Chocolate Art and Crafts in Philadelphia

Chocolate Art and Crafts owner Eva Hernández (right) with her sister Perla (left) and Raíces Culturales Co-Founder Yolanda Alcorta

 

One of the gems of the increasingly diverse Latino community in Philadelphia is the crafts store in the Italian Market in South Philadelphia called "Chocolate Art and Crafts." Its owner, Eva Hernández, dedicates herself to using crafts to show positive images of her home country of Mexico. Raíces Culturales Co-Founder Yolanda Alcorta visited the store in 2019 and found in Eva a willing collaborator in Raíces programming. Fortunately, Eva's store survived the pandemic and along with her sister Perla, will also collaborate with Raíces in a program on Sunday, October 24 dedicated to chocolate and its origins, along with the local organization Penn's Village. Check the Raíces website www.raicesculturales.org for details as the date approaches!

Some of the many treasures available at Chocolate Art and Crafts

The Relationship Between My Travel and Our Nonprofit Arts Organization "Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas" (Latin American Cultural Roots)

One of countless performances by our organization Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots)

In an earlier post, I gave some thought as to why I have never had the desire to become a "travel nomad" as many have done, in order to sample the world and experience the freedom that being tied down to a specific place does not provide. While there are plenty of practical reasons related to family obligations and other considerations, one that is especially relevant is that, from the time I started traveling, I always had the desire to bring back what I had seen and learned in my travels to the people back home in the States. This especially took root after I returned from a year of graduate study at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia in 1981, under the auspices of the Fulbright program. After a decade of interacting with the Latino community of Philadelphia, I decided to start a nonprofit arts organization in 1991 showcasing the culture of Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean, which we named Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots). Fortunately, I had met a short time before a woman named Yolanda Alcorta who happened to be a co-worker of mine at Wyeth Laboratories and who shared the same passion, so together we started Raíces and worked together nonstop for 15 years until she moved to Washington, DC.

Yolanda Alcorta and I in front of the Raíces banner

The Raíces concept was to showcase several Latin cultures together in a single performance so that the audience could see the diversity. To achieve this end, we reached out to many performing groups and individuals in the Philadelphia area to invite them to collaborate with us, which they did. Ultimately, we presented at least some manifestation of the culture of every Latin American nation, as well as Spain. Groups came and went, but we always had the assistance of several of them when it came time to perform, or deliver a workshop to a school. Such was Yolanda's devotion that she quit her job at Wyeth to become our first full-time Executive Director, while her husband Chris supported their family financially.

Yolanda's mother Elvira Gaitán was born in Guatemala, and as such Yolanda gravitated toward her family in Guatemala and the richness of that country's culture in her travels. She brought back much research material from Guatemala, while I did the same in Colombia while visiting my wife Adriana's family there. We both tried to take in as much traditional culture as we could during our visits. Later, with the assistance of organizations such as Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pew Foundation, we traveled to other regions, among them Puerto Rico, Spain, and Trinidad to do research to assist us in organizing performances in Philadelphia.

Visiting Seville, Spain in 2006 with Julia López (seated, right), flamenco instructor and then director of the  Philadelphia flamenco troupe Flamenco Olé, to do research on the Feria de Abril (April Fair) and learn more about flamenco. I'm standing with Juan Iglesias and Nancy Hill, one of Julia's students. Juan Iglesias' wife is seated at left.

It goes without saying that traveling to these locations helped us enormously in our mission to render faithfully the cultures we witnessed, as well as create a storehouse of memories and "between the lines" anecdotal experiences that found their way into our events. Attendees would notice these subtleties and sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, felt an air of authenticity that would have been impossible without our travels. For Yolanda and myself, the events and the audience's reaction provided us with great satisfaction.

A footnote is that our direct involvement in Raíces initially ended in 2006 for Yolanda, and for me in 2009. Verónica Castillo-Pérez succeeded Yolanda as Executive Director from 2006 to 2012, and Mary Rivera from 2012 to 2015. To provide the Raíces Board an alternative to closing the organization in 2015 due to funding issues, I offered to take back the organization's management, which was accomplished in 2016. Yolanda enthusiastically joined me, and since then, we have created events both in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, helped by Yolanda's freelance cultural work in DC since moving there. You can read the story in my article Michael and Yolanda, Raíces Co-Founders, Retake the Reins.

You can follow Raíces more closely via our website , our Facebook pages Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas (in English) and Folklorelatino (in Spanish), and our Twitter account @RaicesCultural .

Feria del Barrio in Philadelphia: A True Community Festival, taking place on Sunday, September 23

Longtime Philly resident Elba Dormoi showing her ornate Panamanian pollera at the Feria in 2017

The Latino community of Philadelphia is an integral part of the city's tourism offerings. At a short distance from the center of town, many cultural manifestations such as food are available. With that in mind, tours were developed hitting some of the key community centers and sampling the culture.

One event located in this same community is the Feria del Barrio, which loosely translated means Neighborhood Block Party, but in reality this is a larger festival than a typical block party. This event has been in existence since 1979 and is an important component of the Latino community's efforts to affirm and celebrate their heritage with performances, food, crafts and activities for kids. I always like to participate in these events as a way to experience the culture when I can't travel to the countries directly.

I have been to so many of the Ferias over the years that I've lost count, but I can say that I've been more involved in its planning starting in 2016 via the organization I co-founded with Yolanda Alcorta in 1991, Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots), or Raíces for short (www.raicesculturales.org). The event this year takes place Sunday, September 23, from noon to 5 pm and stretches north two blocks from 5th and Huntingdon Streets to 5th and Somerset Streets, with the main stage in the middle at 5th St. and Lehigh Ave. The co-sponsors along with Raíces are Taller Puertorriqueño, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, and HACE (Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises), along with Telemundo 62. We are especially enthusiastic this year because we are increasing our cultural offerings at our tables in front of the Taller Puertorriqueño's beautiful modern facility, opened in 2016. We'll feature workshops from the performing groups Inca Wayra, Ballet Folklórico Yaretzi, and Raíces Boricuas, as well as a Guatemalan weaver. The website is feria.tallerpr.org if you want to learn more.

Panamanian pollera on display on mural in Philadelphia

Thanks to Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program, the images of some of the artists who have promoted Latin American culture in the region have been captured on the walls of the office of Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas ("Latin American Cultural Roots"), a nonprofit arts organization that I co-founded in 1991 along with Yolanda Alcorta. One of these is Elba Dormoi, who came to the United States from Panama at an early age and promoted both the folk dances of her country and the popular salsa and merengue dance rhythms for over 40 years in conjunction with her husband, the late Ted Dormoi. This mural shows her wearing the beautiful pollera, the dress most identified with Panama. If you're interested in seeing this mural firsthand, go to the corner of 5th and Somerset Streets in North Philadelphia and walk a half block east along Somerset Street to see the full mural. Elba's likeness appears at the back of the building facing Orkney Street.

This description of the pollera comes from the book Festivals and Dances of Panama by Lila R. Cheville and Richard A. Cheville:

The pollera is spectacular from a distance, but closer observation reveals a folk art of exceptional skill and complexity. Almost every part of the dress is made by hand, from the attractive embroidery on the blouse and skirt to the delicate ornaments tucked around the gold combs in the hair. Visitors should not hesitate to approach the lady empollerada to examine the craftsmanship visible in each flower, the delicacy of the stitches in the gathers, and the painstaking skill reflected in the handmade lace decorating the ruffles. She is proud of her pollera and genuinely pleased to display her dress and her jewelry.


One of the most satisfying things for me is to have seen this organization grow and establish a presence in the Latino community in Philadelphia, promoting the culture of the entire Latin American region through the collaboration of all those who have performed, displayed works of art or given workshops over the past 18 years, as well as those who have coordinated or done the less glamorous administrative work. You can go to the Raices website at www.raicesculturales.org to learn more about the organization and its programs.