Diasporican Cultural Summit
Location: CENTRO en El Barrio
Cost: Free
June 4 @ 12:30 pm – June 5 @ 8:00 pm EDT
The Diasporican Cultural Summit is designed to address the pressing need for gathering spaces that bring together diasporic cultural workers, fostering connections with the next generation of scholars, researchers, and artists. By creating a multidimensional learning environment, the DCS not only facilitates meaningful exchanges between cultural practitioners and emerging academics but also builds bridges to other organizations. This dynamic platform enables participants to share knowledge, develop strategies for collaboration, and strengthen networks, ensuring that cultural work remains vibrant, impactful, and deeply rooted in community engagement.
June 4, 2025
Beyond Visual Interpretation: A Workshop for Students Writing About Art
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Artists from the global majority lack representation in the validating spheres of art: museums, journals, and academic dissertations, among others. When they do appear, there is a lack of understanding about their lived context and the social and cultural experiences in which their art is rooted. The need for new writing, both academic and non-academic, is vitally important to closing the gaps of inequity that affect these communities. In collaboration with the Department of Art and Art History at Hunter College, Centro presents an art writing workshop for students, faculty, and art and cultural workers. The workshop will take as its starting point the Diasporican Arts in Motion database that Centro has created.
This is a closed workshop, but if you’re interested in joining, please email centroac@hunter.cuny.edu.
Networking for Cultural Workers & Artists
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
This gathering is designed to foster meaningful connections among professionals, emerging creatives, and students in the cultural sector. This is going to be a welcoming space to share experiences, exchange ideas, explore opportunities for future partnerships, gain insights from industry peers, and discover resources to support your creative and professional journey.
This is a closed networking event, but if you’re interested in joining, please email centroac@hunter.cuny.edu.
Afternoon Tertulia: Archival Artistry – A Resident’s Research Experience
4:30 PM – 6:15 PM
This event offers a unique opportunity to delve into the intersection of artistry and research, as our panelists share their residency experiences exploring CENTRO’s Library and Archives. Discover how these artists utilized CENTRO’s resources to inform and inspire their creative journeys. The panel will give insight into their thought processes, highlighting the research methods employed and the transformative ways archival discoveries have shaped their finished works.
The conversation will also explore the role of artists as researchers, emphasizing how the past serves as inspiration for contemporary art.
Mapping Through DAM: Understanding and Using the Diasporican Arts In Motion Initiative + a Special Sneak Peak at the Dam Docuseries
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
With the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Centro’s Arts and Culture Unit has created a database of Puerto Rican diasporic artists called Diasporican Arts in Motion, which is also a research and documentation tool. Through this presentation, attendees will learn how to use and navigate DAM and learn, firsthand, about its usefulness for both artists and researchers. Attendees will become familiar with the first phases of the project (profile creation, work show, commissions for critical essays and microdocumentaries) with the following stages (digitalization of ephemera, and mapping project) and its eventual extension to other artistic disciplines. The presentation will be given by Glorimar García, project manager, and Nora Maite Nieves, artist.
We’ve highlighted 10 of these artists in our DAM Docuseries, and you have the chance to catch a sneak peak of these mini documentaries. After this, we’ll host a panel with New York based artist and CENTRO’s Arts & Culture team.
June 5, 2025
Archiving for Cultural Organizations
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
This workshop explores the critical role of preservation in sustaining the histories and legacies of organizations serving the global majority. Many of these organizations face significant challenges, including limited resources and the complexities of managing born-digital materials. This event highlights practical strategies for overcoming these barriers and ensuring the longevity of cultural memory through effective archival practices. Facilitated by experienced archivists from the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO), the session provides insights into building sustainable archives that reflect diverse experiences and narratives often marginalized in traditional records.
This is a closed workshop, but if you’re interested in joining, please email centroac@hunter.cuny.edu.
Basic Archiving Workshop for Students and Emerging Scholars
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
This workshop emphasizes the vital role of archival practices in preserving the histories and cultural legacies of underrepresented communities. As future cultural workers and researchers, students need to understand how archives are built, maintained, and accessed, particularly within organizations serving the global majority. This event offers strategies for navigating resource constraints, managing born-digital materials, and using archival collections to produce scholarship that challenges dominant narratives and amplifies marginalized voices. Facilitated by archivists from the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO), the session provides critical tools for engaging with community-based archives and contributing to more inclusive academic research.
This is a closed workshop, but if you’re interested in joining, please email centroac@hunter.cuny.edu.
Securing the Bag: Funding Projects & Writing Proposals
2:30 PM – 4:15 PM
Designed to empower cultural workers and community leaders, this session explores effective strategies for identifying funding opportunities, crafting compelling proposals, and building relationships with funders. Featuring panelists with expertise in working directly with artists and organizations operating locally and nationally, the discussion will shed light on practical approaches to financial resilience, equity in resource allocation, and long-term sustainability in the cultural sector.
This is a closed workshop, but if you’re interested in joining, please email centroac@hunter.cuny.edu.
The Role of Data for Cultural Institutions
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
This event examines how data collection, analysis, and storytelling can drive informed decision-making, enhance programming, and secure funding. In a sector where resources are often limited, understanding the power of data is key to demonstrating value and achieving long-term sustainability. Featuring panelists with experience in data-driven strategies for cultural organizations at local, national, and international levels, the discussion will highlight innovative approaches to using metrics, audience insights, and digital tools to support missions rooted in equity and cultural preservation.
Diasporican Cultural Summit Closing Reception
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
All are welcome to close out the Diasporican Cultural Summit and the semester at large with CENTRO. We’ll have good food, good music, and good vibes!