El Museo del Barrio

El Museo del Barrio was established in 1969 by artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz and a group of Puerto Rican parents, educators, and activists who were concerned by the lack of cultural diversity and education in New York's mainstream museums. Based in East Harlem, an area also known as El Barrio, these activists wanted their children to receive an education that promoted their diverse cultural heritage. Their efforts resulted in the creation of a museum in a classroom at PS 125. Several relocations and years later, El Museo del Barrio moved to its current location on Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, and today it houses a permanent collection of 8,500 artifacts that cover more than 800 years of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean art.

Through its extensive collections, exhibitions and publications, bilingual public programs, educational activities, festivals, and special events, El Museo welcomes a wide array of historically marginalized communities while striving to represent the richness of the Caribbean and Latin American arts and cultural history.