RAÍCES
DIGITAL
ARCHIVE
Preserving cultural roots, sharing undertold stories.
Our Roots Music Exhibits explore the stories and histories of artists who practice traditional art forms and work to preserve the cultural arts.
Oral History Collections
Explore our growing collection of oral history interviews with musicians, dancers, composers, researchers and teaching artists working to preserve cultural, folkloric and traditional art forms…often in non-traditional ways!
The Raíces Cultural Center Digital Archive Team works collaboratively with artists and cultural workers in our regional community and throughout the diaspora, to document and share their work as well as provide a platform for them to store and share media from their history as cultural practitioners. These collections are available in both photo gallery and archival formats to make them accessible to the public and researchers.
San Juan & Arroyo, Puerto Rico
Photos by Raíces Digital Archive
Pilot Community Collection
Photos provided by ¡Retumba!
Capoeira – Vauxhall, NJ
Photos by Raíces Digital Archive
Bomba – Juncos, Puerto Rico
Photos by Raíces Digital Archive
Highland Park & Metuchen, NJ
Photos by Raíces Digital Archive
Bomba – Perth Amboy NJ
Photos by Raíces Digital Archive
The purpose of this project is to document and share the history and cultural impact of folkloric, musical, and artistic traditions from a variety of cultures. Each exhibit or collection focuses on an artist, group, cultural worker, or special cultural event dedicated to practicing, preserving, and sharing cultural traditions and art forms. These are exceptional artists, teachers, researchers, culture bearers and organizers living in and around New Jersey as well as throughout the diaspora. We are honored to share their stories here on the Raíces Digital Archive.
This is an ongoing exhibit series that launched in 2019. The Raíces Digital Archive Team will continue to curate new exhibits and collections featuring roots music genres and highlighting local and diasporic musicians cultural workers who often work hands-on with us to create and publish this work. We will also continue to document the work of the artists already featured and add to the dynamic exhibits and collections found in this series.
Grant funding has been provided by
The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Through a grant provided by the New Jersey Historical Commission,
a Division of the Department of State
This project is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.