Puerto Rico will have its first collection of Afro-Puerto Rican art

Humacao, Puerto Rico - Curator Edwin Velázquez Collazo is the administrator in the creation of the first collection of Afro-Puerto Rican art that will be held at Casa Silvana, an alternative rural space for the dissemination of Afro-Puerto Rican art which he founded and directs in the municipality of Humacao.

Germán Ayala Vázquez, “Saysha”, 2023, photography, 12” x 8”, Casa Silvana Collection of Afro-Puerto Rican Art

This interesting art collection centered around small-format pieces by black and Afro-descendant contemporary artists from Puerto Rico and its Diaspora, is composed of works in varied medias such as drawings, engravings, lithography, watercolor, photography, pastels, acrylics, gouaches, linoleum, monotypes and silkscreens.

According to the curator, “This is a collection that places Puerto Rico as one of the few Latin American and Caribbean countries with collections of contemporary Afro art.”

Violeta Vani, “Atlas”, 2023, 14” x 11”, acrylic on paper. Casa Silvana Collection of Afro-Puerto Rican Art

In this initial phase, it has over 40 works acquired or donated by the artists: Alejandra Rosa, Brenda Cruz Díaz, Clara García Meléndez, Deyaneira Lucero Maldonado, Edrimael Delgado Reyes, Edwin Velázquez Collazo, Elías Carmona Rivera, Gabriela M. Vázquez, Germán Ayala Vázquez, Javier Cintrón, Jean “Baco” Ortiz , Jehiel Franco Torres, Jorly Flores, José Otero Morales, Joyce De Jesús Martínez, Juan Alberto Negroni, Kariel Argenis Díaz Maisonet, Ketsia Camacho Ramos, Kivan Quiñones Beltrán, Lydianna Dávila Colombo , Liz Amable Fantauzzi, Malcom Ferrer, Nitzayra Leonor Canales Dalmau, Sebastián Román Soto, Sandra Martínez, Tenjin Ikeda, Victoria Nicole Martínez, Violeta Vani, Wichie Torres y Xavier Valcárcel de Jesús.

Considered the only art collection on the island specialized in Afro-Puerto Rican art, it aims to house more than one hundred works in the coming years as well as create awareness and interest towards the creation of new and future collections centered around Afro art in the country.

Tenjin Falase Ikeda, “This world, That world”, 9/25, 12” x 9”, linoleum print,

Casa Silvana Collection of Afro-Puerto Rican Art

This project has been possible thanks to the support of the Maniobra del Centro de Economía Creativa (CEC) program and the Mellon Foundation.

For more information: casasilvanapr@gmail.com, https://casasilvanapr.blogspot.com/