Nuyorican Vanguards: The Puerto Rican Alternative Art Space Movement in New York

This chapter uncovers the dynamic emergence of the Puerto Rican alternative art space movement, catalyzed by organizing in 1969 when disenfranchised Puerto Rican artists met each other at exhibitions and rallies. This generation joined civil rights movements and radical groups like the Young Lords and El Comité, fueling the birth of an art movement. The Art Workers’ Coalition set the stage for alternative art spaces, with the Puerto Rican branch forming pivotal spaces like El Museo del Barrio and Taller Boricua. These spaces provided platforms for collaboration between poets and visual artists, challenging institutional norms. On NYC streets in the 1970s, a socially conscious photographic practice emerged while muralism and graffiti blossomed. In the mid-1970s, Puerto Rican alternative spaces began opening in Loisaida and SoHo, contributing to New York’s landscape and propelling artists into influential roles.