President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities
Honors Puerto Rican Culture at its Meeting in San Juan

Jaime Fonalledas, President and CEO of Empresas Fonalledas, welcomed Chairman Adair Margo and members of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) to San Juan, Puerto Rico for their 63rd meeting. A member of the President's Committee, Fonalledas invited local cultural and government officials to interact with the heads and representatives from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as well as the other PCAH members, who are drawn from business, arts, humanities and other professions.

“The President's Committee is so pleased that Jaime Fonalledas shared Puerto Rico's artistic and cultural life with our members. Through our cultural partners—the IMLS, NEA and NEH—the President's Committee seeks to help communities share their heritage and cultural resources and ensure that these artistic and historic treasures remain a healthy and vibrant part of everyday life,” says Adair Margo, PCAH Chairman.

Iglesia San José (1532) in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico is considered one of the earliest extant examples of Gothic-influenced architecture in the New World. Undergoing restoration, the church is of the many cultural treasures visited by PCAH members during their meeting on the island with local cultural leaders.

During the two-day visit, the President's Committee exchanged perspectives and ideas with leaders from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, the Escuela de Artes Plasticas, the University of Puerto Rico and the San Juan National Historic Site. Each year the federal cultural agencies—NEH, NEA and IMLS—award grants to organizations throughout Puerto Rico to support artists, performances, exhibitions and tours, as well as to preserve the collections, artifacts and documents that form the rich artistic and cultural achievements of Puerto Rico. Members saw the results of a recent IMLS grant to the Museo de Arte that has helped underwrite a groundbreaking project that uses Web-based tools to teach local students how art intersects with science and technology. Using objects and paintings from the museum's collection, the Web site offers an interactive experience in both art history and art conservation.

To stimulate more innovative uses of technology, Chairman Margo, on behalf of the IMLS, announced an IMLS grant of $949,248 to the Historic Archive, Public and Children's Library in the nearby city of Ponce. The grant will support the deployment of technology tools for archival conservation and community use. She also announced PCAH's plans to give an award in the near future to the Escuela de Artes Plasticas to be matched by a gift from Jaime Fonalledas and Empresas Fonalledas.

Puerto Rico's centuries-old blend of people, communities, culture and traditions make it a unique part of the United States. Settled shortly after Columbus visited the island on his second voyage in 1493, Puerto Rico retains many buildings from that period including the fortress El Morro and the San Jose Church (1532). More than $1.2 million in preservation grants has been awarded through Save America's Treasures for the restoration and conservation of Puerto Rico's national landmarks La Fortaleza, Hacienda La Esperanza and Fort San Felipe del Morro. The San Juan meeting was an important opportunity for the President's Committee members to experience Puerto Rico's many contributions to our country's legacy of artists, scholars, cultural institutions and the historical patrimony of buildings, structures and places.

"I was very pleased to welcome my fellow committee members to Puerto Rico and to introduce them to the best of our art and culture. I'm sure that during their brief stay they discovered the wealth and diversity of our traditions of which we are so proud," says Jaime Fonalledas.