La Casita is a vibrant arts and learning center supported by The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University to advance an educational and cultural agenda of civic engagement through research, cultural heritage preservation, media and the arts, bridging Hispanic communities of Syracuse University and Central New York. GALLERY HOURS Monday - Friday 12pm - 5pm, or by appointment Guided tours available by appointment, in English and Spanish. For more information, please contact us. Tel: (315) 443-2151 | Email: lacasita@syr.edu
SUPPORT FOR THIS PROGRAM COMES FROM:
2016
BALCóN CRIOLLO ¡Familia! Latinos in Baseball
La Casita is managed by the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community (OCE) at The College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University. OCE is the gateway to cultural interactions and parnterships with Hispanic communities across the campus, the city of Syracuse and the Central New York region. Its mission is to enhance the student experience through collegial and professional alliances, human capital building and cross-cultural immersion. Nancy Cantor Warehouse, Suite 005 350 W Fayette St., Syracuse NY 13204 Tel: (315) 443-6410 | Web: culturalengagement.syr.edu
LA CASITA CULTURAL CENTER 109 Otisco St. Syracuse, NY 13204 (315) 443-2151 | lacasita@syr.edu
ABOUT THE
BALCóN La Casita’s signature show and an established tradition, “Balcón Criollo” celebrates the history and culture of Hispanic communities in Central New York. A gallery-wide installation features over a hundred community-sourced photographs, collectibles, relics, family keepsakes, devotional images and other meaningful pieces that relate real-life stories of our Latino families and communities.
The model of this project is inspired by the work of Puerto Rican artist Pepón Osorio. The project evolves from the spirit of his vision, which uniquely bridges museum installation with field-based community engagement. The porch or balcón represents the part of our home and our lives where we connect with our community.
¡Familia! The 2016 Balcón Criollo is a showcase of our beautiful FAMILIAS, presenting a significant collection of family photos, traditional costumes, heirlooms, diaries, mementos, all things that have a special meaning for us and that celebrate our Latino family story. Pieces loaned for the exhibit are carefully cataloged and preserved in digital form by La Casita’s Cultural Memory Archive. Collecting and digitization of the pieces is a year-round project, which allows for new displays at various times of the year.
Baseball “Latinos and Baseball: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues” is a national community collecting initiative at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. La Casita Cultural Center at Syracuse University is one of a dozen partners in this nationwide project. “Latinos and Baseball” traces the role baseball has played, socially and culturally, in Latino communities across the country. This collecting project builds on a growing body of original research, oral histories, and collections by and with Smithsonian partners, to document the impact of Latino communities on American history and culture. Baseball is an important lens through which to look at ethnic identities and reflect on the lives and histories of our communities. The 2016 baseball memorabilia collection presented at La Casita, explores the national pastime in Central New York and the role of Latinos in it for over a century. The project is uncovering extraordinary stories from youth and amateur leagues of today all the way to historic moments in the professional and mayor leagues, many of them long forgotten and rediscovered through this research and collecting initiative. Latinos in Baseball is an on-going year-round project.
MARILÚ LÓPEZ FRETTS Guest artist and curator of the photography collection for the Balcón Criollo, Marilú López Fretts focused the attention on documenting the experiences of our local baseball community during its 2015 spring/summer season. She is also a member of the La Casita’s Advisory Board. A native of Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, she currently resides in Syracuse, NY. Her work appears in a variety of media outlets and organizations, including the Associated Press (AP), Gannett News, CNY Latino, Indian Country Today, Native Peoples magazine, the Smithsonian’s New Museum of the American Indian, the Syracuse Post-Standard, Utica Daily News, and the Utica Observer Dispatch. Her work with Oneida Indian Nation has led her to document events of the Native Nations across the U.S. She has also worked extensively in the advertising industry (Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO, among others), and has exhibited her work in various group exhibitions in San Juan. Marilú has a B.A. in Public Communications from the University of Puerto Rico, and in 2011 completed her M.A. in Photography at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
ABOUT THE
BALCóN La Casita’s signature show and an established tradition, “Balcón Criollo” celebrates the history and culture of Hispanic communities in Central New York. A gallery-wide installation features over a hundred community-sourced photographs, collectibles, relics, family keepsakes, devotional images and other meaningful pieces that relate real-life stories of our Latino families and communities.
The model of this project is inspired by the work of Puerto Rican artist Pepón Osorio. The project evolves from the spirit of his vision, which uniquely bridges museum installation with field-based community engagement. The porch or balcón represents the part of our home and our lives where we connect with our community.
¡Familia! The 2016 Balcón Criollo is a showcase of our beautiful FAMILIAS, presenting a significant collection of family photos, traditional costumes, heirlooms, diaries, mementos, all things that have a special meaning for us and that celebrate our Latino family story. Pieces loaned for the exhibit are carefully cataloged and preserved in digital form by La Casita’s Cultural Memory Archive. Collecting and digitization of the pieces is a year-round project, which allows for new displays at various times of the year.
Baseball “Latinos and Baseball: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues” is a national community collecting initiative at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. La Casita Cultural Center at Syracuse University is one of a dozen partners in this nationwide project. “Latinos and Baseball” traces the role baseball has played, socially and culturally, in Latino communities across the country. This collecting project builds on a growing body of original research, oral histories, and collections by and with Smithsonian partners, to document the impact of Latino communities on American history and culture. Baseball is an important lens through which to look at ethnic identities and reflect on the lives and histories of our communities. The 2016 baseball memorabilia collection presented at La Casita, explores the national pastime in Central New York and the role of Latinos in it for over a century. The project is uncovering extraordinary stories from youth and amateur leagues of today all the way to historic moments in the professional and mayor leagues, many of them long forgotten and rediscovered through this research and collecting initiative. Latinos in Baseball is an on-going year-round project.
MARILÚ LÓPEZ FRETTS Guest artist and curator of the photography collection for the Balcón Criollo, Marilú López Fretts focused the attention on documenting the experiences of our local baseball community during its 2015 spring/summer season. She is also a member of the La Casita’s Advisory Board. A native of Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, she currently resides in Syracuse, NY. Her work appears in a variety of media outlets and organizations, including the Associated Press (AP), Gannett News, CNY Latino, Indian Country Today, Native Peoples magazine, the Smithsonian’s New Museum of the American Indian, the Syracuse Post-Standard, Utica Daily News, and the Utica Observer Dispatch. Her work with Oneida Indian Nation has led her to document events of the Native Nations across the U.S. She has also worked extensively in the advertising industry (Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO, among others), and has exhibited her work in various group exhibitions in San Juan. Marilú has a B.A. in Public Communications from the University of Puerto Rico, and in 2011 completed her M.A. in Photography at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
La Casita is a vibrant arts and learning center supported by The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University to advance an educational and cultural agenda of civic engagement through research, cultural heritage preservation, media and the arts, bridging Hispanic communities of Syracuse University and Central New York. GALLERY HOURS Monday - Friday 12pm - 5pm, or by appointment Guided tours available by appointment, in English and Spanish. For more information, please contact us. Tel: (315) 443-2151 | Email: lacasita@syr.edu
SUPPORT FOR THIS PROGRAM COMES FROM:
2016
BALCóN CRIOLLO ¡Familia! Latinos in Baseball
La Casita is managed by the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community (OCE) at The College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University. OCE is the gateway to cultural interactions and parnterships with Hispanic communities across the campus, the city of Syracuse and the Central New York region. Its mission is to enhance the student experience through collegial and professional alliances, human capital building and cross-cultural immersion. Nancy Cantor Warehouse, Suite 005 350 W Fayette St., Syracuse NY 13204 Tel: (315) 443-6410 | Web: culturalengagement.syr.edu
LA CASITA CULTURAL CENTER 109 Otisco St. Syracuse, NY 13204 (315) 443-2151 | lacasita@syr.edu