The New York Folklore Society, in collaboration with Go Art!, held its second Latino Artists’ Gathering on March 19, 2011,in Batavia, New York. Supported by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, the gatherings provide an opportunity for Latino artists residing in non-metropolitan New York State to come together to discuss issues and solve common problems. March’s theme will be “Challenges and Opportunities for Traditional Artists in Rural New York,” and we will hear of some of the current initiatives being tried to link artists across distances.

The schedule (see below) for the Gathering included a presentation by Arturo Zavala, who has done extensive research on cultural entrepreneurship and is, himself, a traditional musician; a panel discussion by Western New York community members on the solutions they employ in their own work, and participatory dance and crafts workshops. The day concluded with dance performances from Puerto Rico and Mexico, presented by Borinquen Dance Theater and Alma Latina.

Read about this event in the Batavia Daily News.

SCHEDULE:
9:30 a.m. Welcome
10:00a.m.-Noon Guest Speaker: Arturo Zavala, Univ. of Oregon, “Being a Cultural Entrepreneur”
Panel Discussion: Challenges and Opportunities for Traditional Artists in Rural NY
Lunch provided for morning attendees
1:30-2:30 p.m. Arts Workshops—choose from dance/craft
2:30-3:30 p.m. Folkloric Dance Performance with Borinquen Dance Theatre and Alma Latina

9:30 a.m. Bienvenido
10:00 a.m.-Noon Orador Invitado: Arturo Zavala, Univ. of Oregon, “Ser un Empresario Cultural”
Discusión: Impedimentos y Oportunidades para artistas tradicionales en rural NY Almuerzo proveido para participantes de primer sesión
1:30-2:30 p.m. Talleres de artes y danza
2:30-3:30 p.m. Presentación de Baile Folklórico con Borinquen Dance Theatre y Alma Latina

Born in Santa Ana, California to immigrant parents from Mexico, Arturo Zavala comes from a long line of mariachi musicians. He has been performing professionally since the age of fourteen and has been involved in the mariachi education movement for over a decade. He earned his master’s degree in Arts Administration from the University of Oregon with the subject of his Master’s thesis being cultural entrepreneurship within community musical settings.

Borinquen Dance Theatre of Rochester was founded in 1981 by Nydia Padilla Rodriguez. It provides at-risk Hispanic and other youth in the Rochester region with cultural opportunities to foster physical and emotional well-being and to build self-esteem, confidence, maturity, and a dedicated work ethic.

The Alma Latina (Latin Soul) Dance Group, led by Leonel Rosario, focuses on the regional dance styles of Mexico. While the Rosario family is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, Alma Latina is based in Albion, New York.