Orios Designs

On Friday, April 3, 2026, Caridad De La Luz—widely known as La Bruja—marked a powerful milestone: 30 years since her first appearance reciting poetry at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Over the past three decades, La Bruja has become a defining voice in Puerto Rican poetry, using her platform to uplift the community and advocate for critical issues including domestic violence awareness, social justice, and cultural preservation.... Read more
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Thank You and the entire staff for hosting such an epic historic event last night. Thank You for sharing your wisdom last night. We greatly appreciate your love and dedication to out PuertoRicand and Latino community. Michael Abramson who documented the movement with his camera and who's photos are inthe documentary.
Shout out to the OGs who were present 30 years ago at the original screening of Palante Siempre Palante. for exhibiting his Young Lords collection and to everyone in attendance. A huge thank you to the original Young Lords who were in the building... and to the new generation of Young Lords keeping the legacy alive.. We're still here making history. Palante Siempre Palante! Tengo Puerto Rico En Mi Corazon. 🇵🇷

Working with and raising awareness about the leathetback turtles was a very informative and educational project. Mixing colors and using Taino petroglyphs was also very therapeutic and spiritual for me. Here are some various colors I used as well as printing on cloth and paper.
The Orange and Green version of this 18 x 24 print is a special color challenge for

Raising awareness

Nitza Tufiño and the workshop collective collaborated to help raise awareness for leatherback sea turtles. Under Nitza’s direction, each artist created a 18 x 24 inch image using printmaking techniques, printed on cloth. The works take the form of flags designed to alert the public that newborn turtles are making their journey to the ocean.

The return of the leatherback turtles is deeply symbolic for Puerto Ricans in the diaspora. Nitza explains, “We are like the leatherback turtles. As Boricuas of the diaspora, we leave our homeland of Puerto Rico and journey into the unknown in search of growth and survival. Yet we return to our beloved home to lay down our love and lived experiences, continuing to nurture, support, and protect the island that shaped us.”

– Oliver Rios

About the Symposium
On February 21, 2026, for the first time, Siete Quillas will hosted the 8th Puerto Rico Sea Turtle Conservation Symposium, bringing together sea turtle conservation groups from Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra, along with scientists, educators, government officials, students, and community members.

Siete Quillas Siete Quillas Play Pause Unmute Mute Rafael Tufiño Printmaking Workshop & Siete Quillas collaboration Siete Quillas – San Juan Sea Turtle Conservancy is a community-based nonprofit organization certified under Section 1101.01(a) for local tax exemption and Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenu...

Dear Willie,
Thank you for sharing your music with us. You were always a good person when I'd asked to take your photo at events. May You Rest In Paridise my brother. 👑🎺🇵🇷🎤📸🙏🏽

William Anthony Colón Román (April 28, 1950 - February 2026) was born in the South Bronx in New York City to Puerto Rican parents. He picked up the trumpet from a young age, and later switched to trombone, inspired by the all-trombone sound of Mon Rivera and Barry Rogers. He spent some summers at his maternal grandmother's sister's farm in the outskirts of Manatí, Puerto Rico on the road to neighboring Ciales, Puerto Rico.

At the age of 15, he was signed to Fania Records, and at 17, he recorded his first album, which ultimately sold more than 300,000 copies. The main record producer at Fania at the time, Johnny Pacheco, recommended Héctor Lavoe to him. 

Colón has been a civil rights, community, and political activist since the age of 16. He has served as a member of the Latino Commission on AIDS and President of the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York, member of the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 1995, Colón became the first person of color to serve on the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) national board, replacing Stephen Sondheim, and was also a member of the ASCAP Foundation.

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