El Puente Arts

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El Puente Arts

El Puente is one of the most comprehensive Latino arts and cultural programs in Brooklyn. El Puente’s legacy of pre-professional arts training, led by Frances Lucerna, El Puente’s Co-founder, Artistic Director, and current President, has nurtured thousands of young artists some of whom have gone on to professional arts careers, to include three Tony winners. Our pre-professional arts training (both afterschool and in-school Integrated Arts Projects) includes dance, theatre, voice, bomba, film/media art, studio art/public art, breaking (bboy/bgirl) and spoken word. El Puente has received multiple Van Lier Fellowships grants (funded by The New York Community Trust) to support additional intensive professional arts training, coaching and mentoring for aspiring young artists. El Puente Arts produces a robust presenting season that includes performances and cultural events featuring new and recognized local/international artists, as well as the work of our resident youth companies. To address issues of community sustainability and equity, El Puente Arts created CADRE – Community Artists’ Development and Resource Exchange. CADRE is a diverse coalition that has become a platform for primarily local Latinx and artists of color to network, collaborate and create projects that will grow and sustain their capacity to lead and contribute to the unique cultural community of North Brooklyn.

CADRE

Community Artists’ Development & Resource Exchange/Colectiva para Recursos y Desarollo de Artistas Comunitarios (CADRE) is El Puente’s network of primarily Latinx and other community artists, artisans and cultural workers of color rooted in North Brooklyn. CADRE members meet regularly to exchange creative ideas and share resources; develop and present individual/ collaborative projects; work as teaching/guest artists in El Puente’s programs and those of our partners as well as design and implement projects for equitable community and cultural sustainability. CADRE members have collectively produced art exhibitions, community murals, workshops and performances and annual community cultural events like ¡WEPA! Community Arts Festival, MANIFEST, El Puente’s Three Kings event, Integrated Arts Projects, and more. CADRE’s visual artists collective, Los Muralistas de El Puente, continues its 30 year history of producing large scale community murals exploring cultural and socially relevant issues in Los Sures (South Williamsburg) and Bushwick, Brooklyn.

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