FREE - Public Reading - MERCEDES Artist Residency - June 19, 2025 at 5:00 pm

Conceived and created by Modesto Flako Jimenez

Join us Thursday, June 19 for a FREE* public reading and artist discussion of this new multidisciplinary project in the Freight Depot studio!

*FREE - Pre-registration is recommended, seating is limited. Donations to support more programming like this at Hubbard Hall are appreciated.

Mercedes, Part 1, conceived and created by Modesto Flako Jimenez, brings viewers into a poetic, visually stunning recreation of the Bushwick home where he was raised by his grandmother Mercedes after he arrived from the Dominican Republic. As an adult, Flako served as her main caregiver as she battled dementia, and uncovered years of letters, receipts, and papers that documented her impact on the Latine community. Part of a larger multidisciplinary project, Mercedes, Part 1 unlocks one woman’s home to amplify community outreach, spread the word about mental healthcare resources, and captivate audiences with an immersive story of multigenerational care.

Documentary directed by Brisa Areli Muñoz

Modesto Flako Jimenez is a Dominican-born, Bushwick-raised theater maker, producer, and educator. Flako is best known for original productions and three signature festivals produced with his company, Oye Group. Flako has appeared in Early Shaker Spirituals (Wooster Group), Last Night At The Palladium (Bushwick Starr/3LD), Yoleros (Bushwick Starr/IATI theater), Conversations Pt.1: How To Make It Black In America (JACK), Take Me Home (3LD/Incubator Arts Project), Richard Maxwell’s Samara (Soho Rep.), and Kaneza Schaal’s Jack & (BAM). Modesto received the 2016 Princess Grace Award Honorarium in Theater. His current site-specific play, Taxilandia, is a NYT Critic’s pick.

This artist residency was supported by a grant from NYSCA.