This May, we invite you to broaden your interest in culture by visiting one (or several) of these exhibitions available to you and your companions throughout the month.
If you'd like to find more museums around the island to visit, see our list of recommendations.
1. Decadencia Tropical
Through a collection of 22 works depicting urban landscapes overtaken by nature, painter Rogelio Báez Vega sought to highlight the contrast between the progress of Puerto Rico's past industrialization project and the deterioration that the economic crisis has brought to society and its institutions.
The exhibition will be open to the public through Saturday, Aug. 10, at Museo de Arte y Diseño de Miramar (MADMi), in Santurce.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To round out the visit: Wednesday through Sunday, fans of interactive experiences can stop by Paint-In Memories, a few minutes from the museum, where you can explore your artistic side over a glass of wine.
2. José campeche lo pintó
Open to the public through this Sunday, May 5, the collection of the Arquidiócesis de San Juan consists of 61 pieces, including 23 by the distinguished Puerto Rican painter José Campeche y Jordán.
The works, of significant religious and historical value, also offer a glimpse into what San Juan looked like and how people lived there in the 18th century, giving them an architectural importance that cannot be overlooked.
Hours: Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To round out the visit: If your outing calls for a laugh, get tickets to see the Standoperos, just steps away at the café theater Puntofijo at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré.
3. Puerto Rico Negrx
The exhibition Puerto Rico Negrx, with institutional support from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santurce (MAC), aims to highlight and inspire dialogue around the legacy of Blackness on the Island and its social dynamics within Puerto Rican society.
The show, featuring more than 30 Afro-Puerto Rican and Caribbean artists, will be open through September.
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To round out the visit: Take a turn through Santurce's nightlife. We recommend music shows at La Respuesta or stand-up sets at Café Teatro El Shorty, for example.
4. Un grito social: Manifestaciones de la violencia en el grabado
The Galería Francisco Oller in the Luis Palés Matos (LPM) building, part of the Museo de la UPR de Río Piedras, hosts a series of silkscreens, woodcuts and other printmaking styles that document the mark of violent events in Puerto Rico's past.
The exhibition, free and open to the public, addresses topics such as repression, poverty and crime in the Puerto Rican social imagination.
Hours: Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To round out the visit: History enthusiasts may want to discover other museums that match their interests, such as the Museo de las Américas, steps from the Cuartel de Ballajá.
5. Los Naipes
From Thursday, May 2, through Tuesday, May 14, the colorful Galería Guatibirí, in Río Piedras, will bring together a never-before-exhibited collection of playing cards created by artist Alfonso Muñoz Alma for the #60 anniversary of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP).
Each card features a stylized illustration of a figure from Puerto Rican history, so you can discover them while enjoying the space with others in a fun setting.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To round out the visit: If you get hungry, walk over to the Paseo de Diego, where you'll find spots like the pizzeria Selena, known for its New York-style pizzas.
6. Bajo Presión
La Poli/Gráfica de Puerto Rico: América Latina y el Caribe (PGPR) is Puerto Rico's longest-running visual arts event, and this edition features more than 100 local and international participants. More than 300 works will be on display, exploring the existential, economic and sociopolitical pressures facing those who live in the Western Hemisphere.
The event runs through Sept. 15 at the Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española and the Galería de la Sede of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP), in Old San Juan.
7. The Mythic and the Sacred
To mark the 21st anniversary of its permanent collection, the Museo de Arte de Bayamón (MAB) explores divine and ancestral themes through artistic representations of living things, whether animals, humans or plants.
The exhibition, made up of 35 pieces, is free to visit.
Worth another visit?
If you manage to visit any of these exhibitions and enjoy the experience, we recommend following each institution's social media accounts to stay up to date on all their new offerings for you and your family.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
