Capturing the human experience on canvas has always been a driving force in the art world. There is something about depicting human emotion that mesmerizes observers and artists alike. Each of Isabella Mellado’s strokes on the canvas are painted with this sole purpose, capturing emotion. Every face painted portrays an intricate level of detail that tells a story. This is a talent that only the mos...
Read more
Artist Pedro Cruz let’s the familiar city environment guide his pieces. He creates poems, prose, paintings, and what he is most well known for: photography. Cruz describes himself as a “city kid,” born and raised in our own Villa Victoria. “Spanish is my parents’ first language, I'm a first generation American,” he explained. Cruz describes himself as a Latino artist, and underlines the importanc...
Read more
In some Latin American countries and Spain, The Day of the Three Kings is quite the celebration. As Latinos, we make the most out of any excuse to gather and celebrate, and in Puerto Rico the Christmas Holidays are almost two months long. The excitement of Santa Claus is not nearly enough, and that is why after the 25th has come and passed Puerto Rican Children can hold on to the fact that, “Todav...
Read more
New Year’s Eve is a day when most Latino households become a little superstitious, and we love it. Whether we are trying to eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds during the final countdown, or burning imaginary people made of straw, our rituals never cease to amuse and delight us. The truth is, no matter how bizarre some of them might be, when the 31st comes around there are more than a few which we wouldn’...
Read more
Every year our community gathers around Plaza Betances for our Tree Lighting and comes together to enjoy traditional Puerto Rican parrandas, a staple of the holidays, light a beautiful big tree, and of course Santa is always invited and comes with presents for the little ones. This time the celebration took place on Wednesday, December 9th but, before the tree lighting even began, the resident ba...
Read more
Thanksgiving is very special to us here at IBA. We have so many things to be thankful for; every year our residents and staff come together and take a moment to think about them. It is the perfect occasion to share a delicious meal, enjoy each other’s company, and of course dance to our favorite music: merengue and salsa. This year was no different, over 60 residents came for Thanksgiving lunch on...
Read more
[caption id="attachment_4162" align="alignleft" width="323"] Photo Credit: Galería W. Labiosa[/caption] Wilfred La...
Read more
This past Saturday October 24, we had the pleasure of hosting Gregorio Uribe Big Band, a New York favorite, for their CD release show, to a sold out audience right here at our Villa Victoria Center for the Arts. The band, made up of 16 musicians and led by Gregorio Uribe played classic Cumbia and other typical Colombian music through powerful arrangements using all of their instruments. Uribe’s p...
Read more
Currently at La Galería we have a special exhibit rich in culture and a touch of mystery, “Gitanas, Madonas Negras, y Otras Salvajes,” by Venezuelan artist, Karem Arrieta. On opening night, this past Wednesday Oct. 14, we had the pleasure of talking with her as she helped shed some light on the mysterious aspects of her work and revealed other elements of her craft. Arrieta always felt passionate...
Read more
Cumbia Universal! Gregorio Uribe Big Band Boston CD release celebration that will make everyone dance at the rhythm of cumbia, jazz and funk music. Colombian Big Band leader, Gregorio Uribe, is one of the most promising artists in New York City’s Latin music scene, and was named one of the “100 Most Successful Colombians Abroad” by the government of Colombia in 2...
Read more
This past Friday, October 2nd, we had the honor of hosting two of Puerto Rico’s most promising artists at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts. It was a memorable night, as attendees got to experience arts and culture in two very different forms. First we hosted the art exhibition, “A Happy Ending,” featuring multimedia pieces by Edgardo Larregui, then the highly anticipated indie singer, MIMA, made...
Read more
Artist, Edgardo Larregui, originally from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, aims to capture themes from his country’s experiences with his pieces. He studied his craft in the Escuela de Artes Plástica de Puerto Rico, where many other renowned artists have graduated, including Silia Sánchez whose artwork has also been exhibited at our gallery. Currently, Larregui’s exhibition, “A Happy Ending” is on display at...
Read more
Yarimir Cabán, better known as MIMA within the Puerto Rican music scene, is setting the tone where the country’s vanguard music style is concerned. Her pieces, more than songs are poetic expressions with influences from folklore and her typical homemade style. Always exploring new sounds, MIMA is working on her third CD, which will be as different from the second as the second was from the first. ...
Read more
Throughout the decades, Latinos have been a driving force for America’s economy. We have been involved in almost every employment sector imaginable and have gained a reputation of hard work and perseverance in any area that we pursue to make an honest living. This is why for Labor Day we want to recognize the efforts of the diligent men and women that have been a backbone to American history provi...
Read more
We are very proud of our heritage, and we love to share it with our Boston community. Every year for the past 45, we have held a weekend-long cultural festival so that people from all over New England can get to know about our music, our food, and spend time with their families while they dance and participate in a wide variety of activities. We are more than happy to say that Festival Betances 20...
Read more