Adál Maldonado papers, 1972-2020

Adál Maldonado (1948-2020) was a prolific photographer, and multifaceted artist of multimedia, installation, and performance art. Born in Utuado, Puerto Rico, Adál migrated to New York City when he was 12. In 1968, he enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute where he trained as a photographer and as a master printer. Self-identified Nuyorican, Maldonado co-founded and co-directed the Foto-Gallery in Soho with Alex Coleman. His series of photos of Puerto Rican artists, performers, and intellectuals, as well as his avant-garde self-portraits received widespread recognition. In 1994, Adál Maldonado and poet Reverend Pedro Pietri co-founded "El Puerto Rican Embassy," a long-term initiative that involved creating a map, currency, anthem, and stamps for the fictitious liberated nation "El Spirit Republic of Puerto Rico." The creation of "El Passport" was one of the most longstanding projects from "El Puerto Rican Embassy." Other notable examples related to "El Puerto Rican Embassy" include the exhibitions "Blueprints for a Nation" (2004) and "Coconauts in Space" (2006), both of which evolved and were featured in multiple times after they premiered. Other important projects of his were the production of La Mambópera (2006), a play that explores feminism and Puerto Rican identity, and Los Ahogados (2017), a series of photos that portrayed the struggle of Puerto Ricans under colonialism and debt. Maldonado's work explores issues revolving around identity, the political status of Puerto Rico and the perception of Puerto Rico in the diaspora.