Connect & Create: Bodega Stories: Symbols, Identity & Community with Jenylin Rodriguez

Offered in partnership with the Center for Cultural Engagement at Lehigh University

Inspired by Puerto Rican artist Adál Maldonado’s Spanglish Sandwich, featured in LUAG’s This Land exhibition, this all-ages workshop invites participants to explore the symbols, images, and everyday places that help tell our stories.

Together, we’ll look closely at Maldonado’s playful exploration of language, culture, and identity, then create our own personalized bodega bags inspired by the visual traditions of the Caribbean and our own experiences. Participants will explore Taíno-inspired symbols drawn from nature, including the sun, turtle, frog, and other forms, and combine them with colors, patterns, words, and images that express something meaningful about who they are, where they come from, or what community means to them.

Whether you have a strong connection to Caribbean culture or are simply curious to learn more, this workshop offers a welcoming space to explore, create, and share. Participants can choose the symbols and imagery that resonate with them while learning about the continuing influence of Indigenous Caribbean cultures on art and identity today.

No prior art experience is necessary.  Please register in advance; space is limited.

If you require assistance filling out this form, prefer to share your registration information via email or phone, or have questions, concerns, or any accessibility needs, please email Elise at ejs421@lehigh.edu or call 610-758-6882.

Jenylin Rodriguez Pineda is a Dominican-Puerto Rican artist, born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and raised in Queens, New York. She graduated from The City College of New York with a B.A. in English Literature and Sociology. She credits her lineage as an artist, descending from a family of painters on both sides. Currently residing in Easton, Jenylin’s latest project is to provide community art workshops on Taino Symbols and Caribbean Culture. When she’s not making art, she provides Family Support and Kindergarten Readiness to Easton students and families.

Connect & Create workshops offer a brief exploration and creative conversation around a work of art from the LUAG collection, followed by a hands-on activity and/or creative response led by a local teaching artist or student educator.