ABOUT
Walking distance from Old San Juan and the famous beaches of Escambron, Villa Carmen Atelier is an immersive experience into Puerto Rico's cultural heritage. This multi-use space for the arts is home to
The San Juan Harbor Museum
51 Pelayo, Historic Guesthouse
Villa Carmen Atelier and Residency
This landmark building in the heart of the San Juan Peninsula serves as a nexus of innovation, collaboration and exhibition. Since 1932 it has served as an atelier for Puerto Rico's most renowned artists, opening its culture and ideas to the world. Villa Carmen is an international space for the arts where all are invited to contribute and generate strength for our community.
Creating a cultural Trust
Since 2017 Villa Carmen has been working with organizations from around the world to create a Cultural Trust. Its objective is to engage artists and organizations to leverage Puerto Rican culture as an instrument of change in the face of economic crises and natural disaster.
This program with UC Denver has brought over a dozen students to Puerto Rico creating ongoing projects and aiding in the renovation efforts following hurricane Maria.
Sample concept development
Students initial concepts focused on enhancing green space, maximizing exhibition space, and design that fostered creativity for artists in residence.
Since hurricane Maria hit the island the Amber group has collaborated on numerous art projects with Villa Carmen to both contribute and learn in a cultural exchange between the communities of Philidelphia and Puerta de Tierra.
The San Juan Harbor Museum
The San Juan Harbor Museum is the new home to Puerto Rico's most important contemporary artists. In addition to rotating exhibitions, the museum works with the local community to preserve and exhibit historical artifacts from the 19th and 20th century, serving as a time capsule for this period of Puerto Rico's rich past.
Read more...
51 Pelayo B&B
51 Pelayo is a historic guest house in Villa Carmen open to travelers from around the world. Located in the center of San Juan this landmark building provides a doorway to bygone era in Puerto Ricos history.
Atelier & Artist Residencies
At this turbulent time in Puerto Rico's history, the arts are being used as a means to stimulate growth and innovation for its communities. Villa Carmen will once again establish the neighborhood of Puerta de Tierra as an international center for the arts. Through its events, activities and workshops, the atelier will give the local community access to art projects of an international scope. It connects the community to a cross flow of ideas and a platform for artistic and social expression.
Artist in Residence:
ESTEBAN FIGUEROA
Project La Comedia
Esteban Figueroa is a world renowned multimedia artist. He is a creative and cultural provocateur at the frontier of Latin American art today. As Puerto Rico goes through historic changes, his international project La Comedia invites communities to express their relationship to family and culture through the iconic metaphors found in the divine comedy.
As the founder and artistic director of Villa Carmen, Esteban looks to engage the local community in a dialogue by providing workshops and events, as well as inviting visiting artists from around the world.
Collaborative Project:
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE
Digital Library Project
El Portal is a collaborative project between Villa Carmen Atelier and the Archivo Nacional of Puerto Rico. Through the generous support of Joe Harrison, the National Archive has generated a project called Geoisla. This online platform is designed to explore, collect and disseminate the cultural history of Puerto Rico through art, architecture, design and related themes.
Current Project
SIN CITA
INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIVE OF ARTISTS PERFORM A 114-MILE WALK ACROSS PUERTO RICO MARKING TWO YEARS SINCE THE ARRIVAL OF HURRICANES IRMA AND MARIA
Sin Cita/ Without Appointment is a learning journey across Puerto Rico – an opportunity, as artists, to listen and engage with vibrant and vulnerable communities, while examining our own approaches and strategies to instigate positive social change. In a symbolic effort to mark two years since the arrival of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, members of three arts and culture organizations are initiating a 114-mile solidarity walk across Puerto Rico, from September 7 - 20, 2019. This walk will go “against the wind”, beginning where it left the island and tracing the storms path backwards, to where it made landfall.
Read More…