Art Against Colonialism

An Ethnographic Study of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Puerto Rico

This brief looks at how an organization enables artists and community members to build networks of support and collective power

May 2026

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Table of Contents

Overview

Ideas In Practice

Publisher(s)
The Wallace Foundation

Page Count 2 pages

DOI Link
https://doi.org/10.59656/A-AO9768.001

Summary

How we did this

The researcher spent a year viewing exhibits and events at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Puerto Rico. They also attended and observed community events organized by staff.

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Puerto Rico (MAC) is a nonprofit institution founded in 1984. In addition to collecting, promoting, and studying art produced since the mid-20th century in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and their diasporas, it also plays a critical role as a convener of the local community. Through its work, it’s a catalyst for social justice, activism, and community well-being. Researcher Claudia Sofia Garriga-López focused their research on MAC’s program MAC en el Barrio (MAC in the Neighborhood). The program is a community-centered initiative that, over the last ten years, has engaged artists and the local community to develop over 80 artistic projects across 20 different locations in Puerto Rico.

The study highlights how the program is a model of community engagement that seeks to foster trust, prevent extractive practices, and enable artists and community members to build networks of support and collective power for advancing their goals.

This brief is based on Built to Last, Born to Fight: Enduring Colonialism at the MAC written by Claudia Sofia Garriga-López, Ph. D., California State University.

Arts organizations can serve as powerful community coordinators and allies in the face of the enduring effects of colonialism and ongoing disenfranchisement on marginalized communities.