El Museo del Barrio

Description:

• What started in 1969 with a small display in a classroom in East Harlem is today the only museum in America dedicated to Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American art. The northernmost Museum Mile institution has a permanent exhibit ranging from pre-Columbian artifacts to photographic art and video. The display of santos de palo (wood-carved religious figurines) is noteworthy, as is "Taíno, Ancient Voyagers of the Caribbean," dedicated to the highly developed cultures that Columbus encountered when he landed in the "New World." The well-curated exhibitions tend to focus on 20th-century artists and contemporary subjects. A massive renovation closed the gallery space through summer of 2009, but by the time you read this, the expanded galleries should be in operation.

• © Frommer's 2013