HSP and Taller Puertorriqueño are proud to announce the launch of the website “Neighbors/Vecinos.” The website documents 200 years of Puerto Rican heritage in Philadelphia and is the end product of a project to explore how communities can create cultural programs of meaning for their members

At its core, the website is organized around the central question: “What is a Neighborhood?” Members of the PAZ (the audience group who helped design the project) solicited input from the community and incorporated their own definitions in forming an answer. The result can be seen in the opening video of the site. " A timeline serves as the backbone of the site, allowing visitors to easily navigate through historical events.  Users will discover a variety of information including historical essays, oral histories, videos, artwork, and more. In addition to highlighting Puerto Rican history, a goal of the project was to show similarities in people’s migration experiences.

The project entitled Audience Embedded began as a two-year journey in the fall of 2017 with the goal of engaging new audiences in new and meaningful ways by charging them with program development.. “Working with the PAZ was an amazing experience. This website was developed by the community for the community.  HSP and Taller are excited to offer the first comprehensive history of Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia within the context of migration and neighborhood development in general," says Project Director Beth Twiss Houting.

Neighbors/Vecinos has been supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts for Arts & Heritage. Visit this exciting new resource at hsp.org/neighbors.