The Return of El Museo del Barrio

Call me a nerd, but I’ve been counting the days for the return of El Museo del Barrio in NYC! And tomorrow, October 17, is the grand opening celebrating its 40th anniversary, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Best of all, it’s FREE! Check the itinerary below. There’s something for everybody in the family:

11:00 am: RIBBON CUTTING - The Courtyard
El Museo kicks-off its grand opening celebration with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Doors open to the public for a full day of free admission and fun activites, shopping at La Tienda, and a bite and drink at the new El Café!

11:00 am: INAUGURAL EXHIBITIONS - Las Galerias
Artist Educators will be on-hand in our galleries to provide visitors with information on our inaugural exhibitions: Nexus New York: Latin American Artists in the Modern Metrópolis, and Voces y Visiones: Four Decades Through El Museo del Barrio’s Permanent Collection. Galleries remain open until 9pm!

11:00 – 12:00pm: COLORIN COLORADO - El Teatro
Mariposa, renowned poet and writer hosts children storytelling! Estrellita Says Goodbye to Her Island, is a lovely story by Samuel Caraballo about a girl from Puerto Rico and her experience when she leaves her Isla del Encanto,

11:00 – 12:45am: STARTING WITH A BAND! - The Courtyard
To celebrate El Barrio's musical heritage, El Museo welcomes two live performances: at 11am, Zon del Barrio, playing a great variety of Latino music genres, including African Diaspora, New York urban, and more; and at 12pm, Yerbabuena, the Boricua-roots band based in New York City.

11:00am – 3:00pm: QUE BONITA BANDERA! - El Taller
Families come together in El Taller to create their own version of a flag that represents their family, barrio, culture and/or identity.

1:00 – 2:00pm: COLORIN COLORADO - El Teatro
As a continuum to the previous book reading, El Museo presents Estrellita in the Big City by Samuel Caraballo. In this story, also read by Mariposa, Estrellita narrates to her Abuelita her experiences upon arriving in NYC.

3:00 – 4:30pm: SALSA IS NUYORICAN - El Teatro
Take a musical journey with José Obando, renowned ethnomusicologist, through the History of Salsa in El Barrio. Preceded by a live performance by The Harbor Latin Youth Ensemble, comprised of the most advanced students ages 12-19 enrolled in the Harbor Conservatory's Pre-Professional Latin Music Program. A dose of laughter will be provided by Puerto Rican stand-up comic Bill Santiago, host and MC for the afternoon.

1:30 – 3:30pm and 4:00 – 6:00pm: DESTINATION EL BARRIO - El Barrio
El Barrio has been home to El Museo for 40 years. Come explore its impact on our history and development through walking tours around El Barrio! Highlights include the Graffiti Wall of Fame and local murals. All tours start in El Museo’s lobby.

6:30 – 8:30pm: LATINO IN AMERICA - El Teatro
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien and El Museo present a special preview of her upcoming documentary Latino in America, featuring the cultural diversity of Latinos, highlighting Garcias! Special offer: Calling all Garcias! El Museo offers FREE MEMBERSHIP for one year to the first 25 Garcías attending this program.