effective and impactful leaders of the Puerto Rican diaspora of the twentieth century. She started her public life as a union organizer and aide to progressive elected officials. Then, as a mother, she immersed herself in parental oversight of schools and founded United Bronx Parents, a parent advocacy agency that gained national attention serving as a model for other efforts from coast to coast.
Evelina Antonetty lived through perhaps the most pivotal period in Puerto Rican history, often acting as one of the principal movers and agents of change in her time. Consider the following:
She lived her early childhood in the 1920’s on the southern coast of Puerto Rico where the sugar industry, with its cyclical nature and volatile market, shaped the lives of tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans. At that time, she witnessed and lived in the midst of a flowering of Afro-Puerto Rican culture.
She was one of the pioneers of New York’s fabled Barrio (East Harlem) where, as a teenager, she expertly navigated the shoals of the Great Depression helping fellow Puerto Ricans and others weather the economic storm and the shock of confronting an alien culture.
The forties and early fifties saw her become a labor leader honing her skills as an organizer and developing an informal but highly effective approach to activism, crafting a style and persona – an aura – uniquely hers.
In the sixties, she developed close relationships with Martin Luther King, Jr and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, continuing to establish important links between Puerto Rican and African-American communities. (Appropriately, UBP’s logo included two shaking hands--one brown, one black.)
Also during the sixties, she founded and built United Bronx Parents (UBP) into a social service agency of national repute. Indeed, UBP’s programs, publications and special projects became models emulated throughout urban America. Finally, in the sixties, Evelina Antonetty was the principal force behind the founding of the first fully bilingual school in the nation.
And, in the seventies, she witnessed a great crisis threatening the American inner city, especially her beloved South Bronx. In the process, she became a national voice for urban America, the conscience of urban America.
In an interview/photo session with photographer Frank Espada in 1980, she proclaimed: “We will never stop struggling here in the Bronx even though they’ve destroyed it around us. We (will) pitch tents if we have to rather than move from here… And, after me, my children will be here to carry on… I have very strong children…and very strong grandchildren.”
In an interview/photo session with photographer Frank Espada in 1980, she proclaimed:
“We will never stop struggling here in the Bronx even though they’ve destroyed it around us. We (will) pitch tents if we have to rather than move from here… And, after me, my children will be here to carry on… I have very strong children…and very strong grandchildren.”
Her life was cut short, much too short when she passed away in 1984. The loss, bitter as it was, turned out to be much greater than originally realized. Indeed, there is a sense even today, 38 years after Evelina’s passing, that things might have gone differently had Evelina given us twenty more years of her activism.
As Dr. Ignacio Olazagasti, distinguished scholar at the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, said recently during the presentation of a doctoral dissertation, “I confess I didn’t know much about Evelina Antonetty until I became a member of this panel. Now it’s clear to me that, if Puerto Rico had had ten Evelina Antonetty’s, all its problems would be solved.”
Evelina Antonetty, ¿Quién Fue?
Marcos Dimas
“Para que no me olviden”
Acrylic and charcoal on arches paper
32” X 42”
The artist has chosen to include himself in the act of painting Evelina, an act which he characterizes as “paying homage and reverence.” Her visage is depicted in different planes reminiscent of cubism and in motifs that conjure up Africa. Says the artist: “I selected the color gold to signify wealth of knowledge. The color purple signifies her commitment and sacrifice to social causes. The red color is for her passion for social justice. The color yellow is for her spirit and the spirituality of the people… I incorporated protest scenes…and a nod to the environment. The sky and the earth are illustrated by indigenous symbols, an issue we need to address.”
About the artist: Marcos Dimas earned his BFA degree from the School of Visual Arts in 1970. His work was featured in Mixed Blessings: New Art in a Multi-Cultural America, written by Lucy L. Lippard. Dimas is the recipient of the 1995 and 1999 BRIO fellowship awards. At the thirteenth Biennial of Caribbean and Latin American printmaking, he exhibited a selection of digital prints in 2000-01. Dimas is one of the founders of Taller Boricua/The Puerto Rican Workshop. Established in 1970, it has expanded into a multicultural institution by providing a variety of programs that stimulate the social, cultural and economic development of the East Harlem community. As artistic director of Taller Boricua, Dimas has curated more than 240 exhibitions.
María Domínguez
“Soy de Aqui”
Acrylic on canvas and collage
60” X 40”
Says the artist, “The Salinas aqua blue seas where Dr. Evelina Antonetty was born and flamboyant flowers represent the seeds she spread for the children she loved and helped in The Bronx and New York City. This was my inspiration for her portrait.” The painting includes Evelina’s pledge, which is quoted far and wide, to never abandon the Bronx.
About the artist: María Domínguez is a life-long resident of New York City and is of Puerto Rican decent. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1985 with a Bachelors in Art degree and went on to establish her career as a muralist by obtaining an internship with CITYarts Org. Her 30-year trajectory in public art making led to her commission by The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in NYC with a permanent glass installation “El –Views”in 2002. The work is displayed at the Chauncey Street station along the M line in Brooklyn, NY. Dominguez has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group shows, and has received awards from The National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts and New York Foundation for the Arts.
Siuko García
“Evelina”
Acrylic and charcoal on arches paper
32” X 42”
In this rich assemblage of paintings depicting different episodes in the life of Evelina Antonetty, the artist assumes the mantle of biographer recalling important events in Evelina’s life and the history of Puerto Rico, especially the diaspora. Two events stand out: In the upper left, Evelina stands before a ceiba tree, a revered landmark of Ponce, Puerto Rico where Evelina lived part of her childhood. In the rear, a visage of Mama Mangala, Evelina’s great grandmother, stands in all her radiance. She represents the wisdom and power of ancestors. The middle right of the collage is dominated by a riveting painting of Evelina in the middle of one of the notorious fires that destroyed wide swaths of the Bronx during the seventies. Evelina is calling the press demanding attention to the conflagration.
About the artist: Siuko García is a Hurricane Maria survivor whose work was honored recently by the Jackson Pollock/ Louise Krasner Foundation with a Vermont Studio Center fellowship. An artist with over 45 years of experience, she is heavily involved with promoting Puerto Rican culture and history. She works with Mujeres Empresarias of the Sila María Calderón Foundation, which is an organization that aggressively promotes women-owned business enterprises. She was included in Peter Block's historic book, "Puerto Ricans and Their Art" in 1978. Born and raised in New York City, Siuko decided in 1978 to move permanently to Puerto Rico because of its extraordinary beauty. She has painted hundreds of landscapes all over the island, capturing its very essence and tropical beauty. In 2010, she received the Alegría Foundation Medal for her uncompromising and dedicated work on promoting Taino and Black Heritage.
Rudy Gutiérrez
“TITI”
Acrylic
Says the artist: “The color and abstraction of this painting deal with energy, and the mixture of abstraction and realism are my way of layering reality and spirit… (Titi’s) long living work has grown and united people with knowledge and power of knowing our validity and divinity… The imagery of people above the heart are symbolic of the unification that Evelina worked so hard towards developing and fostering, and they are intermingled with ancestors and spirits who are working hard to lift our hearts…”
About the artist: Rudy Gutiérrez is an American artist/illustrator of Puerto Rican heritage whose art has been described as "Wall Medicine", ancient yet contemporary, urban in a sense and musical in feel and is known for creating images that combine elements of indigenous art with that of urban culture. His children's book art has garnered him a Caldecott Honor Award, Pura Belpré Honor, Americas Book Award, Children's Africana Book Awards-Africa Access Award, Silver Birch Express Award Nomination, Shining Willow Award and a New York Book Award. Gutiérrez is perhaps best known for the cover art of Santana's multi-platinum smash hit record, Shaman, and for the Jimi Hendrix Forever Postage Stamp, as well as for his work for Chasing Trane- The John Coltrane Documentary which used Rudy's art for the poster/DVD/CD, as well as being featured within the film.
Samuel Lind
“Evelina, Luchadora”
Oil on canvas
48”x 72”
Samuel Lind has chosen to focus on well-known images from three stages in Evelina Antonetty’s life: In the lower left she is seen sharing the dais at a rally with poet-activist Jesús Colón who mentored her during her late adolescence in El Barrio during the thirties. In the upper right corner, Lind depicts Evelina as a union organizer with District 65, Retail, Wholesale and Distributive Workers Union. And, in the middle, Evelina is seen confronting elected officials at a public hearing in the sixties during her early years as founder of United Bronx Parents. This high energy painting depicts movement and action reminiscent of Lind’s paintings and prints of bomba and plena dancers in his hometown of Loiza. The painting also conveys the artist’s sensibility as an activist, a point of commonality between subject and artist.
About the artist: Samuel Lind Hernández’s work is deeply rooted in the Mediania Alta neighborhood of the town of Loiza, one of the great incubators of Afro-Puerto Rican culture. He attended San Juan’s School of Plastic Arts paying his tuition with fees he earned giving bomba (drumming) lessons. His oeuvre includes a vast array of oil paintings, silkscreens and sculpture that have made it into the collections of international and private collectors as well as museums and galleries in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and San Juan. But Lind is perhaps best known for his silkscreens which are immensely popular with everyday Puerto Ricans and tourists. They depict his beloved coconut grove, his neighbors and family, the mysteries of the mangrove, his mother washing dishes and, of course, his fellow loizeños celebrating their saint’s day or just jamming in a local patio. Samuel Lind has been an important voice in struggles against overdevelopment and for cultural integrity and environmental conservation.
Antonio Martorell
“Evelina vela por nosotros”
Acrylic and cloth on felt
25.5” X 35.5”
Maestro Antonio Martorell’s virtuosity as a portrait artist and his signature use of classical calligraphy are in full display in this ethereal portrait of Evelina Antonetty. The artist depicts his subject in two spheres with her radiant image emerging into a sphere of light, her name emblazoned in a crescent that follows the contour of her head. In the darker side of work, Evelina wears a sparkling earing, a trademark aspect of her dress. The work is painted on cloth and felt which gives the image a softness that would not be achieved on canvas.
About the artist: Printmaker, painter, illustrator, creator of installations, set and costume designer, writer, draftsman and professor. In 1961, with a scholarship granted by the Ferré Foundation, he studied painting and drawing with artist Julio Martín Caro in Madrid. Upon his return to the island, he started his printmaking learning process under the tutelage of Lorenzo Homar at the Printmaking Workshop of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. He was director of this Alacrán workshop until 1971, a venue characterized by his commitment to the social denunciation of reality and national politics. Also, he has designed scenography and costumes for multiple plays, and has created numerous installations and performances. His work transmits his freedom and exceptional creative talent in figurative compositions that illustrate his penchant for portraiture and his love for the written word, typography, theater, playfulness and the sensual-sensory. He is, in every sense, the dean of contemporary Puerto Rican artists.
Sara Morales
“Antonetty 100”
Acrylic on canvas
22” X 28”
Says the artist: “Evelina Antonetty’s accomplishments made a huge impact in our neighborhood in so many ways. In my piece, I wanted to focus on how the education of our children became the cornerstone of her efforts. It was also important to add her activist sisters, Lillian López and Elba Cabrera. It is a simple, literal piece created so that parents can explain to their children the importance of this Bronx historical figure."
About the artist: Sara Morales is a New York City born Puerto Rican artist. Her life experiences from her time in El Barrio, the Bronx, and La Isla del Encanto has shaped much of her work. Her life-long love affair with art began at a very early age; winning an art scholarship while still in grade school. She would later graduate from the High School of Art & Design. She expanded her palate with additional art training at Hostos Community College, the 92nd Street Y, and the Bronx River Art Center. Sara Morales is a member of The Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA).
Esther (Star Angel) Pagán
“Evelina”
Acrylic on canvas
30” X 42”
The artist has contributed two works to this exhibition: a collage with newspaper clippings of important moments in Evelina’s life and a recreation of a hat festooned with labels of her favorite coffee brand, Café Crema. “El cafecito de las tres” (the three o’clock coffee hour) was an important moment in Evelina’s daily routine when she strategized with fellow Bronx parents to advocate for their rights. The artist’s painting incorporates Taino symbols and the Puerto Rican flag around Evelina’s image as well as an iconic photographic image of Evelina Antonetty as union organizer.
About the artist: Esther Pagan, aka, Star Angel was born in Youngstown, Ohio but raised in the Bronx. She is an alumna of the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parson’s School of Design. Says the artist: “My hands are my livelihood. I became a certified art handler through a grant that was awarded to Bronx Council on the Arts and funded by The Municipal Art Society and Lincoln Center. Pagan mounted an important exhibition in 2013 at Longwood Gallery at Hostos Community College based on her experience with breast cancer. The exhibition was well received, not only for its technical excellence, but also for Pagan’s ability to balance the seriousness of the subject matter with humor. Pagán has gone on to document her experience with cancer through photography. “I was in dire need while I was going through my adversity with the Big C,” says the artist. “In those months it was art and music that kept me from going into a grey state of depression.”
Nitza Tufiño
“The Sisters in Central Park”
Oil pastels on paper
43” X 58”
Says the artist, “Sunday afternoons are special for New York Puerto Ricans. They are an occasion to dress up and, weather permitting, enjoy a day in Central Park. This is an image of such an outing which expresses the love and respect shared by Evelina, her sisters, Lillian and Elba, for their mother Eva.”
About the artist: Nitza Tufiño was born in Mexico City, the first child of Puerto Rican artist, Rafael Tufiño and Mexican dancer and model Luz María Aguirre. After graduating from high school in Puerto Rico, she studied at the famed Academica San Carlos in Mexico City. During her college years in Mexico, she became a mentee of legendary muralist Alfaro Siquieros who inspired her to become a muralist and public artist. She also followed in her father’s footsteps as a printmaker. In 1973, she created her first public mural for the façade of Museo del Barrio of which she is a founder as an artist activist. Her career as a muralist and public artist flourished as she was commissioned by educational institutions and governmental agencies. Commissions of note are in train stations of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Heralth an Hospitals Corporation, New York City, La Guardia Community College/CUNY, Trinity College, Hartford, and the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain. Tufiño was the first female artist at El Taller Boricua in East Harlem. She is a member of “El Consejo Gráfico”, a national coalition of Latino printmaking workshops and individual printmakers.
Manuel Vega
“Evelina”
Pen and ink on paper
30” X 42”
In this nuanced and powerful portrait based on an image in the National Portrait Gallery, Manuel Vega surrounds his subject with botanical elements suggestive of the curative, life-sustaining powers of the Yoruban deity Osain. The fact that Evelina Antonetty was an avid gardener and that her life’s work was all about restoring lives and curing wrongs makes this portrait all the more compelling.
About the artist: Manuel “Manny” Vega was born in The Bronx, New York, in 1956. He graduated from the High School of Art and Design in 1974 and joined the artist collective Taller Boricua in 1979 where he studied through 1986. While there, he was also a pupil of Harlem printmaker Robert Blackburn at his Printmaking Workshop from 1980-1990. He received mural commissions from Cityarts, United Bronx Parents and the Bronx Council on the Arts. In 1977, he was awarded a commission from the MTA to design artwork for the 110th Street station in East Harlem. He has worked as art workshop instructor for such arts organizations as El Museo del Barrio, Arts Connection and the Guggenheim Museum. His depictions of historical figures such as Julia de Burgos and Antonia Pantoja underscore the historical legacy of Latinos in the diaspora. Says the Vega, “Collective memory provides a forum where we meet and continue to evolve as members of this precious story that is called ‘Life’.” Vega’s mosaic portrait of Antonia Pantoja has been included in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. His next commission is to create a life-size portrait statue of Tito Puente that will be installed on 5th Avenue in East Harlem.
Over 20 organizations based in The Bronx, Manhattan and Puerto Rico have joined forces to celebrate the centennial of Evelina Antonetty, one of the most impactful activists of the Puerto Rican diaspora of the 20th century.
Titled EVELINA 100, A Celebration of the Life and Times of Dr. Evelina Antonetty, the program is being held during the week of September 12-19, 2022 at 19 venues and will feature concerts; an exhibition of specially commissioned art; the reading of the play, Evelina’s Heart; panel discussions; poetry readings; the premiere of a specially commissioned work by maestro Humberto Ramírez; and a teleconference between community activists in New York and Puerto Rico.
“Today the legacy of Evelina Antonetty lives on as scholars, friends, family members and those she mentored gather to celebrate her centennial nearly forty years after her untimely passing in 1984,” said Dr. Daisy Cocco de Filippis, president of Hostos Community College (CUNY), the principal sponsor of the celebration. “May this centennial serve to rekindle the fires she set in her time, and introduce her to and inspire young people to continue her work.”
The sponsors and collaborators of Evelina 100 are: Hostos Community College (CUNY), BronxCare Health System, Centro (The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College), The Bronx Music Heritage Center, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Pregones/PRTT, BronxNet, Bronx County Historical Society, 52 People for Progress, Rincón Criollo, G8-Caño de Martín Peña (Puerto Rico), Nos Quedamos, The Point, Caribbean Studies at Brooklyn College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, LaGuardia Community College-Dean of Students Office, Taino Towers, Casita María, Chocolate Cortés/ChocoBar, Vito Marcantonio Forum, College of Staten Island, UniteHere Local 100, APREE, NYPIRG, L.E.A.P.S./ Chelsea Rising, The Ramírez Brothers and more.
