Keepers of Heritage Artists Donate 25 Works to National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
- Team Acacia
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Pieces Include Sculpture, Photography, Paintings From “Hidden Tales” Exhibition
CHICAGO, Illinois (June 30, 2025) – Keepers of Heritage Collective, an extended collaborative whose mission is the preservation and presentation of the contribution of Puerto Rican artists in the Caribbean archipelago and abroad, today announced the historic donation of 25 works of art, presented to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture as the Museum celebrates its 25th anniversary. The artworks, which include paintings, engravings, drawings, photography, and sculpture, appeared in the Museum’s “Hidden Tales” exhibition, which closed on May 31, 2025.
Curated by Keepers of Heritage’s Yasir Nieves, “Hidden Tales” is the result of an extended collaboration among artists spanning three generations, who have committed to working together to achieve artistic representation of the Puerto Rican identity in museums and institutions. The exhibition explores and exposes narrative experiences from the angles of rejection, disappointment, or censorship that artists have faced, which are reflected in their work.
“There has never been a more important time to preserve and share the stories and art of Puerto Rico and the diaspora,” said National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture President Billy Ocasio. “As the Museum celebrates 25 years, this gift is humbling and ensures that our legacy is not only honored but expanded. These works tell powerful stories of resilience, creativity, and identity, and now they belong to the people.”
“The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, as the only self-standing museum dedicated to Puerto Rican artists outside of the island itself, is a natural home for these important works of art,” said Angel Rivera Morales, Director of Keepers of Heritage Collective. “The work the Museum is doing gives Puerto Rican artists the representation we deserve, preserving our stories and our culture for future generations.”
The donation, valued at over $160,000, includes José Feliciano Bonilla’s sculpture Fallen Angel; a series of digital photographs by Brenda Cruz; works by Carmelo Fontánez Cortijo, Francisco García Burgos, Angel Rivera Morales, Martín García Rivera, Joan Emanuelli Sanchez, Juan Nieves Burgos, Rafael Rivera Rosa, Gilbert Salinas, and Yasir Nieves; Transmigración, Carmen Rojas Gines’ steel sculpture; Michael Irrizary-Pagan’s Da Blind Leading da Blind…; and Pablo Rubio Sexto’s painting La batalla de los cielos.
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Images available for download at National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture Media Center at this link
ABOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PUERTO RICAN ARTS & CULTURE
The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (3015 W. Division St. in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood) is the only national museum outside of Puerto Rico dedicated to interpreting the arts and culture of the Puerto Rican people. Founded in 2000, it is housed in the historic landmark Humboldt Park Stables and Receptory, near the Paseo Boricua. For more information: https://nmprac.org/
ABOUT THE KEEPERS OF HERITAGE COLLECTIVE
Keepers of Heritage is an extended collaborative effort whose purpose is to document, present and promote the contributions of artists of Puerto Rican artists in the Caribbean archipelago and abroad. Its roots go back to 2015 with the presentation of the “La Diaspora” exhibition at the Terrace Gallery in Orlando City Hall. Since then, the collective has expanded and traveled to institutions such as the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago, the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, and the Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park, Florida.
