Mother Talk / Schedule a one-on-one encounter with Nicolás at the Hispanic Society of America

Calling specifically people of Dominican and Haitian descent–living in the island or abroad–and Dominican, Haitian and BIPOC neighbors of Washington Heights, the Bronx and New York at large. While I am happy to making space for people from other backgrounds, the emphasis is mainly on the communities described above. During our encounters we engage on relational practices, conversations and stories regarding our mothers, mother figures or mother presences in our lives, as well as challenges we might be facing or have faced with this relationship. We will also dialogue about class, gender, race, colonization and decolonization as it pertains to the Virgin of La Altagracia. To participate contact me @interiorbeautyaslon

Painting of La Virgen de la Altagracia by Josué Gómez. Photo of offering and painting by Josué Gómez. Used with permission from the artist.

In 2022, I engage in a one-person pilgrimage centered on La Virgen de La Altagracia, Tatica, the protector of the Dominican Republic and to some, of the whole Island. I hence plan to travel from the Bronx to Washington Heights, two enclaves of Dominican presence in the City. Up until recently, Washington Heights, Little Quisqueya, has been the epicenter of Dominican cultures, that is, until the burgeoning Dominican communities that are rapidly arising in the Bronx as a result of the gentrification of “The Heights.” My journey takes into consideration the back and forth between these two loci. Tatica, the short or nickname for Altagracia and the name of the Dominican protector and guardian saint of the country, has evolved to become one of the loas, spirits, of the Vodun pantheon named Alaila. Tatica is celebrated on January 21st. This pilgrimage will be presented as part of an artist fellowship research with Hispanic Society, and it is funded by NYSCA.