Second Annual Puerto Rican Artisans Fair Highlights Taino Culture

New York, NY (UCTP Taino News) - On Saturday, November 17, 2007, Comite Noviembre is sponsoring its second annual Puerto Rican Artisans Exhibition and Fair at Hunter College in New York City. Held in recognition of Puerto Rican Heritage Month, the event will transform Hunter College’s West Building into a “typical Puerto Rican Plaza” with artists, sculptors, and food venders from 11am – 5pm. This year, Taino culture will feature prominently in the celebration with a Taino opening blessing, and a special presentation of Taino music and song with members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society at 3:30pm.

A family workshop on “Taino history and music” will take place at 11:30am (Rm. W217) and a “Taino Petroglyph Pendant” workshop for children will be held at 12:35pm. All day several prominent Taino artists will be featured in the celebration’s exhibition including Aguilar Marrero, Reina Miranda, and Esperanza Martell.

Established in 1987, Comité Noviembre is the only collaboration of its kind in the United States that brings together the collective talents and resources of the some of oldest and most prestigious Puerto Rican organizations in existence.

Taino Music Sounds at NY Botanical Garden

Bronx, New York (UCTP Taino News) - Members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society - Roberto Mucaro Borrero, Maria Gil Diaz, and William Ruiz - enjoy the sights after four successful Taino music presentations at the 2007 Fiesta de Flores at The New York Botanical Garden 15-16 September 2007. The celebration of the "People and Plants of Latin America and the Caribbean" was held in conjunction with the NY Botanical Garden's exhibition "Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise."

UCTPTN 09.18.2006

Fiesta de Flores at The New York Botanical Garden

Celebrate the People and Plants of Latin America and the Caribbean
and Enjoy the Final Weekend of Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise

Saturday–Sunday, September 15–16

On September 15–16, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Fiesta de Flores, a weekend festival at The New York Botanical Garden, commemorating the people and plants of Latin America and the Caribbean. Enjoy the beauty of the Garden while being treated to live music, dancing, delicious food specialties, storytelling, and more. Take in the tropics on a tour through the final weekend of Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise, the lush exhibition of Caribbean island flora, such as hibiscus, passionflower, bougainvillea, orchids, and more, inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Discover what Garden scientists have been researching for the last century, originating from the first exploration in the Caribbean, and learn about current projects such as the Virtual Herbarium in the exhibition Plants and Fungi: Ten Current Research Stories.

Special Features:

Indigenous Taino Music
On the Conservatory Lawn
Saturday and Sunday, 12 and 1:30 p.m.
Journey to another place and time while listening to indigenous Taino music with members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society. Learn about this indigenous culture’s instruments and how the music is tied to the natural environment.

Special Presentation: Medicinal Plants of Indigenous Caribbean Cultures
Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
In the Conservatory GreenSchool
Join Roberto Mucaro Borrero (Taino), Senior Program Coordinator at the American Museum of Natural History, for an engaging presentation on the medicinal plants used historically and traditionally by the Caribbean’s indigenous peoples.

To see full program visit:

http://www.nybg.org/footer/press_releases_results.php?id_press_release=185

For directions:
http://www.nybg.org/visit_the_garden/directions.php

4/27/2007 - 9/16/2007
Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

Escape to exotic islands during this flower and cultural exhibition. Inside our historic glasshouse, stroll through a Spanish-style courtyard garden that’s bursting with the lush, tropical flora of the Caribbean. Immerse yourself in the fragrance and colors of hibiscus, passionflower, bougainvillea, oleander, orchids, and dozens more. Delve into diverse, fascinating cultures with Caribbean-inspired events. Dance to the beat of Caribbean music, indulge in the flavor of the region’s spices and fruits, and discover the vibrant history of its plants and people. Caribbean Gardens is accompanied by the botanical art exhibition Paradise in Print in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library.