Ágora Cultural Architects Receives Grant From The Mellon Foundation To Develop Boricua Cultural Corridor In The United States

The Mellon Foundation, one of the main sponsors of the arts and humanities in the United States, assigned $700,000 thousand to Ágora Cultural Architects to develop a Puerto Rican "cultural corridor" to help amplify local artists in the Eastern United States.

Bori-Corridor is the name of the project that Ágora Cultural Architects and its leader, Cultural Manager Elsa Mosquera Sterenberg, presented to the Mellon Foundation, and which seeks to connect Puerto Rican talent in the diaspora, mainly in the states of Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut.

"Bori-Corridor was created with two goals. Firstly, to connect local artists with the important diasporic audience, which seeks to continue nurturing its connection to its cultural roots; we also seek to highlight the history and great work which Boricua cultural organizations have carried out across so many communities in the United States," explained Mosquera Sterenberg, who has an extensive and recognized trajectory of collaborating with cultural organizations in Puerto Rico and the United States.

The development of Bori-Corridor will consist of two main components. One will consist of a call for proposals and selection of a group of artists or ensembles to carry out a presentation tour across various states. Ágora will support the selected artists with the production and promotion of their events, as well as connect them with cultural organizations and centers to establish new collaborations.

The second component involves creating an online map which will identify cultural centers specializing in Puerto Rican arts and culture. The map will offer a historical and cultural synopsis of these institutions, so that artists, cultural intermediaries, and the general public may learn about the diverse Puerto Rican communities and other audiences along the Eastern coast of the United States. The research phase will have the support of the Master of Arts and Cultural Management Program of the University of Puerto Rico.

"These organizations have carried out immense efforts to preserve our Boricua identity and share this heritage with the generations which have grown within the diaspora. This effort seeks to acknowledge their work and enable new relationships between those who seek to promote Puerto Rican culture in the island and in the diaspora," said Mosquera Sterenberg.

Bori-Corridor will be ready for launch following the research phase to create the interactive map. The artistic tour across the states is expected to begin in 2024. The leader of Ágora Cultural Architects is grateful for the support which the Mellon Foundation has provided to Puerto Rican organizations and artists, particularly during the last few years. Since 2018, this Foundation has granted over $50 million to cultural organizations and artists in Puerto Rico to develop a sustainable cultural infrastructure.