The Ateneo de Ponce (English: Ponce Atheneum) is a
nonprofit,
civic,
non governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
located in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
, that seeks to preserve and promote Ponce's cultural traditions. The institution, founded on 15 September 1956, by Dr. Ramón Zapata Acosta, is one of Ponce's chief cultural institutions.
Location
The Ponce Atheneum does not have a permanent physical
brick-and-mortar
Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...
location. It operates out of donated space at either the
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...
or the
Museo de Arte de Ponce
Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of European ...
for its meetings and
symposiums.
History
The mission of the Ateneo de Ponce is to preserve and promote the culture of the sciences, literature and the arts. To achieve its mission, on 15 September 1956, the Atheneum was formed and memorialized via an inaugural
ball. There were 111 co-founding partners led by Dr. Ramón Zapata, who was the president of the Atheneum during several terms. To achieve its objectives the Atheneum organizes a variety of activities such as dissertations, conferences, tournaments, publications, concerts, and various other presentations. Dr. Zapata Acosta is recognized at Ponce's
Tricentennial Park for his contributions in the field of literature. It emerged as a result of the cultural resurgence in the city starting in the 1940s, and accelerated by the physical, demographic, industrial, commercial, and financial development that followed.
Organization
The Atheneum is made up of five sections: social sciences, physical sciences and mathematics, history, literature, and fine arts. The administrative staff consists of the members of the Governing Board, which has nine members: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, the presidents of the five sections. As of 2007, the Atheneum had 60 regular members in its roster.
Its current (November 2010) officers are:
''Institucion del Ateneo de Ponce, Puerto Rico.'' Ateneo de Ponce: Fundado en 1956.
* Dr. José R. Escabí – President
* Prof. Ada Hilda Martínez de Alicea – Vice President
* Prof. María Isabel Chaparro de Escabí – Secretary
* Prof. Lesbia Cruz – Treasurer
* Attorney Roberto García - President, Social Sciences section
* Dr. Arnaldo Carrasquillo Jiménez - President, Physical, Natural Sciences, and Mathematics section
* Prof. Iván Torres Hoyos - President, History section
* Prof. Estela García - President, Literature section
* Prof. Vidalina Rodríguez Carreras - President, Fine Arts section
* Dr. Carlos Zapata – Member
* Attorney Gilda Wilson - Member
* Prof. Antonio Sajid López - Member
* Prof. Migdalia González - Member
* Dr. Arnaldo Carrasquillo - Member
* Prof. José Raúl Cepeda - Member
See also
*Ateneo Puertorriqueño
The Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum), is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second c ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ateneo de Ponce
Puerto Rican culture
Organizations based in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Organizations established in 1956
1956 establishments in Puerto Rico