Interim President David Gómez, Ernest Ialongo,
and Orlando José Hernández


As part of the College’s Hostos175 celebration, a portrait by famed Puerto Rican artist Pablo Marcano García of Eugenio María de Hostos was unveiled in the A-Atrium on November 13.

Interim President David Gómez was in attendance, along with many other members of the College’s extended family. President Gómez said he was thrilled to welcome such an important piece of art to the campus.

The portrait was painted while Marcano García was artist-in-residence at Pregones Theater, during the Spring of 2013. He had previously done other portraits of Hostos and felt that painting and donating this portrait to the College that bears his name would be an appropriate way of honoring Hostos' legacy and sharing his admiration for this educator with our community. 

Hostos175 co-chairs, professors Orlando José Hernández and Ernest Ialongo, organized the event, and both spoke about the significance of the artwork and the artist.  Honoring both García and Hostos, Professor Hernández spoke in Spanish and English, to emphasize the bilingual nature of the Hostos175 celebration.

The portrait, "Hostos: El profeta," follows Marcano García’s famous style of working with acrylic paint in a technique that makes his paintings look like a stained-glass window.

Born in Gurabo, a town 22 miles south of San Juan, Marcano García's works have been shown in galleries in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France, Latin America, and now, at Hostos Community College.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.

Recently named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.