Since the 1920’s, the City of Philadelphia has been an enclave for Latino immigrant workers in the manufacturing sector, giving rise to a vibrant Latino– still predominantly Puerto Rican– community. The largest wave of Puerto Ricans to Philadelphia was in the decades of the 50’s and 60’s when they arrived, from the island of Puerto Rico, mainly via the farms of New Jersey, or the cities of New York and Chicago. During those years, a vibrant manufacturing industry in North Philadelphia and near the piers, especially the sector of Northern Liberties, provided the conditions for work, housing and community.

In the 1950’s major Puerto Rican neighborhoods evolved around jobs, civic centers, small businesses and church in the sectors of Kensington, Northern Liberties, Spring Garden and Southwark. Similar to other communities, the drain of manufacturing jobs in the late 60’s and 70's, and the return of veterans from the Korean War, displaced many wage earners forcing many into welfare or to engage in informal economies to sustain their families. During the late 60’s and early 70’s a small group of Puerto Rican artists realized the need and importance of creating a gathering space to promote and practice Puerto Rican arts and culture. It was also an effort to teach youth, especially Puerto Rican youth about their culture through the rich tradition of Puerto Rican arts.  That was the beginning of Taller Puertorriqueño (Taller).

<strong>Founded in 1974, Taller has been “Building Community through Art Since 1974.”</strong>

Taller's work fills the gap of cultural programming on a community-wide basis.  Through our primarily free events, performances and gallery exhibitions, we strive to provide quality Latino arts and cultural programming to those who have little access. Taller has thrived in a community struggling with high unemployment and dropout rates, drugs, prejudice, and violence. This stands as a testament to the role Taller plays in celebrating this community’s strength, resilience, diversity and cultural richness. Taller brings Philadelphians together, locally and city wide, to experience the magical and transformational power of the arts.

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<strong>Taller's Main Programs at a glance include:</strong>

<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?--><strong>- <a title="Cultural Exploration Program" href="http://tallerpr.org/education/cultural-exploration-program/" target="_blank">Cultural Exploration Program (CEP)</a></strong> offering children and youth after school opportunities to explore Latino culture, learn skills in many arts disciplines, participate in a Homework Club, tutoring support and an all-day summer camp.

<strong>- <a title="Youth Artist Program" href="http://tallerpr.org/education/youth-artist-program/" target="_blank">Youth Artist Program (YAP)</a></strong> is a two-year program for high school students to develop artistic skills and produce a portfolio of work used to apply to arts colleges.

<strong>- <a title="Outreach" href="http://tallerpr.org/outreach-2/" target="_blank">Visítenos (Visit Us)</a></strong> occurs both on- and off-site and offers K-12 grade students and teachers exploration of Latino cultures that meet the criteria of Philadelphia School District Arts Standards and Multicultural Competencies.

<strong>- <a title="Memories in the Making" href="http://tallerpr.org/outreach-2/memories-in-the-making/" target="_blank">Memories in the Making (MIM)</a>,</strong> a collaboration with The Delaware Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, is an innovative art therapy program that enables Latino persons with dementia to express themselves through art.

<strong>- <a title="Research Archive" href="http://tallerpr.org/2014/01/19/research-archive/" target="_blank">Eugenio Maria de Hostos Archives (The Archives)</a></strong> for students and scholars includes a varied collection of books, periodicals, articles, oral histories and research focusing on Latino culture and history.

<strong>- <a title="Visual Arts Program" href="http://tallerpr.org/exhibitions/" target="_blank">Visual Arts Program (VAP)</a></strong> manages the galleries at Taller as the region's only art galleries dedicated to Latino art. Off-site exhibits provide additional access and audiences.

<strong>- <a title="Gift Shop" href="https://squareup.com/market/taller-puertorriqueno-inc" target="_blank">Julia de Burgos Gift Shop</a></strong>, a destination for original Latino artwork, crafts, jewelry and collectibles, serves as the only bilingual bookstore in the tri-state area. Augmenting the store are book readings and author presentations as part of its Meet the Author Series.

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<b>Annual and Ongoing Events</b>

<img alt="1548164_10152173137313679_940096570_o" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1548164_10152173137313679_940096570_o.jpg" width="307" height="278" />

<strong>Three Kings Day</strong>
Religious worship has served as the basis of cultural traditions throughout the world for centuries. Such is the case with the Puerto Rican tradition of El Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings’ Day), celebrating the day the Three Kings arrived with gifts to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Observed on January 6th, Taller Puertorriqueño and dozens of community volunteers and corporate partners use Three Kings’ Day to bring music and gifts to the children of the Eastern North Philadelphia community Taller calls home.

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<strong><a href="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/schomburg10.jpg"><img alt="schomburg10" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/schomburg10-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" /></a></strong>

<strong>Arturo A. Schomburg Symposium
</strong>Through presentations by distinguished scholars, a panel, plenaries and Q&amp;A sessions, we explore various aspects of the strong connections between Latino and African cultures. February.

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<strong>Spring Cultivation Event</strong>
In the Spring, we gather for a fundraiser for Taller in celebration of long-melted snow, budding flowers, and renewal. This event is always full of great food, art, conversation and networking.

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<strong>Feria del Barrio
</strong>On 5th Street between Lehigh and Cambria, this community-wide festival features a full afternoon of music, dance, and art. Feria del Barrio is a collaboration between Taller Puertorriqueño and local organizations Congreso de Latinos Unidos, HACE, and Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas. September.

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<strong>Thanksgiving Lunch
</strong>Each year on the day before Thanksgiving, Taller's staff organizes a warm lunch and provides clothing and canned/non-perishable groceries to people in need.

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<img alt="1487842_10152109151538679_1461038395_o" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1487842_10152109151538679_1461038395_o.jpg" width="368" height="280" /><strong></strong>

<strong>Parrandas in the/en el Barrio
</strong>During the December holiday season, this fundraiser for Taller celebrates traditional Parrandas, similar to the 'caroling' tradition. We gather together to sing and play instruments, raising spirits and bringing joy, unity and love to friends.

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We can be found through the web on these sites:

<a title="Youtube" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/theTallerPR" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/user/theTallerPR" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/youtube-logo-150x150.png" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="Taller's Google+" href="https://plus.google.com/+TallerprOrg/posts" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Google-Plus-Logo-150x150.png" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="Twitter Page" href="https://twitter.com/tallerpr" target="_blank"><img alt="twitter-logo-transparent" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/twitter-logo-transparent.png" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/tallerpr.org" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.facebook.com/tallerpr.org" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/images-150x150.jpg" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tpr_visual_arts/collections/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tpr_visual_arts/collections/" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Flickr-150x150.png" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="http://www.yelp.com/biz/taller-puertorriqueno-inc-philadelphia-2" href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/taller-puertorriqueno-inc-philadelphia-2" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.yelp.com/biz/taller-puertorriqueno-inc-philadelphia-2" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Yelp-Logo1-150x150.jpg" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="Taller Puertorriqueño's Events Pages" href="http://tallerpr.eventbrite.com" target="_blank"><img alt="http://tallerpr.eventbrite.com" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Eventbrite-Logo-300x101.jpeg" width="108" height="37" /></a>   <a title="Gift Shop Online Store" href="https://squareup.com/market/taller-puertorriqueno-inc" target="_blank"><img alt="Square_Logo_Portrait" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Square_Logo_Portrait-150x150.png" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a title="Vimeo Channel" href="https://vimeo.com/tallerpr" target="_blank"><img alt="vimeo-logo" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/vimeo-logo1-150x150.jpg" width="54" height="54" /></a>   <a href="https://foursquare.com/tallerpr" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone  wp-image-1406" alt="foursquare-logo" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/foursquare-logo.png" width="123" height="33" /></a>

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