Newsletter: January-March 2026
- fcinfo2025
- May 7
- 7 min read
We are thrilled to share the achievements of January through March 2026, a period in which we reaffirmed our commitment to educating and inspiring with our passion for Caribbean arts . During these months, our galleries, educational programs, and cultural activities brought together children, youth, teachers, artists, and the general public who came to experience transformative moments at the Cortés Foundation. In this trimester, 533 People visited our exhibition halls with free access, coming from 4 countries and 55 towns in Puerto Rico.
Educa Cortés: The Art of Wellbeing and Mental Health:
In these three months we conducted 23 face-to-face workshops of the Educa Cortés Program: The Art of Wellbeing and Mental Health , impacting 567 boys and girls from different towns in Puerto Rico such as Trujillo Alto, San Juan, Bayamón, Guaynabo, Dorado, Barranquitas, Carolina, Loíza, Fajardo, Canóvanas, Caguas, and Arecibo.
During 2026 we developed 3 new curricula, inspired by works of the
The exhibition “Provocations: Unpublished Works from the Chocolate Cortés Collection,” inaugurated in October 2024 and curated by Professor Mercedes Trelles Hernández, PhD, features 53 artists from 18 countries, including Argentina, the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. These thematic units have begun to be applied in our workshops with excellent results, addressing key topics such as self-esteem, leadership, surrealism, Afro-descendant culture, emotional management and history, conflict resolution, conscious gratitude, and mindfulness.
Statistics and data, from January to March 2026:
This report compiles and analyzes data on the service and quality evaluations of the Educa Cortés Program: The Art of Wellbeing and Mental Health, from January to March 2026. The Service and Quality evaluation consists of two main parts, all of which aim to capture each participant's feelings about their experience, their satisfaction levels, and those of the group as a whole. For the analysis of the aggregated data, 562 participants were counted, representing the total number of participants.
Part One:
From this data, it can be deduced that 89.32% of participants expressed that the treatment they received during the workshop was satisfactory, 6.94% responded that it was fair, and 2.67% responded that it was unsatisfactory. Furthermore, 80.25% responded that learning surrounded by art was satisfactory; 13.52% responded that it was fair, and 3.74% responded that it was unsatisfactory. Regarding the question of whether the environment in the rooms was conducive to learning, 82.38% responded that it was satisfactory, 11.39% responded that it was fair, and 4.63% responded that it was unsatisfactory. As for the question about the condition of the rooms, 91.81% responded that it was satisfactory, 4.98% responded that it was fair, and 2.67% responded that it was unsatisfactory. Finally, regarding the friendliness of the staff during the visit, 86.30% responded that it was satisfactory, 7.65% responded that it was fair, and 4.09% responded that it was unsatisfactory.
Part two:
It consists of multiple-choice questions in which more than one answer can be selected. In the first question, which explores in what area the experience was significant for each participant, 37.92% answered that it was significant in the personal area, 34.76% answered that it was significant in the professional area, and 27.32% answered that it was significant in the intellectual area.
Questions two through four in this part of the evaluation are closed-ended questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Question two in the second part asks participants: Did you feel comfortable being surrounded by art? 87.37% answered yes, and 11.21% answered no. Question three in the second part asks: Would you like to learn more about Caribbean art? 77.94% answered yes, and 19.40% answered no. Question four in this section asks: Would you visit the art galleries again? 85.77% of participants answered yes, and 12.46% answered no.
The fifth question in this section is multiple-choice. The question is: Who would you invite? (referring to the previous question). 34.80% would invite their family, 29.64% would invite their friends, 19.07% would invite their teachers, and 16.49% would invite some other institution or group. In this question, participants could select more than one answer, so the total number of responses is greater than the total number of participants.
Part Three:
The evaluation provides a space for participants to add comments. In this instance, comments that were repeated within each group were selected and compiled. These comments can be seen in the following table:
“I found her interesting as someone passionate about Caribbean history and writing.”
"The activities were well-suited to the students, engaging and interesting. The staff had good rapport with the students and used appropriate and intellectual language."
“I loved that they motivated us to learn more about art.”
“What I liked most was a painting that I feel I identify with. I am also grateful for the service.”
“I enjoyed every activity we did, they were very kind. I would come back a thousand times.”
“Thank you so, so, so much. I loved the experience with all my heart and I will return with all my family and friends. Thank you.”
“I loved this activity. It was personal, and since I love art, it deepened my understanding. It was a beautiful experience. I loved it, and in short, I loved it. And the staff, like the food, were 100/10.”
“I loved coming, as it is a special experience and not everyone has the opportunity to have these workshops.”
“I find art beautiful and creative. Artists do their best for the world through art.”
“Thank you for welcoming us, teaching us, and for the little gifts.”
(The data presented here is faithful to that collected from the evaluations and does not include opinions from the staff of the Cortés Foundation.)
Routes:
Since the beginning of 2026, three tours of the exhibition “Provocations: Unpublished Works from the Chocolate Cortés Collection” have been offered as part of private events held at the Foundation's facilities. The exhibition halls are open to the general public every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday with free admission.
Program approved by the D.E:
26,000 children and young people from around Puerto Rico have benefited free of charge from our pioneering and innovative program Educa Cortés: The Art of Wellbeing and Mental Health over the past 13 years.
We close the year 2025 and highlight one of our most important achievements that will continue to be of great benefit to all of Puerto Rico and so that other local cultural entities and at the Caribbean level continue to be inspired and integrate wellness and mental health into their programmatic offerings as we did at the Cortés Foundation almost 9 years ago in 2017 after the devastating Hurricane Maria.
The Puerto Rico Department of Education has endorsed our Educa Cortés Program, which will serve as a valuable resource for fulfilling the 12 contact hours required under its "Emotional Health in Action" program. The curriculum, which integrates Caribbean art and is custom-designed at the Cortés Foundation—based on neuroaesthetic and leadership models, and with a focus on reading—already contains the crucial topics required by the Department of Education for this initiative.
Cortès in Private:
In addition to our educational and cultural initiatives open to the public, the Cortés Foundation offers "Cortés en Privado", a program for renting our exhibition halls for private events.
This service offers businesses, organizations, and individuals the opportunity to celebrate their events in a unique setting, surrounded by works from the Chocolate Cortés Collection and in the heart of Old San Juan, with the option to complement the experience with catering from Chocobar Cortés. We have held 10 events this quarter. For more information, please call (787) 529-6108.
Alliances:
The Cortés Foundation continues to strengthen its network of strategic alliances to further its mission of educating and inspiring with our passion for Caribbean arts. With the intention of enhancing the quality of our Educa Cortés: The Art of program...
In the area of Wellbeing and Mental Health, we have begun discussions with the Pre-Text Neurohumanities team at Harvard University. We are considering incorporating some of the practices from the Pre-Text protocol into our model so that we can evaluate our interventions using biomarkers.
neurobiological. We have also established a strategic alliance with Luis Peña of Backpacking Luis, in order to recognize the cultural contribution offered by the Chocolate Cortés Collection through social media, presenting the opportunity for residents and visitors to appreciate works of art of the quality of the Chocolate Cortés Collection free of charge.
Continuing our work to promote well-being and mental health, artist Eduardo Cabrer completed a challenge with a profound purpose: running 100 miles to raise awareness about the importance of exercise for emotional well-being. The message was clear: movement is key to balancing body and mind. Eduardo invited the community to join in anywhere along the route or to move wherever they were. All proceeds from this run benefited the Cortés Foundation, contributing to the Educa Cortés Program: The Art of Well-being and Mental Health, and the San Juan Arts League with its scholarship program.
In the press and media:
A Banquet from Here and There: A Cultural Embrace:
The Cortés Foundation announces the third edition of its annual philanthropic event, “A Banquet from Here and There: A Cultural Embrace,” which will highlight the cultural ties between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic through art, gastronomy, and music.
The event will take place on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at 4:00 pm at the Puerto Rico Museum of Art (MAPR) in San Juan.
The evening will bring together prominent chefs from both islands including Dayanny de la Cruz, Saverio Stassi, Augusto Schreiner, Juan Peña, Marisoll Hernández, María Grubb, Natalia Vallejo, María Franco, Juan José Cuevas, Lorraine Colón and Ricardo de Obaldía, executive chef of Cortés Hermanos.
There will be a live art auction curated by Adlín Ríos Rigau, Walter Otero and Alexis Figueroa, with the participation of renowned artists from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
The musical offering under the direction of Maestro Ramón Vázquez Martirena will include salsa and merengue rhythms, with Manolito and the La Zonika Orchestra, and the special participation of the emblematic Conjunto Quisqueya.
Joining as a collaborator is the Puerto Rican Academy of Gastronomy (APUGA), a non-profit entity that elevates the importance of our culinary heritage as a benchmark and pillar of excellence.
Our first actress Cordelia González will once again serve as master of ceremonies.
Cortés Hermanos, LLC, headquartered in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary of contributing economically and culturally to both countries. The Cortés Foundation is one of this Caribbean company's most important corporate social responsibility projects.
You can purchase your tickets through this link: https://pietix.com/un-abrazo-cultural-2026
Comments