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Margarita Espada, MFA. |
Margarita is a Puerto Rican artist, educator and cultural organizer. She is currently the Founder and Executive-Artistic Director of Teatro Yerbabruja in Puerto Rico and on Long Island, NY. The primary mission of the organization is to use the arts as a tool for social change. Margarita has traveled throughout the world, training in physical approaches to theatre practice. She has worked as a professional artist in Paris, Brazil, Denmark, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, and New York. Margarita is a member of the International School for Latin-American and Caribbean Theater of UNESCO, and the National Association for Latino Arts & Culture. She has a Master in Fine Art in Dramaturge from Stony Brook University. She has served on many different boards of directors and and panels, including the Islip Arts Council, the Community Arts Advisory Board for the Suffolk County Legislature, and NYSCA. Margarita also is a very experienced and New York State-certified teacher. She has received multiple awards and proclamations for her leadership and community work, including: 2006 “Woman of the Year” Award for her contributions in the arts on Long Island, 2014 “Long Islander that Makes a Difference” by Long Island Progressive Coalition, 2013 “Advocate of the year” by Working Family Party, “Social Justice Award” -Long Island Job with Justice. As a community organizer she uses the arts to promote social changes in underserved communities. Her use of the arts as tools to promote civic dialog among the diverse communities in Long Island has gained her the respect of community leaders and grassroots organizations alike. Her work has also been featured by Newsday, the New York Times, and the Associated Press. Margarita’s mentor is Dr. Eva Rodriguez.
