Art in Puerto Rico

Whether your style is contemporary, classic, urban, or full of history, Puerto Rico has works of art that will inspire you with the island’s distinct interpretation of Caribbean culture.

For a mix of old and new, the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan’s artsy Santurce neighborhood features sculptures, paintings, and articles that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The sculpture garden outside the museum rivals the beauty of the works inside, including a koi pond and peaceful, park-like green space in the middle of the city. This museum is as much an architectural masterpiece as it is a collection of art.

A short walk from there is the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, which should be on a list of must-sees for any art enthusiast visiting the island. Plan for a few hours to explore its modern video installations, mixed-media work, and architecture.

You’ll find another Museo de Arte in the southern city of Ponce as well, which is filled with works from Europe and the Americas. More classical styles live alongside the works of local artists inspired by Spanish, African, and Taíno roots, which imbues every piece with a unique sense of place.

But Puerto Rico’s art goes far beyond the walls of museums. Visitors will stumble across art wherever they go – with hundreds of square feet of murals plastered on bridges, buildings, and even parking spaces. Thought and painted by local and international artists, these urban pieces tell the story of Puerto Rico from different (and colorful) perspectives, brushing on socio-political subjects, as well as transformational. Although Santurce was the original canvas for this movement, the street art trend has taken over the island, with large-scale murals popping up in every corner.

Writer and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda created an 8-chapter series to showcase what makes Puerto Rico unique. In this episode, he explores the island’s vibrantly diverse art scene – both inside and outside the walls.

WATCH THE COMPLETE SERIES HERE. 

Puerto Rico’s 500+ years of cultural heritage makes it pulse with artistic expression and inspiration. Puerto Rico’s museums are world-renowned, and so is its street art– from murals and sculptures to traditional crafts. Join Lin-Manuel as he shows you that Puerto Rico itself is a huge museum, indoors and outdoors, and the arts take center stage as the island’s biggest export.

Puerto Rican Cuban Festival 2021

PUERTO RICAN & CUBAN FESTIVAL 2021 PRESENTING SPONSORS: MICHELOB ULTRA | TELEMUNDO HOUSTON | ADVANTAGE BMW MIDTOWN

Date and time

Sat, October 23, 2021 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM MDT

Add to calendar

Location

Midtown Park 2811 Travis Street Houston, TX 77006 Our mission is to disseminate the Puerto Rican, Cuban Dominican Cultures within the City of Houston and it’s surrounding communities. We want to enlighten and educate the audience through dance, art, music and food. Our event supports and promotes other ethnic organizations and their mission, by providing a venue for unification for our Spanish Caribbean citizens and the general market. Most importantly, the PRC Festival empowers our youth to become accomplished, self-directed, and collaborative citizen who boldly contribute to an increasingly complex and evolving world by engaging in leadership roles, relevant experiences and building positive relationships while embracing the uniqueness of each individual. This festival is done annually to support the continuous efforts to disseminate the Puerto Rican and Cuban cultures within the city of Houston. We also want to teach our children about our roots, assisting them with their self-esteem, identity and letting them know that they have a strong support group. Additionally, we are educating the citizens of the City of Houston about who we are and asking them to embrace our cultures in a friendly and festive environment.

 

National Coquito Festival

A festive fusion of Coquito tastings made with rum. What better way to kick off the Holiday Season than by sipping on Puerto Rico's favorite holiday drink while in good company, enjoying parranda live music and sampling good eats!

NATIONAL COQUITO FESTIVAL

DECEMBER 4, 2021 6PM - 10PM The National Coquito Festival is an annual holiday fundraiser for PRAA. This event will be held, pending CDC in-person gathering guidelines.

Location

Puerto Rican Arts Alliance 3000 N. Elbridge Chicago, IL 60618 The Coquito has a rich tradition in Puerto Rico and is an important part of the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Cherished recipes are unique to each family and those recipes are proudly handed down generation to generation.

Coquito (small coconut) is a rich, creamy coconut-based holiday drink with Puerto Rican origins. It is generally made with coconut milk, coconut cream, sweet condensed milk, rum, cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. The National Coquito Festival, in keeping with the mission of PRAA, was established in 2018 to promote and preserve the heritage of this iconic drink – and to draw people together during the holiday season in order to continue to nurture pride in our culture and traditions.

This celebratory holiday festival features traditional food, music and Parandas – with the main event being a coquito competition to find the best Coquito. Most Puerto Rican families have a treasured coquito recipe and they will boast that their Coquito is the best! This event gives volunteers an opportunity to showcase their family recipe in hopes of winning the contest and having official bragging rights for one entire year.

Last year’s event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Planning a Beach Getaway to Puerto Rico? Do These Things First

 

  You can’t go wrong with a beach getaway to Puerto Rico! The beautiful beaches, friendly culture, and exciting things to explore make this place the perfect vacation spot. However, there are a few things you can do to prepare for the climate, activities, and people that will ensure the best trip possible.

Prepare for the Heat

Puerto Rico is notoriously hot! According to Climates to Travel, the tropical climate of this island makes for some significant heat, year-round—though May to October is more humid than the rest of the year if that is a deciding factor for picking your vacation date! Preparing yourself for the heat will help you actually enjoy yourself instead of feeling miserably sweaty or stuffy. Bring or buy a good water bottle that you can use to stay hydrated! Drink lots of water to cool down the internal temperature of your body and replenish the water you sweat out. Wear highly protective sunscreen and find means of shade as often as possible, like umbrellas or hats. Consider planning indoor activities to enjoy for the hottest parts of the day, and enjoying the beauty of outdoor Puerto Rico during the cooler times!

Learn to Swim

The beaches of Puerto Rico are one of the main reasons it is such a desirable destination. Swimming in these cool and clear waters is a favorite activity of locals and tourists alike—but it is important that anyone wanting to try out the ocean waves knows how to swim in them. Regardless of your age, if you are not a strong swimmer you should consider taking lessons to improve your swim skills, developing muscle memory, and problem-solving that can help you in times of distress! According to SwimJim, an awareness of your buoyancy and movements in the water helps keep you safe while you play.

Learn Some Local Lingo

Brush up on your Spanish! While tourist resorts and most shops or services have adapted to ensure they can communicate in English, learning some Spanish immerses you a bit more in this vibrant culture and makes your trip more unique. Ask the local residents of your area what their favorite parts of town are, where are the best restaurants, and what sights you shouldn’t miss out on. You don’t have to be fluent, but according to Spanishland School, learning some basic Spanish will help you feel more confident in your travels and may get you an inside scoop on the area!   The full potential of your vacation to Puerto Rico is within your reach if you will prepare yourself for the heat, learn the skills necessary to enjoy available activities safely, and pick up some basic phrases that can help you get around. Once you’ve done this you can sit back, relax and enjoy all Puerto Rico has to offer! 

Read this next: Why Traveling To Somewhere Warm and Sunny Will Do You A World Of Wonders

Estate Planning – Bringing the Elements Together

by Estate Planning Attorney Nydia Menendez

We all have an Estate. Estate Planning is the process of designing a plan in advance so that no matter what happens, you are always in control of that Estate. Your Estate includes your person and your assets – your stuff. Should you pass away, what remains are your assets. These comprise your Estate.

A proper Estate Plan must also plan for the possibility of incapacity. Statistically, 70% of persons over the age of 65 will experience some form of incapacity during their lifetimes. Be sure to take this into consideration as you develop your Plan.

When the topic of Estate Planning comes up, most people think of a Will. But there are many shortcomings to having a Will alone. First, Wills do not address incapacity – they only focus on the distribution of assets at death. And for that distribution, judicial Probate administration by the court system is required, which is both time-consuming and expensive. If Guardianship is necessary, the court will get involved in that as well if the only document a person has is a Will. An Estate Plan, therefore, with a Will and nothing more will not avoid the very undesirable judicial processes of Guardianship or Probate. What’s more, the distribution of assets at death could have unintended negative consequences for the beneficiaries.

That is why, in addition to a Will, we recommend that every Estate Plan include a Trust, Advanced Health Care Directives, and a Durable Power of Attorney.

A Trust is like a company you can set up to hold your assets. While you are alive and have capacity, you are the Trustee of your Trust. When you create the Trust, you appoint a Successor Trustee to manage the assets in the Trust in the event of your incapacity or death. Because your assets will then have a way to be managed, there is no need for Guardianship or Probate.

Having your assets in a Trust will address the management of those assets during your lifetime, as well as the distribution of those assets should you pass away or become incapacitated. And if your beneficiaries have different needs and circumstances, you can tailor the distributions to them in ways you consider most appropriate. You can shelter distributions so that the inheritance you leave for your loved ones will not be lost to divorce, claims of creditors and lawsuits, or remarriage of a surviving spouse.

Because you want to be in control no matter what happens, a good Estate Plan must also include Advanced Health Care Directives to address medical decisions, including life and death decisions.

Lastly, once your Plan has been designed, it is important to follow the strict execution requirements and signing protocols. You will need to sign your documents in the presence of two witnesses and a Notary, all of whom must be in each other’s presence at the time. Additionally, make sure that the people who will be charged with responsibilities as listed in your Trust, have access to your documents when needed in a way that is both fast and secure.

How to Get Started?

If you want to learn more about how to plan for your future to make sure you leave a loving legacy for your family, we invite you to call our office at (954) 963-7220 to speak with a member of the Menéndez Law Firm. You may also want to watch the video series on our YouTube channel where we talk about Estate Planning in detail. Or if you want to join us for the next live Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning webinar on Zoom you can register at no charge on our website www.menendezlawfirm.com

---

	Nydia Menéndez Estate Planning Attorney Menéndez Law Firm 2699 Stirling Road, Suite B200 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 Tel.: (954) 963-7220 Fax:  (954) 963-7232 nydia@menendezlawfirm.com

Puerto Rico Government Launches Incentive For First Responders

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi recently announced that first responders will be eligible to receive a $2,000 bonus for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. $200 million has been set aside for first responders and health care workers for this particular incentive. In total, the Puerto Rican Government will receive $2.47 billion to allocate to various initiatives and measures in order to aid economic recovery after the pandemic. The federal government allocated these funds under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Not everyone will be eligible 

According to Pierluisi, first responders need to have had direct contact with patients in their workplace to qualify for the $2,000 — therefore meaning remote workers aren’t eligible for the bonus. “This is like a prize. They are our heroes and our heroines and they deserve this special payment. In the future we could add other professionals”,  Pierluisi said. Around 40,000 front-line workers (including paramedics, health technicians, nursing staff, police, firefighters, and security officers) are estimated to be eligible. Essential workers at the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation of Puerto Rico will receive $20 million, while essential workers at the Adult University Hospital, ASEM, and the Ramón Ruiz Arnau Hospital in Bayamón, among other places, will receive another $20 million to be distributed.

Helping first responders 

First responders everywhere deserve recognition, gratitude, and support for their hard work to keep communities safe. In today’s competitive real estate market, for example, affordable housing is particularly important. As such, a first responder home loan is available for first responders and healthcare workers looking to purchase or refinance a loan. With this type of loan, first responders, nurses, and hospital staff can receive a free appraisal and a free loan checkup. Additionally, in the US, a new housing bill was recently proposed to help first responders more easily secure a loan to purchase a house. If passed, the bill would eliminate the usual requirements for large down payments and expensive monthly mortgage insurance premiums (which are usually required with down payments of under 20%).

Ultimately, in Puerto Rico, the new funding is intended to boost economic recovery and mitigate the impact of the pandemic. “We will continue working to continue identifying needs and providing the necessary tools to provide real solutions to our people,” the governor said.

Comite Noviembre

SAVE THE DATES  35th Anniversary Puerto Rican Heritage Month Kick-Off Event Thursday, October 28, 2021  25th Anniversary Benefit Dinner Celebrating 35 years of Puerto Rican Culture & History Friday, November 19, 2021 The Water Club - New York City CN's 15th Annual National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo Saturday, November 20, 2021 Hybrid Event Virtual & In-person  25th Annual CN Day of Community Service & Social Responsibility Sunday, November 21, 2021 Various locations throughout NYC & Westchester  All guests, individuals working, volunteering and attending COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE events must be fully vaccinated FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: TERESA A. SANTIAGO tascommunicationsllc@gmail.com; (914) 263-6599 or   ANGEL SANTINI PALOS:  angelsantinipalos@gmail.com,   (646) 828-5863 COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS ASPIRA of New York, Inc.  Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños/Hunter Collage, CUNY El Museo del Barrio Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, CUNY Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly Fundación Nacional Para la Cultura Popular La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña NCPRR: Justice Committee Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts