We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angel Rivera Morales a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Angel Rivera Puerto Rican art and cultural management in Central Florida

My name is Angel Rivera Morales. I am a visual artist raised in Caimito San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have been dedicated to art practice for nearly twenty years. After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Puerto Rico I presented my work in several museums and galleries on the island between 2006 and 2012.
In 2012 I settled with my family in Kissimmee, Florida. During the first years of discovering how the cultural environment of Central Florida worked, I understood that it was necessary to generate projects that would promote the dissemination of Puerto Rican art, I understood that more than a tourist destination surrounded by residences cut from the same scissors in the style of the movie “Edward Scissor Hands”, Orlando is a young city in constant growth that is shaping up like a blank canvas; a meadow where a good seed can grow to shade generations to come. Being able to establish a Puerto Rican cultural bastion in the area is necessary to strengthen the flow of exchange that has begun to awaken between the island of Puerto Rico and established Puerto Rican communities in cities like New York, Chicago, and Connecticut, among others. Which for decades have been organizing and working to give visibility to our identity in the diaspora.

Why is this cultural bridge important?

The economic recession that Puerto Rico experienced around 2010 caused a massive exodus that increased in 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Today the presence of Puerto Ricans has increased considerably in many communities in the United States.
This has fostered a more direct dialogue between the new generations. This dialogue has been enriched by the phenomenon of social networks, easy access to information, and new communication methods. In recent years, many Puerto Ricans residing in different states are more than ever interested, committed, and concerned with the current and future situation of Puerto Rico. Similarly, the displacement of Puerto Ricans and their integration into communities in the diaspora has fostered a new dialogue on the artistic contributions that Puerto Ricans have been doing in these communities since the beginning of the 20th century.

The lack of connections and previous limitations in communications have prevented documenting, sharing, and preserving the admirable contributions to art made by the Puerto Ricans, especially from the diaspora. I recognize and praise the great work done by institutions such as the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, Museo del Barrio, and the National Museum of Puerto Rican Art and Culture in Chicago, among others. I understand that it is essential that the institutions in Puerto Rico and abroad join this collaborative effort and contribute to establishing a strong cultural bridge to support and foster cultural patrimony and its creators.

On the current situation in Central Florida. What has been my management?

As a Puerto Rican artist residing in Central Florida. The work that I have done since my arrival has transcended the boundaries of my practice. It has become a job collaboration and self-management through which support ties have been established creating opportunities for Puerto Rican artists. My work as an independent cultural manager has included identifying and documenting compatriot artists of considerable contribution and trajectory that have been out of the knowledge of Puerto Rican institutions and presenting them in exhibition projects together with colleagues residing in Puerto Rico creating an active and dynamic bridge to connect stories and shorten distances.
Unlike cities like New York and Chicago, where cultural activity has developed as a scream for resistance and affirmation of identity. Central Florida exhibits the characteristics of a relatively young metropolis that is just beginning to articulate itself. The city of Orlando has been growing dramatically in recent decades, being one of the favorite destinations of Hispanics, migrants, and residents of other states who have arrived attracted by the weather and tourist attractions.
However, although many artists have come to establish themselves in this area to expand their practices and explore new opportunities, there are limited spaces for cultural events that open their doors to artists of Hispanic origin. Most opportunities arise exclusively during Hispanic Heritage month or require artists to pay to participate. As a result, many artists are forced to get jobs in theme parks or educational centers, putting their practices in second place. Some even end up giving up creating art because they don’t find the needed support.

Being able to generate a solid and stable platform that supports local and migrant artists, is necessary, but requires extensive, unpaid fieldwork. It is hard to find committed volunteers willing to collaborate selflessly. In this sense, my methodology has been to establish collaboration networks between colleagues who share the common vision of contributing and building creative projects with an educational purpose.
I realized that to build a project with a solid base was necessary to concentrate more on
content, mission, and projection rather than immediate results. Our first collective presentation “La Diaspora” was exhibited in galleries in Orlando and surrounding areas. The first version of the project included ten Puerto Rican artists residing in Central Florida. In 2017 we faced one of the biggest challenges by presenting “La Diaspora” in the recently inaugurated National Museum of Puerto Rican Art and Culture in Chicago. This version of the project incorporated four long-standing master artists and a tribute to master Domingo Garcia. A more comprehensive version of this exhibition was later presented at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, Florida, in 2018. After this, the project evolved into the current “Keepers of Heritage” that includes over 20 artists with extensive experience belonging to different generations.

Simultaneously with this project, for five years I directed the gallery New Concept, which functioned as one of the few spaces in Central Florida dedicated to presenting and promoting the work of Puerto Rican artists. Between the years 2016 and 2021 I coordinated and presented about eight exhibitions, three of them collective and five individual. The work done in this space allowed us to consolidate the collective effort and articulate a team of volunteers that today continues collaborating on new projects.

Between 2019 and 2020, it was also possible to document the history of about ten of the artists included in the “Keepers of Heritage” collective through the history program Orange County History Center oral. During this time, we were also able to present versions of the collective at the Crealde art school and the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens both located in the Winterpark community north of Orlando. Although they have progress has been made regarding how the community receives these projects, there is still a long way to develop a solid cultural platform that fairly represents the Puerto Ricans in Central Florida. Despite the growing population of Hispanics in the area many of the institutions are still dominated by staff that ignores the idiosyncrasy and identity of the growing Hispanic population that has made Central Florida his new home.
The greatest satisfaction that this endeavor has given me is being able to serve as a vehicle to document and share light on the work of colleagues who I understand have made a valuable contribution to our cultural heritage. The interesting thing about this movement is that it has been generated and nurtured by professional artists and educators who have a clear vision of the need and potential of this type of work down the road. Their faith in the project and unconditional willingness have been key to the success of the projects carried out.
Our effort incorporates and collaborates with different necessary agents in this type of endeavor. Through the years have joined our cause art critics, historians, journalists, communication professionals, publications, framers, and members of the Puerto Rican community who participate as an audience and support the initiative. Unlike other movements that subsist through the influence of donations or fee-based, we operate in a dynamic way that adapts to circumstances and is kept alive through the trust and goodwill of the components. In this way, we have been able to stay true to our mission without succumbing to outside interests that undermine our credibility and purpose.
Although I recognize that there is still a long way to go before we can establish a Hispanic or Puerto Rican cultural space at the level of institutions achieved in states like Chicago and New York. I believe in the importance and need for a space of this nature in Central Florida and understand that it will be key to a future network of connections between cultural institutions in Puerto Rico and the diaspora that allows our culture to flow and grow freely. Let the stories be rescued of artists whose life and work is an important part of our national heritage, including those who rest in some cold cellar, in some remote place, and that our artists can export culture in an unprecedented way.
I am pleased to share that, although at a slow pace we have seen how in recent years our management begins to bear fruit by creating support links. One of these is the recent collaboration with colleague Melanie Maldonado from the Puerto Rican Organization for the Performing Arts following the unfortunate departure of fellow artist Hiram Maristany. a bust sculpture was created by various members of the Keepers del Heritage collective and presented as a sign of respect for the life and work of Don Hiram in the framework of the posthumous tribute held at the Museo del Barrio in New York last May. We understand that actions of this nature in the field of the arts are necessary and pressing. Puerto Rico has an admirable pool of artistic talent. Together we can achieve goals that today look distant for the benefit of our communities and future generations.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Ángel Rivera-Morales was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1981. In 1999, he enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico where he met artists Rafael Rivera-Rosa, Martín García, Jaime Romano and Susana Herrero. These brilliant professors made an immense impact on his art education, creative life, and long-lasting friendships. Between the years 2003 and 2006, Angel developed his own body of artwork and participated in numerous group shows.
In 2006, he received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, with a major in Painting from the University of Puerto Rico. From 2006 to 2012, his works were displayed in major art galleries, around Puerto Rico. Three individual exhibitions in 2008, 2009, and 2010 in a renowned gallery in San Juan with over 60 works acquired by private collectors, established his name as a promising professional artist.

In 2012, Mr. Rivera relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he has been working diligently to broaden his reputation as an artist in Central Florida. Mr. Rivera also Presided and Directed the collective art exhibits “La Diaspora” and “Keepers of Heritage”: Projects developed by special invitation and collaboration with some of Puerto Rico’s finest, Master painters, sculptors, and graphic artists A multifaceted artist as well, Mr. Rivera, has contributed and impacted much, to the arts in the community and museums in Chicago, Ill. Ocala and Orlando, Fl.

For five years he directed the alternative space New Concept Barbershop and Art Gallery in Orlando, Florida. Where he presented collective and individual exhibitions with fellow professional artists between 2016 and 2021.

In 2020 his painting “Surviving Florida” was awarded the cover of the Orlando Journal Book of Lists. One of the main publications for corporations and businesses in the area.

In 2021 Angel Rivera-Morales enrolled at Jacksonville University as a candidate for the Master’s in

Fine Arts graduate program.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Creating art is like taking a very deep breath. Every new particle of oxygen in the bloodstream flows with thousands of different impressions and questions. Expressing my ideas is accepting the quest in developing a visual interpretation, and I am in the process of creation. It is like struggling with the multiple challenges that life delivers. This has been the way to describe the creative process along with my career. As a visual artist, I absorb unconsciously a heavy amount of information from my surroundings. Experiences and emotions weigh so much on the soul of an individual. Art is a catharsis. Without education, expressions of the self can turn to be destructive. Knowledge and information are powerful tools of communication. When used with passion, commitment, and discipline, energy is not wasted and can be channelized to its full potential. The creative process is the sum of everything and the absence of everything. To be submerged in the abyss of the surface emptiness, and to find a way back or a way out. Life and love are catalysts. Time and space define the context. Concept and method are in constant dialogue with the inner self. Research, experimentation, trial, and error, work together attempting to evolve like life itself. Failure and fearlessness are some of my weaknesses. Which I battle every day not giving up myself. Faith and perseverance are the only way to grow. To stop growing is the beginning of the end.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is to connect, learn and grow. The journey of an artist is tough but fulfilling. Art will always give you back what you put into it with incalculable rewards. As an artist, you learn how the secret of life is all about how we find balance and harmony in all we do. The process is the real gain at the end of the road. The living experience, the challenge, and the understanding in order to appreciate everything and everyone that surrounds us is the biggest reward. As artists, we do not take anything for granted and everything that comes to us is a blessing. Life itself with its ups a downs is a blessing too.

Contact Info:

• Website: angelriveramorales.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelriveramorales/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alriveramorales/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angel-rivera-34684959/