As a Puerto Rican-born artist raised in Chicago, Juan Roman works to preserve a cultural foothold in both worlds. He makes contemporary styled Vejigante masks, a traditional Puerto Rican art form which he seeks to elevate into a 21st century expression of art which remains faithful to its cultural heritage. In an age of rapidly accelerating technology and globalization, he asks how he can preserve the Puerto Rican culture and advance its relevance for the succeeding generations of Puerto Ricans, and across modern-day America. Also an educator in Vejigante techniques, he strongly believes in the importance of art as a way to pass on cultural and artistic traditions, and a simple and direct way to encourage people towards personal interaction and communication.

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