VÁMONOS PA'L MONTE Processional to Honor Puerto Rican Culture in Philadelphia

As citywide Semiquincentennial festivities in Philadelphia come to a close, Mural Arts Philadelphia ('Mural Arts') and artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz present Vámonos Pa'l Monte, an inclusive vision of freedom in Philadelphia and the United States, and a living tribute to Puerto Rican culture, resilience, and the migration stories that shape communities across the diaspora.

Raimundi-Ortiz, with support from costume and production designer Kristina Tollefson, and Mural Arts, has created this public art and engagement project, informed by the artist's own lived experience of splintered cultural inheritance, reassembly, and belonging, as a Puerto Rican American born in the Bronx. The title, Vámonos Pa'l Monte ('Let's go to the mountains'), is inspired by the classic salsa track of the same name, by legendary composer and pianist Eddie Palmieri: an anthem and a love letter to life in the hills of Puerto Rico, and an invitation for others to join the journey. In this spirit, Raimundi-Ortiz has conducted two years of field research, listening sessions, and relationship building, in Puerto Rico and with residents, artists, and culture workers of Norris Square, a neighborhood long at the heart of Philadelphia's Puerto Rican population. Partner organizations Norris Square Neighborhood Project and Taller Puertorriqueño have grounded the project in local histories and collective knowledge.

On Saturday, October 17, the project culminates in a processional performance, starting in Center City and concluding in Northeast Philadelphia, shifting the city's Semiquincentennial gaze toward the collective voice of a tightly knit community whose histories and traditions embody and articulate an inclusive vision of freedom. The processional route through Philadelphia will chart a course that moves from civic and colonial symbolism to neighborhood-centered, communal affirmation. Raimundi-Ortiz's custom wardrobe, designed by Tollefson, will draw from Puerto Rico's landscapes, ecology, history, and regional motifs, weaving these images and themes with Philadelphia's colonial and modern-day histories. The wardrobe will reflect the project's emphasis on diaspora and inheritance—what one receives, loses, invents, and passes on to the next generation—by incorporating objects that hold personal and cultural meaning, carried forward throughout generations and reshaped by the experience of migration.

'As the United States commemorates 250 years of independence, Vámonos Pa'l Monte asks a simple but powerful question: Whose independence are we celebrating?' said project lead artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz. 'Rather than offering answers, the procession creates space for dialogue and remembrance, centering the experiences of Puerto Rican communities whose contributions have been integral to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the nation. Ultimately, Vámonos Pa'l Monte is an invitation to walk together, to remember together, and to imagine more equitable futures. Through collective movement, the project reclaims public space as a site of memory, belonging, and liberation.'

'At Mural Arts we're proud to continue to support ambitiously authored works of public art that center our mission around community engagement. Vamonos Pa'l Monte is a rich addition to the work, partnerships and relationships we've built in Norris Square. We're excited to watch this project take to the streets of Philadelphia and continue a much-needed dialogue,' said Jane Golden, Founder of Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Project curator Marángeli Mejía-Rabell has partnered with Taller Puertorriqueño, Norris Square Neighborhood Project, and the project's artistic team to lead a series of special events with Raimundi-Ortiz and guest artists this spring and summer, inviting broader participation from the public. In addition to a half-dozen art-making workshops for all ages taking place in September and October, the public will have an opportunity to hear from the project collaborators at a special event on Thursday, September 17 from 5:30–7 pm:

VAMOS A HACER: Communal Co-Creation Journey — Vámonos Pa'l Monte Project Partners in Conversation, at Las Parcelas Garden, 2248 N. Palethorp St., Philadelphia

The Vámonos Pa'l Monte team and project partners from Taller Puertorriqueño and Norris Square Neighborhood Project will share their behind-the-scenes collaborative process at the September 17 event, diving into two years of deep community engagement with residents, artists, and culture workers of Norris Square, a neighborhood long at the heart of Philadelphia's Puerto Rican population, and how this journey has shaped and informed lead artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz's creative process. On-site art activations led by teaching artists and partners will follow the conversation, and attendees will have the opportunity to create art objects that will become part of the Vámonos Pa'l Monte processional.

The conversation will be moderated by Marángeli Mejía-Rabell, project curator, director of the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival, and co-founder/partner of AFROTAINO.

For more information about Vámonos Pa'l Monte and a list of upcoming events, visit the Mural Arts Philadelphia website.

FULL ARTIST STATEMENT FROM WANDA RAIMUNDI-ORTIZ

Vámonos Pa'l Monte is a public procession from Philadelphia City Hall to Norris Square Park in North Philadelphia. The journey serves as a metaphorical return home, an act of collective remembrance that guides participants from the center of American civic power toward a landscape shaped by Puerto Rican history, resilience, and self-determination. In Puerto Rican culture, 'el monte' refers not only to the mountains and countryside, but also to ancestral knowledge, refuge, healing, and freedom. Through movement, performance, music, and collective participation, this project transforms the streets of Philadelphia into a living pathway between memory and place.

The work is deeply informed by my experience as the daughter of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York City during the 1950s as part of the Second Great Migration. Like so many Puerto Rican families who settled in Philadelphia, my parents arrived with hopes for economic opportunity and a better future. Thousands of Puerto Ricans came to the city to work in factories and build new lives while maintaining profound emotional and cultural ties to the island. Many envisioned a return home that never materialized. Their stories of migration, longing, sacrifice, and adaptation form the emotional foundation of this project.

As the United States commemorates 250 years of independence, Vámonos Pa'l Monte invites reflection on the complexities and contradictions embedded within national narratives of liberty and freedom. While public attention is focused on celebrations of independence, Puerto Rico remains a U.S. territory whose political status continues to raise urgent questions about sovereignty, citizenship, and self-determination. The project asks a simple but powerful question: Whose independence are we celebrating? Rather than offering answers, the procession creates space for dialogue and remembrance, centering the experiences of Puerto Rican communities whose contributions have been integral to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the nation.

Community collaboration is at the heart of Vámonos Pa'l Monte. The project has been shaped through years of field research, listening sessions, and relationship building with Puerto Rican community members, cultural organizations, elders, educators, artists, and youth. Partnerships with organizations such as Norris Square Neighborhood Project and Taller Puertorriqueño have grounded the work in local histories and collective knowledge. Stories of migration, land stewardship, cultural traditions, spiritual practices, and neighborhood transformation have directly informed the artistic vision. Rather than creating a performance about a community, I have sought to create a process with community, where participants become co-authors of a shared public experience.

Ultimately, Vámonos Pa'l Monte is an invitation to walk together, to remember together, and to imagine more equitable futures. It honors the generations of Puerto Ricans who carried their homeland within them, even when circumstances prevented their return, and celebrates the enduring presence of Puerto Rican culture as an essential part of Philadelphia's landscape. Through collective movement, the project reclaims public space as a site of memory, belonging, and liberation.

ABOUT MURAL ARTS PHILADELPHIA

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation's largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. Mural Arts has United Artists and communities through a collaborative and equitable process, creating over 4,000 artworks that have transformed public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts aims to empower people, stimulate dialogue, and build bridges to mutual understanding through projects that attract artists from Philadelphia and around the world and programs that focus on youth education, restorative justice, mental health and wellness, and public art preservation. Popular mural tours offer a firsthand glimpse into the inspiring stories behind Mural Arts' iconic and unparalleled collection, earning Philadelphia worldwide recognition as the 'Mural Capital of the World.' Philadelphia was recently named the number one city for Best Street Art by USA Today. For more information, call 215.685.0750 or visit muralarts.org.

ABOUT TALLER PUERTORRIQUEÑO

Taller Puertorriqueño is a community-based cultural organization whose primary purpose is to preserve, develop, and promote Puerto Rican arts and culture, grounded in the conviction that embracing one's cultural heritage is empowering. Taller is committed to the representation and support of other Latino cultural expressions and our common roots, guided by the vision of a Latino community that is engaged, culturally aware, and economically vibrant in a society that values its cultural diversity. As an arts and culture destination, Taller catalyzes community development through its resources and builds bridges between the local community, the region, and the Puerto Rican and Latino Diaspora. For more information, visit tallerpr.org.

ABOUT NORRIS SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT

Norris Square Neighborhood Project (NSNP) is a cultural hub committed to uniting and inspiring the surrounding community through programs aimed at the cultivation of young leaders, the preservation of Puerto Rican cultural heritage, and the stewardship of community land and environmental practices. NSNP unites and inspires youth and families using the strengths of our community—shared cultural wisdom, creative energies, and environmental spaces and experiences—and prepares youth for a future in which art, agriculture, and cultural awareness can be leveraged for individual agency and community prosperity. For more information, visit myneighborhoodproject.org.