MexCulture in the Heights

Join us for an afternoon of live music and art for all ages and explore the exhibitions American Travelers and Art as Solidarity. Decorate vases with Andrea Arroyo inspired by the 18th Century Talavera from Puebla, make paper flowers, and enjoy a soulful performance by singer Claudia Valentina Montes

This program is presented in collaboration with the Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

About Claudia Valentina Montes

​​Claudia Valentina Montes is a singer, dancer, and songwriter, born in LA and raised by Mexican and Jamaican parents in NY, where she studied both music and dance from a very early age. Niece of Jamaican reggae icon Tyrone "Garth" Evans of The Paragons, she followed her uncle's musical footsteps, and her voice has been enveloping listeners in a soulful balm since 2007 at venues such as Joe's Pub, Carnegie Hall, and the Shanghai Expo. She has also recorded and toured the US/Mexico with Latin Grammy Award-winning/Grammy-nominated all-female mariachi band, Flor de Toloache, Grammy Award-winning Dan Zanes, and Afro-Mexican band Jarana Beat.

In the Spring of 2019, Claudia headlined the closing of the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum after returning from a successful tour in Andalucía, Spain, and in 2021 she launched her first single entitled "Fall in Time" with guest appearances by Felipe Fournier and John Benitez.

Claudia evokes sounds of reflection with an array of music that draws from the sum of all her parts, that while deeply rooted in the golden era of Mexican music and its traditions, navigates through time across the world to create a very distinct sound. It is an emotional journey inward that she reaches towards with her audience, invoking profound essences of Chavela Vargas, Gal Costa, Juan Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, and more.

About the exhibitions

American Travelers: A Watercolor Journey Through Spain, Portugal, and Mexico. Featuring the Contemporary Works of Timothy J. Clark

This exhibition showcases watercolors by early twentieth-century United States artists painted in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Works by Hassam, Kuehne, Edwards, Peixotto, Robinson, Peets, and Petrovic are presented in conjunction with a suite of recent watercolor paintings by contemporary artist Timothy J. Clark. The paintings depict monuments, interiors, and cityscapes, both with figures and as compositions in themselves, as well as still lifes.

Art as Solidarity by Andrea Arroyo is an ongoing series of artworks by Andrea Arroyo. They are created in response to contemporary societal issues that we face collectively on a daily basis, such as immigration, civil and gender rights, displacement, violence, international conflicts, and the environmental crisis.

Andrea Arroyo is an award-winning artist working in a wide range of media, including painting, artists' books, mixed media, digital art, public art, and site-specific installation.

About the Hispanic Society Museum and Library

The Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington (1870-1955) with the object of establishing a free, public museum and reference library for the study of the art and culture of Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Philippines. HSM&L houses a vast collection of paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, and photographs, as well as sculpture and decorative objects dating from the first millennium BCE to the 20th century. As HSM&L continues comprehensive renovation of the Museum's Main Building, it has maintained public and educational programs both on virtual platforms and in person, including concerts, public lectures, and temporary exhibitions. They have also reactivated the outdoor space with exhibitions and public programs on Audubon Terrace in partnership with several local artists and community arts organizations.

About Mano a Mano Mexican Culture Without Borders

Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders (MexCulture) is a New York-based non-profit organization 501(c)(3) dedicated to celebrating Mexican culture and promoting the understanding of Mexican traditions.

Note: The music and Art Making is an outdoor event. All visitors to the indoor gallery space and restrooms must wear face masks.