Exhibit on Salvadoran Culture in Somerville.

The Somerville Museum will have an exhibit up beginning April 8th about Salvadoran culture. Thanks again to Gloria Carrigg of the East Boston Artist Group for the tip.

Exhibition on Transnational Community to be Held in Somerville Museum

Somerville, MA March 3, 2006 - Beginning April 8^th and lasting until May 21^s, the Somerville Museum will host From Yucuaiquín to Somerville: El Baile de los Negritos. This exhibition is a unique look at Salvadoran immigrants in Somerville and how they have continued to celebrate religious traditions from their home country in their new setting. It will focus on a typical dance, El Baile de los Negritos, which has been performed for hundreds of years in the city of Yucuaiquín to honor the patron saint, Saint Francis of Assisi. Now that a large community of Salvadorans native to the city Yucuaiquín have settled in Somerville, they have begun celebrating this tradition here; the exhibit hopes to explain, through a varied display, how transnational communities are formed and how traditions are preserved and modified through time and space.

The Salvadoran population in Somerville is not only significant in numbers, but also in cultural, political and economic influence. While the main organizer of the exhibit, Tufts Junior Sebastian Chaskel, is certainly not the first to take note of this fact, he believes that greater awareness is still necessary among Somerville residents. His partnership with the Somerville Museum is aimed precisely at increasing awareness of the eclectic cultural atmosphere of the city and hopes to spark the interest of a diverse audience. Chaskel states that he and the Museum “are hoping to attract people from … Latin American countries, as well as people who would not usually attend an event about Latino culture. It is the cultural exchange between the different groups that will make this exhibition special.”

The exhibition opens on Saturday April 8^th at 5p.m. and will include a performance of the traditional dance by members of the community who will also speak about their hometown and cultural and religious traditions. Following the dance, typical Salvadoran food will be served. In May, the exposition will be followed by a panel of scholars and community leaders that will discuss the topic of immigrant communities; the panel will be held at the Somerville Museum, date to be announced.

This exhibition is sponsored by Tufts University College of Citizenship and Public Service, the Somerville Museum, the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and local community members. For more information, please contact Cristina Calzadilla at Cristina.Calzadilla@gmail.com, or at 617.459.7717.