El Museo del Barrio

@elmuseo security manager William Soto took CULTURED through the iconic Uptown museum founded more than 50 years ago by Puerto Rican artists and activists. Beginning with a favorite Juan Sánchez work from the museum’s recent acquisitions, Soto walks us through El Museo del Barrio’s public programs, theater space, and enduring community mission. Watch along for the latest installment of My Museum.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Rise of the U.S. Latino Art Market: Lessons from Latin America. In partnership with @aspenconexion , the hemispheric thought leadership platform of the Aspen Institute, we convened artists, curators, collectors, investors, and cultural leaders for a timely conversation on the growing influence of U.S. Latino artists and the future of collecting, investment, and representation. Featured speakers included: • Danielle Baussan (@aspeninstitute ) • Patrick Charpenel (@charpenelpatrick ) • Diego Costa Peuser • Silvia Cubiñá (@silviakcubina ) • Maximiliano Durón (@maxduron ) • Pilar Frank-O’Leary (@pilaroleary ) • Irene Gelfman (@ire.gelfman ) • Patricia Hanna • Karla Harwich • Emily C. Nice (@emily.c.nice ) • Gabriela Palmieri (@gspalmie ) • Emilio Perez (@emilioperezart ) • E. Carmen Ramos (@wheightsgirl ) • Carlos Reyes • Susanna V. Temkin (@svtemkin ) We’re grateful to everyone who shared their insights, perspectives, and vision as we explored how the growth of the Latin American art market can help inform and strengthen the future of the U.S. Latino art market. Thank you as well to our media partner @artnews and supporting sponsor @PNCbank for helping make this important dialogue possible.

Mil gracias a todos por nuestra conversacion sobre arte, cultura, identidad, comunidad, y justicia economica. Thank you Latinx Arts Consortium of New York (@lxnyarts ) and El Museo del Barrio (@elmuseo ) for hosting me, Commissioner Vij, and this beautiful, creative community.

Happy Mother’s Day! 🩷 As Mother’s Day comes to a close, we at El Museo del Barrio cherish the everyday moments that become lasting memories. Whether it’s dancing through a program, creating art side by side, or simply spending time together—moms make it all feel magical. — ¡Feliz Día de las Madres! 🩷 Al llegar a su fin el Día de la Madre, en El Museo del Barrio atesoramos esos momentos cotidianos que se convierten en recuerdos perdurables. Ya sea bailando durante una actividad, creando arte codo con codo o simplemente pasando tiempo juntos, las mamás hacen que todo se sienta mágico.

'Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures' is on view at @elmuseo through August 2, 2026! As the first museum survey dedicated to the groundbreaking photographer Sophie Rivera (1938–2021), this exhibition offers a long-overdue reevaluation of Rivera’s contributions to photography and Nuyorican visual culture, while celebrating her deep, historic connection to El Museo—where she organized exhibitions and held her first solo show in the 1980s. Featuring urban landscapes, documentary images, experimental self-portraits, and photographs of New York’s subway and graffiti scenes of the late 1970s, ‘Double Exposures’ brings together vintage prints and never-before-seen materials from Rivera’s archive. Explore highlights and hear from the curatorial team @elmuseo in their digital guide on @bloombergconnects !

This Saturday, May 16, join us for a free, all-ages afternoon celebrating art, community, and everyday life! ✨ Inspired by the groundbreaking photography of Sophie Rivera, enjoy hands-on activities, guided conversations, movement workshops, and storytelling that bring Nuyorican visual culture to life—from portraits and self-portraits to NYC subway and graffiti scenes of the late 1970s. Move with Miguel Aparicio (@aparicioarts ) in New York City Dances: To the Sounds of the Barrio, and experience The Journey of Pura Belpré’s Tales by Teatro SEA (@teatrosea ) an interactive puppet performance for all ages. At 5:00 PM, continue the celebration in El Teatro with the @afrolatinjazz ORCHESTRA: America at 250! — ¡Este sábado, 16 de mayo, únete a nosotros en una tarde gratuita y para todas las edades en la que celebraremos el arte, la comunidad y la vida cotidiana! ✨ Inspirándonos en la innovadora fotografía de Sophie Rivera, disfruta de actividades prácticas, charlas guiadas, talleres de movimiento y cuentacuentos que dan vida a la cultura visual nuyoricana, desde retratos y autorretratos hasta escenas del metro de Nueva York y el graffiti de finales de los años 70. Muévete con Miguel Aparicio en New York City Dances: To the Sounds of the Barrio, y disfruta de The Journey of Pura Belpré’s Tales, a cargo del Teatro SEA, un espectáculo interactivo de marionetas para todas las edades. A las 17:00 h, continúa la celebración en El Teatro con la @afrolatinjazz ORCHESTRA: ¡America at 250!

Featuring urban landscapes, documentary images, experimental self-portraits, and photographs of New York’s subway and graffiti scenes of the late 1970s, @elmuseo ’s 'Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures' showcases the work of groundbreaking photographer Sophie Rivera (1938–2021), offering a long-overdue reevaluation of Rivera’s contributions to photography and Nuyorican visual culture. One of ‘Double Exposures’ themes center on Rivera’s engagement with New York City’s subway system. Her apartment in Morningside Heights looked directly onto the tracks of the 125th Street station, a proximity which deeply informed her practice. Taken through her living room window, many of the images capture subway cars fully covered in tags—graffiti artists’ stylized signatures. Others show more abstract, almost poetic palimpsests of tags inscribed onto subway windows. On the platforms and in the trains, Rivera’s portraits of subway riders reveal a diverse cross-section of New Yorkers that reflects the communal spirit of the subway. These include tender couples and families, as well as quirky costumed figures. Series such as “Men at Work” (c.1970’s) honor the workers painting the 125th Street Viaduct, taken in the mid-1970s. For Rivera, trains served as vehicles for exploring different subjects such as urban infrastructure, labor, and personal encounters, as well as a space for formal experimentation. Catch Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures at @elmuseo through August 2, 2026! — Sophie Rivera, Untitled, ca. 1970s-1980s. Gelatin silver print, 14 5/8 x 14 1/2 in. Estate of Martin Hurwitz Sophie Rivera, Untitled, c. 1982. Gelatin silver print. Estate of Martin Hurwitz Untitled, mid-1970s, from the series "Men at Work." Gelatin silver print, 10 3/8 x 7 in. Estate of Martin Hurwitz Installation view of Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures, April 23 - August 2, 2026, at El Museo del Barrio, New York, 2026. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.

What a night! 💫 Thank you to everyone who joined us for the launch of our Young Patrons Group, Horizonte. Your energy and enthusiasm truly lit up the room. It was an unforgettable evening—made even more special by the presence and spirit of our incredible young supporters. Want to be part of a vibrant group of art lovers, collectors, and cultural change makers who support Latine, Caribbean, and Latin American artists and their global communities? Learn more and sign up through our link in bio! — ¡Qué noche! 💫 Gracias a todos los que nos acompañaron en el lanzamiento de nuestro Grupo de Jóvenes Mecenas: Horizonte. Su energía y entusiasmo realmente iluminaron la sala. Fue una velada inolvidable, hecha aún más especial por la presencia y el espíritu de nuestros increíbles jóvenes seguidores. ¿Quieres formar parte de un grupo vibrante de amantes del arte, coleccionistas y agentes de cambio cultural que apoyan a artistas latines, caribeños y latinoamericanos, así como a sus comunidades globales? ¡Infórmate y regístrate a través del enlace en nuestra bio!

Join @elmuseo and @aspenconexion for a dynamic convening on the growing influence of U.S.-based Latino artists and the opportunities for collecting, investment, and representation, building on the robust success of the Latin American art market This program will bring together leading museum directors, curators, collectors, artists, and philanthropic leaders, alongside emerging and established voices shaping today’s cultural economy—meet our speakers! We're delighted to partner with Aspen Conexión, a hemispheric thought leadership platform of the Aspen Institute, this event advances the Hispanic community’s role in shaping U.S. innovation, cultural leadership, and cross-border economic opportunity. With special thanks to our Media Partner @artnews ! — Únase a El Museo del Barrio y a Aspen Conexión para un encuentro dinámico centrado en la creciente influencia de los artistas latinos radicados en los Estados Unidos, así como en las oportunidades de coleccionismo, inversión y representación que surgen del sólido éxito del mercado del arte latinoamericano. Este programa reunirá a destacados directores de museos, curadores, coleccionistas, artistas y líderes filantrópicos, junto a voces—tanto emergentes como consagradas—que están dando forma a la economía cultural actual. ¡Conozca a nuestros oradores! Nos complace enormemente asociarnos con Aspen Conexión, una plataforma de liderazgo intelectual de alcance hemisférico perteneciente al Aspen Institute; este evento impulsa el papel de la comunidad hispana en la configuración de la innovación, el liderazgo cultural y las oportunidades económicas transfronterizas en los Estados Unidos ¡Un agradecimiento especial a nuestro socio mediático, ARTnews!

We’re proud to announce the curatorial team for LA TRIENAL 2027—our signature survey of Latine contemporary art, featuring artists living in the United States, Puerto Rico, and across the diaspora Opening Fall 2027, this third edition will be curated by Susanna V. Temkin (@svtemkin ), Interim Chief Curator at El Museo del Barrio, joined by Zuna Maza, Assistant Curator, and Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas (@kaitlingarciamaestas ) as Guest Curator This all-women curatorial team brings deep expertise and global perspective as they begin studio visits with artists across the world to shape the next Trienal! 📸: Photo by Filip Wolak (@filipwolak ) — Nos enorgullece anunciar el equipo curatorial de LA TRIENAL 2027 —nuestra emblemática muestra de arte contemporáneo latine, que presenta a artistas residentes en los Estados Unidos, Puerto Rico y a lo largo de la diáspora Con inauguración prevista para el otoño de 2027, esta tercera edición será curada por Susanna V. Temkin (@svtemkin ), Curadora en Jefe Interina de El Museo del Barrio, a quien se unirán Zuna Maza como Curadora Asistente y Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas (@kaitlingarciamaestas ) como Curadora Invitada ¡Este equipo curatorial, integrado exclusivamente por mujeres, aporta una profunda experiencia y una perspectiva global al iniciar las visitas a los estudios de artistas de todo el mundo para dar forma a la próxima Trienal!

Join us for REVELATIONS: New Perspectives on Sophie Rivera on Friday, May 1! This dynamic symposium brings together artists, scholars, and curators to explore the experimental and conceptual depth of Rivera’s work. Through panel conversations, a poetry activation inspired by her writings, and a live performance by Tabula Rasa Dance Theater (@tabula.rasa.dance.theater.ny ), this program celebrates her impact on feminist photography, portraiture, and Nuyorican visual culture. The evening culminates in a special dance activation inspired by Rivera’s Halloween series (1986–1987)—transforming her “fantasied portraits” into movement, costume, and performance. 📅 May 1 | 4:00 – 7:00PM | FREE Event Learn more and register through our link in bio!

'Double Exposures', the first museum survey dedicated to groundbreaking photographer Sophie Rivera (1938–2021), is now open! The title draws on the photographic technique of layering multiple images within a single frame—here, a metaphor for Rivera’s self-described "complex amalgam of vision," shaped by her identity as an artist, Latina, and feminist. Born and raised in New York, Rivera was active from the 1970s through the 2000s as a photographer, writer, and organizer. She engaged in cultural coalitions and social movements through publications like Majority Report and the Liberation News Service, and in Nuyorican institutions including En Foco (@enfocoinc_ ) and El Museo del Barrio. Her work spans documentary photography, urban landscape, abstraction, conceptual self-portraiture, and the iconic Latino Portraits series. While Rivera exhibited widely and appeared in major exhibitions such as Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art and Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985, this is the first exhibition to explore the full scope of her career. Rivera noted how rare it is for a Puerto Rican woman artist’s work to be "appropriately and accurately characterized." This exhibition counters that erasure, presenting vintage prints and never-before-seen materials that reveal how Rivera expanded the traditions of portraiture and representation through subject, form, and technique. Stop by and learn more about Rivera’s work that is now on view through August 2. — 📸: Installation views of Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures, April 23-August 2, 2026, at El Museo del Barrio, New York, 2026. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York