Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira de Ponce

Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira de Ponce (English: Carmen Solá de Pereira Ponce Cultural Center) is the cultural center of the city of Ponce, and is located at 70 Cristina street in the Ponce Historic Zone, in Barrio Tercero, Ponce, Puerto Rico.[2] The Center is located in a structure designed in 1870, and it is currently used for educational and cultural activities as well as for art exhibits.[3] Centro Cultural de Ponce was founded on 12 November 1963.[4][5]

This article is about the Cultural Center. For the building housing this Center, see Residencia Ermelindo Salazar.
Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira de Ponce
Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira in Barrio Tercero, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Formation12 November 1963
TypeGovernment-owned corporation
Legal statusStatutory
PurposeEducational & Cultural development
Headquarters70 Cristina Street
Location
Coordinates18.01197°N 66.61259°W / 18.01197; -66.61259
Region served
Porta Caribe
Membership
Free
Official language
Spanish
President
Milagros Quiñones (2012– incumbent)
Key people
Presidents:

Helvetia Nicole
(1963–65)
Ariel Colón Clavell
(1965–75)
Héctor García
(1975–81)
Héctor Méndez Loucil
(1981–86)
Antonia Santiago
(1986–95)
Julio Rodríguez
(1995–97)
Héctor Estrada
(1997-01)
Iraida Muñiz
(2001–03)
Pedro Santiago
(2003–04)
Carmen Santiago
(2004–07)
José Balay Ruiz
(2007–12)[1]

Iris Torres
(? - Now)
Parent organization
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture
Budget
Not available
Staff
3
Volunteers
Not available
RemarksOwner: Government of Puerto Rico

History

Founded in 1963 by Judith Rodríguez Mirailh and Helvetia Nicole, the organization was originally called La Casa de la Cultura (The House of Culture).[6] Since its founding, Centro Cultural has been "actively promoting the artistic development on [Ponce]’s rich educational and intellectual environment",[7] including the Noches de Galería, "where renowned as well as promising painters, artisans and sculptors exhibit their works and showcase their talent."[7][8] The Centro Cultural de Ponce has occupied the structure at 70 Cristina Street since 1996. Prior to that its members met at members' homes and similar venues.[9]

Offerings

Among the Center's offerings are "Noches de Galería" during which the organization shows off artistic rendering by Ponceños and Puerto Ricans in general. Over 75 of these have taken place on a monthly basis since their inception. This offering started under the leadership of then Centro president and painter José Balay Ruiz.[10] Centro Cultural also organizes and directs the yearly Feria de Artesanías de Ponce, which take place at Plaza Las Delicias every year during the month of April.

Structure

The structure, located at 18° 0' 44.244" N, 66° 36' 39.9528" W,[11] was designed in 1870 by the Corsican architect Juan Bertoli Calderoni. Its style incorporates elements of Colonial Spanish and Ponce Creole architecture. Its courtyard is surrounded by a gallery.[2] The building was originally built as the former home of Ermelindo Salazar, a prominent landowner, merchant, banker, as well as mayor of Ponce in 1880.[2][7] In 1959 the building became the first home of the Museo de Arte de Ponce.[7][11] Museo de Arte de Ponce moved to its current facility on Avenida Las Americas in 1965, vacating the structure at 70 Cristina Street. In 1990, the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña restored the structure to house the first headquarters of the Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña.[12][13] The house has the distinction of being the first one in the city to be served by a private telephone line.[2] The line exclusively communicated the owners’ family residence with their commercial offices at the Ponce port. This was 17 years before the service finally arrived to the rest of the City.[7]

Carmen Solá de Pereira

The Center was named after Carmen Solá de Pereira, an outstanding educator and a representative from Ponce at the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly.[2] Solá de Pereira dedicated her life to the education of disadvantaged children. She was a teacher and school principal in La Cantera, an underprivileged community in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[7]

Presidents
  • Helvetia Nicole (1963–1965)
  • Ariel Colón Clavell (1965–1975)
  • Héctor García (1975–1981)
  • Héctor Méndez Loucil(1981–1986)
  • Antonia Santiago (1986–1995)
  • Julio Rodríguez (1995–1997)
  • Héctor Estrada (1997–2001)
  • Liarda Muñiz (2001–2003)
  • Pedro Santiago (2003–2004)
  • Carmen Santiago (2004–2007)
  • José Balay (2007–2012)
  • Iris Torres ( - Incumbent)

See also

References
  1. Incierto Futuro para el Centro Cultural. Jason Rodriguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 9 March 2011. Page 4.
  2. Centro Cultural Carmen Solá Vda. de Pereira. Archived 19 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Ponce, Ciudad Señorial: Atracciones Turisticas. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  3. Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira. in, Pa' Donde Voy PR! Pa' Donde Voy, Corp. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  4. Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945–2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 85-86.
  5. De fiesta el centro cultural ponceño. Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 30. Issue 1512. 21 November 2012. Page 28. (Title in printed edition: "En la antesala al medio siglo: el Centro Cultural de Ponce.") Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  6. Festeja medio siglo el Centro Cultural. Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. Year 32. Issue 1565. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 27 November 2013. Page 16. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  7. Cultural Center Carmen Solá de Pereira. TravelPonce.com. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  8. Artistas perpetúan a José Ayoroa Santaliz. Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  9. Festeja medio siglo el Centro Cultural. Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. Year 32. Issue 1565. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 27 November 2013. Page 16. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  10. Festeja medio siglo el Centro Cultural. Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. Year 32. Issue 1565. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 27 November 2013. Page 16. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  11. Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira. in, Discover Why Puerto Rico does it better. Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Government of Puerto Rico. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  12. Architecture. Magaly Rivera. Welcome to Puerto Rico. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  13. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, et al. Breviario sobre la Historia de Ponce y sus Principales Lugares de Interes. 1st ed. 1991. San Juan, PR: Model Offset Printing. pp. 129–132.

Further reading
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 15. Item 74. LCCN 92-75480
  • Vivien Mattei de Ortiz. "El Centro Cultural de Ponce." Anuario Quinta Feria Regional de Artesanias de Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. s.n. 1979. pp. 70-75. (CUTPO)
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 17. Item 85. LCCN 92-75480
  • Helvetia Nicole. "Breve reseña de la fundación del Centro Cultural de Ponce." Segunda Feria Regional de Artesanías de Ponce. Page 4. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Universitaria. 1976. (Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce, CUTPO)
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 17. Item 86. LCCN 92-75480
  • Joselyn M. Ortiz. "Fiesta en la 25 de Enero." La Perla del Sur. 24-30 de enero de 1996. pp. 22-23.
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 17. Item 87. LCCN 92-75480
  • Cruz Ortolaza. "Ponce es Ponce." Segunda Feria Regional de Artesanías de Ponce. Page 11. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Universitaria. 1976. (Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce, CUTPO)

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