About LAFI
The Latin American Folk Institute is a non-profit arts organization originally incorporated in the District of Columbia in April 1997 ---currently registered in the State of Maryland, with additional offices in New York City---, established as an arts community advocate group to advance the appreciation and teaching of the culture of Latin America and the Caribbean. LAFI’s main objective is to encourage a greater appreciation of the customs, traditions and current development of Latin America’s art forms, by encouraging a focus on its folkloric and traditional aspects. LAFI’s work is primarily done through the development of materials and programs distributed worldwide, providing a combination of educational background research and methodologies for the teaching of Latin American culture.
The core mission of LAFI lies in a crucial question: can “culture” be used as a vehicle for cross-cultural communication amongst the different ethnic communities living in the U.S.? How can we educate and influence the population of the U.S. to understand the contributions of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean? We have found that lack of exposure to the cultural makeup of the different groups living in the U.S. remains one of the crucial factors for the spread of hate crimes, discrimination and segregation. Not to mention that the U.S. constitutes nowadays one of the major Spanish-speaking countries in the hemisphere, with the immigrant Latin American and Latino communities being an important part of the economic and social base of the country.
LAFI started in April 1997 as a part-time project of a few friends —performers in the same musical group— who gathered into a small and borrowed space at the home of one of the founders. In June 1999, the three founders —Carlos Giménez, Marietta Ulacia and Luis Rumbaut— moved into a small basement office in Washington DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. In those cramped quarters, LAFI’s principals and friends held meetings, presented local and international performers, organized cultural productions at other locations, sponsored musicians networking events, and set up the production headquarters of the cultural journal of the institute, Clave magazine, then in tabloid black-and-white printed format.
The inflationary real estate boom of the 1990’s in Washington, D.C., forced the organization to evaluate the rising cost of real estate and the ongoing expenses of renting performing venues for its programs. In November 1999, LAFI embarked in an effort to acquire headquarters that could give a lasting character to the programs of the organization and develop their own facilities according to our needs.
LAFI faced a dilemma, common to many arts organizations: after investing thousands of dollars in remodeling a rented space in Adams Morgan, Washington DC, it had to vacate it, losing a significant financial investment and much of the local community connections. Armed with the personal capital investment of founders Giménez and Ulacia, LAFI set out to remodel a historical building in Mount Rainier’s town center, next to Joe’s Movement Emporium, a prominent dance organization in Maryland with whom LAFI had developed a long relationship. The plan was to secure the building through a two-year lease with an option to buy, which would provide time to search for the funding for the acquisition, and implement further improvement and maintenance of the building. In the period of November 2000 through January 2001, the building was gutted and the first floor renovated to create a working environment for the offices of the organization, including its technological structure. Volunteers, supporters and community organizations contributed hundreds of hours of work to renovate this historic building, located in Mount Rainier’s town center, a popular municipality located inside the Washington DC beltway alongside the Route One corridor.
Thus, during the year 2001, LAFI focused on developing a capital campaign for the renovation and acquisition of its own headquarters. For this project, we received assistance from the following sources:
· A renovation and acquisition grant from the Philip Graham Foundation, Washington DC.
· A renovation grant from the Neighborhood Improvement Program of the Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County
· A property acquisition grant from the State of Maryland’s Department of House and Community Affairs (DHCA), which was awarded to us on June 19, 2002. The DHCA Grant was officially awarded on June 19, 2002 for the acquisition of the property, receiving the funds on September 9, 2002.
· Assistance in mortgage financing from the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF), a non-profit community development organization dedicated to assisting other non-profits for housing development.
The various renovations projects developed as follows:
· 1st phase (ground floor) construction lasted from November 1999 to January 2000, which allowed us to set up working operational offices for the institute.
· The second phase of construction on the second floor ranging from January 2002 to August 2002, with the complete project finalized on September 2002.
· We subsequently invested into further renovations (3rd phase) with a grant from the Philip Gram Foundation in 2003, which was used to enhance the facilities for the recording and teaching facilities.
Through the acquisition of its own space, the Latin American Folk Institute managed to cut overhead expenses by approximately 33% (in comparison to costs to similar organizations in Washington, D.C. or its surroundings); develop a relationship with a reliable and well-known financial institution; invest in appreciable assets that can serve as a base for expansion; and help in the economic revitalization of a crucial urban area just 15 minutes from downtown Washington, D.C. Perhaps most importantly, LAFI freed itself from relying on third-party office, rehearsal and presenting space for programs, attaining more control of its own assets.
LAFI and the Town of Mount Rainier, Maryland
LAFI’s current location in Mount Rainier is a historic two-story brick building that initially served as the headquarters of Prince George’s Bank, acquired in 1988 by an insurance agency. The building is a significant historical landmark in the center of Mount Rainier, easily recognized by its windowed rotunda. The building sits on the heavily commuted intersection of 34th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, adjacent to a new landscaped traffic circle constructed to beautify the town center. LAFI’s building is also located diagonally from the Mount Rainier Municipal Building and the Mount Rainier Metro bus transfer terminal.
The historical town of Mount Rainier is an ethnically diverse community in the southern part of Maryland, inhabited by low- to moderate-income working families. Incorporated in 1696, Mount Rainier is one of the oldest towns in Prince George’s County, which developed into an important commercial center in 1897, when a streetcar line connecting the town center to downtown Washington, D.C. began operation. The streetcar stop, located at the intersection of 34th Street and Rhode Island Avenue (nowadays the Mount Rainier Bus Terminal), became the center of the city’s activity. Mount Rainier grew and thrived until 1970, when it entered a period of slow deterioration and decline.
At the end of the 1990’s, the City of Mount Rainier, the government of Prince George’s County, the State of Maryland, and the newly organized Gateway Community Development Corporation undertook joint efforts to revitalize the Mount Rainier’s commercial area, focusing primarily on the 34th Street/Rhode Island Avenue intersection. A historic preservation movement has been initiated with the goal of restoring Mount Rainier to its former status and raise awareness of its historical and architectural significance.
To spark community development, city planners seek to implement a plan to convert the Rhode Island corridor into an arts district frequented by visual artists, dancers and musicians. The concept is entitled the “Arts Gateway to the Nation’s Capital,” and its vision is to fill the “Gateway” to Washington, D.C. with arts — energy, color, creative expression and excitement.
LAFI was an essential part of the planned revitalization. Its location in the heart of Mt. Rainier, next to the traffic circle, makes it the literal and cultural crossroads for the town. Local residents regularly stop by to inquire and later participate in LAFI classes, events and other programs, where they meet fellow neighbors as well as people from other parts of Maryland, DC and Virginia. LAFI has quickly earned a reputation as a gathering place and safe haven, where people from diverse backgrounds can meet one another and learn in a creative, open, educational environment. Truly, this is what “community building” is all about. The City of Mount Rainier fully supports LAFI’s efforts (City Resolution 5-2001).
Resources Partnerships: A Crucial Component
Our cultural and educational programs and partnerships attempt to challenge limited, stereotyped notions and representations of the countries and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, and instead foster dialogue between diverse communities, helping to close important gaps in cultural education. On that regard, LAFI has upheld that cultural work cannot be developed without important community partnerships, not only with investors, but also with other national and international organizations on the premise that culture and community development go hand in hand.
Cultural partnerships with entities such as the Smithsonian Institution (in particular the Indian American Museum in Washington DC), the Gala Hispanic Theatre, the Washington Ballet, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Prince George’s Arts Council, the and the IN Series, contributed to stronger, more diversified programming. Furthermore, LAFI developed partnerships with financial and community development entities such as the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF), the Gateway Economic Development Corporation and Community Visions, all of whom are working for the revitalization of important areas in Prince Georges County in Maryland.
Since 2006, LAFI has redefined its mission to focus more on the production and distribution of materials and tools for educational purposes.
The three major central points of LAFI’s focus for this period are:
· By the end of 2006, LAFI decided to concentrate its main work in the city of New York. Given the nature of our organization as a research and development organization, our Board felt the need to enhance the profile of our work to extend it to a national and international level.
· Develop and apply innovative technologies for the distribution of educational information. For this end, LAFI is developing new web site technologies that incorporates research articles on the history, instrumentation, composers, genres from the different countries of Latin America, news articles
· The development of an on-line Directory of Latin American Arts, both in the U.S. and abroad.
