Arts & Culture

BY CLAUDIA CEBALLOS ON JUNE 14, 2024

Playwright Erlina Ortiz delves into a myriad of emotions, resilience, brotherhood, love, and forgiveness in her unique musical work “Siluetas”. This one-of-a-kind production was released on May 29 at Temple University’s Randall Theater by Power Street Theatre Company.

BY CLAUDIA CEBALLOS AND ALEX PIZARRO ON MAY 15, 2024

iMPerRFeCT Gallery is currently showcasing “LATINAS IN PHILLY: These are our stories”. Curated by Ayiana Viviana, this multi-sensorial exhibition celebrates the artwork of fifteen Latina artists, including photographers, yarn artists, and painters. #Presente Media attended the Artist Talk on May 1st, where the public could hear firsthand from the artists about how their cultural and personal stories shaped their art. The colorful exhibition pieces highlight the creativity, strength, and power of these Latina artists.

Taller Puertorriqueño commemorates five decades of service to the art and culture of the Latino community with an exhibition that pays tribute to an outstanding Boricua artist who is also celebrating her 50th birthday, Betsy Casañas. The “Call & Response” exhibit presents various works by Casanas, who shares a special bond with Taller.

BY NEMESIS MORA ON FEBRUARY 27, 2024

‘Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden' is the first comprehensive retrospective of 20th-century African-American sculptor John Rhoden and is currently open at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). To continue the artist's legacy, PAFA celebrated on Saturday, February 10, the launch of the catalog book on the life and work of the award-winning sculptor, featuring seven essays and more than 90 pages of photographs.

BY DAISY MURGUIA ON FEBRUARY 13TH 2024

The Bok Building is widely recognized as a hub for artists and a place for community events to be held without charge. Community leaders and artists share their experience with the Bok Building and the impact it has on the community with journalist Daisy Murguia. Artists share the need for a space where people can come together to collaborate and organize.

POR DAISY MURGUIA. EL 13 DE FEBRERO DEL 2024

El edificio Bok es ampliamente reconocido como un centro para artistas y un lugar para eventos comunitarios que se llevan a cabo sin costo alguno. Líderes comunitarios y artistas comparten su experiencia con el Edificio Bok y el impacto que tiene en la comunidad con la periodista Daisy Murguia. Los artistas comparten la necesidad de un espacio donde las personas puedan reunirse para organizarse y colaborar.

BY JENNIFER HERNANDEZ ON OCTOBER 25, 2023

Power Street Theatre (PST) hosted the 1st Annual Souletri Fest on Saturday, October 7th, 2023, at the Lighthouse Sports Complex Field to honor Philadelphia’s vibrant arts scene and amplify dynamic voices across the city.

POR VALERIE DOWRET EL 16 DE MAYO, 2023

¡Presente! Media habló con cuatro artistas latinos locales sobre lo que les gustaría ver del próximo alcalde. Más espacios de arte, contratos municipales y ser escuchados están en la lista de pedidos de los artistas.

BY VALERIE DOWRET ON MAY 16, 2023

¡Presente! Media spoke to four local Latine artists about what they’d like to see from the next mayor, more artistic spaces, city contracts, and being heard are on the roster.

BY SANDRA ANDINO CAMACHO ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Following are the voices of three special Afro-Latinx in Philadelphia that during the ongoing pandemic continue to lead efforts for fair representation and equal opportunity for immigrant communities in the U.S., and above all fighting racism and racist practices from deep within. 

POR CARLOS JOSÉ PÉREZ SÁMANO EL JULY DE 22 DEL 2021

Vine a lo que ustedes llaman América, un lugar en donde no tener una identidad definida te  arrincona a solo poder expresarte en espacios de indefinición como la poesía. El espacio de la  dislocación y la transmutación. Estados Unidos no genera identidades, las destruye. Las  absorbe en generalizaciones, las disuelve.  

BY CARLOS JOSÉ PÉREZ SÁMANO ON JULY 22, 2021

When I arrived in the United States I was surprised by the Mexican people who identify with ancestral cultures and even practice Mesoamerican dances. Now, I am one of them. But, sometimes I am not. Over time, one accepts one's demonym, especially when abroad. And one finds in pre-Hispanic cultures a way to share identity with those who come from the same place.  Even when one knows that label doesn’t present the whole picture either.

BY GABE CASTRO ON JULY 15, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected art programs and performances throughout Philadelphia quite drastically. Burlesque performers evolved their numbers to fit on screen.

BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT ON JULY 01, 2021 | PUBLISHER: PLAN PHILLY

¡Presente! Media Co-Founder Gabriela reflects on her time living in North Philly coming from São Paulo, Brazil.

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ  ON JUNE 10, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact communities in the United States, in early March 2020, it became clear that the arts sector was being gravely economically affected. This is a timeline of what the arts had to face during the pandemic, from budget cuts, closed offices, emerging media, canceled grants to a refunding budget allocation.

BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT, MELISSA BEATRIZ AND LAURA ANAYA-MORGA ON FEBRUARY 9, 2021

In this interview, Philly-based multidisciplinary artist and performer Daniel de Jesús shares their inspiration behind making art and its importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniel de Jesús, intérprete y artista multidisciplinario de Filadelfia, habla acerca de qué les inspira a producir arte y su importancia durante la pandemia del COVID-19.

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON NOVEMBER 25, 2020

This year, the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium (DX) was held virtually from Oct. 14 to 18. DX is the first and sole film festival in the United States that focuses its programming on the intersection of film and investigative reporting.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON NOVEMBER 5, 2020

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) is one of the city's premiere destinations for films and storytelling from the Asian diaspora. With over 80 films to watch at PAAFF, we are sharing three films from the program that are available to audiences in the United States and Canada.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON OCTOBER 15, 2020

Treecup Tea founder Mark Sotomayor sets out to address the need for environmentally sustainable business practices. The tea company plants a tree in Haiti for each bottle sold to address the issue of deforestation, hence their motto “buy a tea, plant a tree.”

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON OCTOBER 13, 2020

This Hispanic Heritage Month, a selection of ten films from the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) are available on Xfinity On Demand Latino destination on X1 until October 15.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR AND NADINE PATTERSON ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

In Regina King’s directorial debut of One Night in Miami, she re-imagines a fictional friendship between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke. Set in a Miami hotel room in February 1964, the four protagonists meet up to celebrate Clay’s “Heavyweight Championship of the World” win.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 | PUBLISHER: cinéSPEAK

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world, and one of the most internationally recognized festivals. With the spread of the pandemic, film festivals globally have shifted to virtual screenings and socially-distanced, in-person screenings. The 45th edition of TIFF combines both online and in-person events to keep the spirit of the festival alive.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

A Suitable Boy directed by Mira Nair is set in 1950s India after the country’s independence, transition to democracy, and the partition of India and Pakistan. The miniseries follows university student Lata Mehra, portrayed by Tanya Maniktala.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

J Balvin is one of best-selling Latin music artists in the globe. He was the most streamed artist worldwide on Spotify in 2018. He was the first reggaetonero to perform on Saturday Night Live. Singing primarily in Spanish, J Balvin has been able to cross over to non-Spanish speaking markets which is a huge feat for Latin American artists, gaining him the title "Prince of Reggaeton."

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Sonia Kennebeck is a Malaysian independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with over 15 years of experience. Enemies of the State, combines Kennebeck's investigative reporting background with a cinematic visual style reminiscent of that of executive producer Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line).

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

My name is Kristal Sotomayor and I am co-founder of ¡Presente! Media. I am a filmmaker, festival programmer, and film critic. This year, I will be covering the online edition of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) running from September 10 to 19, 2020. As part of my coverage, I aim to be a representative of Philadelphia during the online film festival.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON JUNE 20, 2020

En las últimas semanas, los residentes de Filadelfia han estado protestando contra la brutalidad policial y el final de importantes programas culturales y artísticos. Entre los temas principales se encuentran los recortes en el presupuesto propuestos para 2021 por el alcalde Jim Kenney. Estos cortes eliminan el Fondo Cultural de Filadelfia (PCF) y la Oficina de Artes, Cultura y Economía Creativa (OACCE).

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JUNE 20, 2020

El 16 de junio, la Coalición de Artistas para una Filadelfia Justa, organizó la Acción de Arte de Emergencia para financiar los Futuros de Afro Descendientes en los escalones del Museo de Arte de Filadelfia. El objetivo de la acción era para "utilizar el poder de la expresión artística en forma de música, danza y artes visuales para exigir un presupuesto de la ciudad que financie los futuros Afro Descendientes, desfinancie la policía, y salvar el Fondo Cultural de Filadelfia.”

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JUNE 20, 2020

On June 16, the Artist Coalition for a Just Philadelphia hosted the Emergency Art Action to Fund Black Futures! on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The action’s goal was to “use the power of artistic expression in the form of music, dance and visual art to demand a city budget that funds black futures by Defunding the Police and Saving the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.”