Charting the transformative impact of Latinx communities in New York City
Historias is a multi-year, art and public humanities initiative led by The Clemente that re-centers Latinx narratives in New York City. This initiative uses cultural work to counter erasure through exhibitions, public programs, commissions, archival research and digital storytelling. Historias examines how Latinx communities have shaped the city’s neighborhoods, economies, social movements, spiritual practices, artistic expressions and built environments. It brings together artists, scholars, researchers, community partners, and cultural organizations to practice shared authorship and generate collective knowledge.
Unfolding across three phases: Sembradas, Entrecruzadas, and Reveladas, the initiative culminates with Historias Reveladas, a building-wide exhibition of more than 50 artists, celebrating Latinx cultural contributions as central to New York City's past, present and future.
Historias is presented in partnership with the LxNY Consortium, with support from the Lilly Endowment, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Teiger Foundation, and Howard Gilman Foundation.
Read the Artnet article about Historias
Read the Hyperallergic article about Historias
Historias: Unfolding in Three Phases
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Historias Sembradas
Sown Histories
Fall 2024–Spring 2025Historias Sembradas will introduce the initiative's key themes in the spirit of “thinking in public” through a series of partnered public programs and community events, collective research, and artist commissions. In this phase, Historias will begin cultivating narratives by testing ideas, seeding partnerships, and developing new artistic inquiries, setting the stage for deeper exploration.
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Historias Entrecruzadas
Interwoven Histories
Fall 2025-Spring 2026Historias Entrecruzadas will begin weaving and presenting a rich spectrum of narratives, unveiling Nueva York Chronicles as the digital cornerstone of Historias. Designed to consolidate community-driven scholarship into a dynamic, living archive, this platform will be accessible to scholars, artists, students, and the public. As the initiative’s “spinal cord,” Nueva York Chronicles (NY.C) is more than a survey of Latinx cultural histories, it is a bold reimagining of the intertwined narratives that have shaped both New York City and the Latinx diaspora. It illuminates the profound influence of Latinx communities on the evolution of NYC while also examining how the city, in turn, has shaped Latinx identities, cultural movements, and ancestral homelands.
Through its multimodal approach, Nueva York Chronicles will bridge historical gaps, consolidating dispersed archival resources and enriching them with newly uncovered stories, personal narratives, and visual documentation, ensuring a more comprehensive and nuanced representation of Latinx contributions to the city. -
Historias Reveladas
Histories Revealed
Fall 2026Historias Reveladas is the final, culminating phase of Historias. Alongside the long-anticipated reopening of The Clemente’s historic, newly ADA-compliant Lower East Side cultural center, Historias Reveladas will bring to life a building-wide exhibition of more than 50 artists, celebrating Latinx cultural contributions as central to New York City's past, present and future. Throughout the phase, signature series will continue with historical neighborhood tours, symposia, and citywide activations. This phase synthesizes the research and artistic works from the previous phases, celebrating Latinx contributions across NYC and promoting cross-cultural collaborations.
The Historias Reveladas exhibition will open on October 15th, 2026.
Historias Thematic Tracks:
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Urban Ecology
Latinx Spatial Stewardship
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Migration & Spiritual Belief
Crossing Borders
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Embodied Heritage
Music, Food, Play, and Street Life
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Everyday Poetics
Ritual and Resistance
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Material Culture & Memory
Diasporic Objects and Archives
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Labor & Commerce
Building Economies and Collective Power
Confirmed Partners
The Clemente is proud to partner with leading cultural and educational institutions across New York City to bring Historias to life. Our growing list of partners includes:
ABC No Rio, BAAD!, BRIC, Bronx Art Space, CentroPR Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, Columbia University Oral History Master of Arts, Dominican Studies Institute, El Museo del Barrio, Flushing Town Hall, ID Theater, Incite Institute, International Indigenous Hip Hop Festival, Kinfolk Foundation, La Marqueta, Latino Arts and Activisms (LAAS), Library of America (LOA), Mex Fest, MoMA PS1, Museum of the City in New York (MCNY), New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), Pace University, People's Theater Project, Performance Space New York, Public Art Fund, Queens Memory Project, Rutgers University, South Bronx Unite, Street Lab, Teatro LATEA, Tenement Museum, The Healing Project, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, World’s Borough Bookshop, Brooklyn Public Library
Join Us
Be part of this groundbreaking initiative, don’t miss the beat! Register for events, sign up for updates, and follow us on social media. Whether you’re a long-time advocate for cultural preservation or newly interested in Latinx narratives, Historias offers a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate together.
Confirmed Partners
The Clemente is proud to partner with leading cultural and educational institutions across New York City to bring Historias to life. Our growing list of partners includes:
Brooklyn Public Library, Library of America (LOA), BRIC, Public Art Fund, Tenement Museum, Street Lab, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, Kinfolk Foundation, Incite Institute, Latino Arts and Activisms (LAAS), LAZO Collective, Flushing Town Hall, ID Theater, BAAD!, Teatro LATEA, Performance Space New York and People's Theater Project.
Historias is organized by The Clemente’s Curatorial and Programs team: Libertad O. Guerra, Executive Director and Chief Curator; Sofía Reeser del Rio, Associate Director of Programs and Curator; and Sally Szwed, Strategic Growth and Special Projects Director.