Every year to celebrate Puerto Rican Heritage Month, Comite Noviembre, along with its partner and co-sponsor Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA) presents an array of artisans such as painters, crafts artists, jewelry makers, photographers, Vejigante mask makers, and book authors from the U.S. and Puerto Rico who promote and sell their authentic one-of a-kind pieces of artwork at our Annual Artisans Fair and Book Expo. We are proud to be a longstanding staple in the Latino community over the past 18 years to kick off this traditional pre-Thanksgiving event which ushers in the holiday season by reaffirming the beauty and relevance of our Puerto Rican heritage.

Since 2008, Hostos Community College has served as the home for Comite Noviembre's National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair and Book Expo and we are delighted to be returning this year to present at World Diabetes Day to give our visitors the opportunity to purchase unique and original Puerto Rican handmade gifts for family and friends. You can also visit www.comitenoviembrevirtualfair.org to shop online to support our artisans all year through.

 

Thirty-seven Years and Counting…
Established in 1987, Comité Noviembre, is a nonprofit organization that commemorates and pays tribute to the contributions Puerto Ricans have made to this nation. It supports educational opportunities for youth through college scholarships, promotes, acknowledges, creates awareness, and takes ownership of our rich culture, language, and history. Comité Noviembre creates open forums to discuss critical issues affecting the Puerto Rican community specifically in the areas of education, youth leadership development, health, politics and civic involvement. Comité Noviembre seeks to institutionalize November as Puerto Rican Heritage Month throughout the United States, and has successfully done for the past 37 years.  

 

Comité Noviembre is the only collaboration of its kind in the United States that brings together the collective talents and resources of the following Puerto Rican organizations: ASPIRA of New York, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Hunter College (CUNY), El Museo del Barrio, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College (CUNY), Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly (IPR/HE), La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña, La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, Justice Committee: NCPRR, and the Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA). The charge of Comité Noviembre is to create awareness of our rich culture, language, and heritage and to acknowledge and take ownership of it every day but specifically during the month of November. Because of Comité Noviembre, November is our month to discuss all aspects and issues of our community with respect, objectivity, and pride.

 

We are proud that all of our annual programs are once again taking place, especially our eagerly awaited 18th Annual Comité Noviembre National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo which will offer a live, on site presence at Hostos Community College and a virtual online opportunity to support the artisans and authors. The safety of our visitors, artists, authors, and staff is always of the utmost importance. The Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA) was founded in 2006 by a group of dedicated artisans and cultural activists at Comité Noviembre’s National Puerto Rican Artisan Fair and Book Expo.  Today, PRIDA continues to be an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Puerto Rican artists and the arts.

 

We hope you will support the wonderful artisans and authors participating in the 18th Annual Comité Noviembre National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo. Whether you choose to meet them in-person at Hostos Community College or virtually via this site, ComiteNoviembreVirtualFair.org, that will allow you to shop online all year through. 

 

On behalf of the National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo, 

Siempre p'alante,

Teresa A. Santiago
Chairwoman
Comité Noviembre

​