Our Favorite Things at Tola’s Room Puerto Rican Home Museum

Tola’s Room Puerto Rican Home Museum & Culture Space is Baltimore’s only Puerto Rican heritage and culture hub. This museum highlights the impact of Puerto Rican culture on Baltimore City, as well as the resilience of the Puerto Rican community. Our team was honored to receive a guided tour of the space by Tola’s Room founder and creative director Christina Delgado. Read along to find out what we loved most about our tour.

Thousands of Photos

Upon arrival at Tola’s Room, you will notice the countless photos strategically placed throughout the museum. The photographs throughout the space, especially those featured on the first floor, showcase images of Christina Delgado’s family and friends. On the second floor, the Baltimore Room pays tribute to the local Puerto Rican community while also highlighting the shared experiences of Puerto Rico and its diaspora.

 

The Golden Girls

Amongst the many photos in the space, you’ll find The Golden Girls, a nod to three of Delgado’s aunts and one of her favorite TV shows.

“Golden Girls is something that I love. It’s nostalgic to the time I spent with my mom, like actually watching the show, but also fast forward, just realizing as a progressive individual how progressive this show was for that time and the things it talked about…my dad had a lot of siblings, but my family dealt with a lot of addiction and trauma. And so, not a lot of them are surviving. But the three sisters that are on that wall, they call themselves the Golden Girls.”

-Christina Delgado

Martha Delgado, A Love Letter

In this exhibit, Christina Delgado honors her late aunt Martha Delgada, who lost her battle with AIDS in 1992. It includes words shared by family members, capturing their personal memories and reflections about her, transcribed on their family heirloom dining room table.

The Gag Law

This exhibit, by multidisciplinary artist and local business owner Dina Tillman, honors Puerto Rico’s history, culture, and traditions while acknowledging the migration experience of the Puerto Rican diaspora in NYC. The piece also highlights the nearly decade-long criminalization of expressions of Puerto Rican independence, including singing patriotic songs, writing, speaking, or meeting in support of independence, and displaying the Puerto Rican flag. During your next visit to Tola’s Room, take note of the several Puerto Rican flags displayed throughout the space.

Relics of My Father, aka “Daddy’s Den”

What began as a small shrine to honor Delgado’s late father, the Relics of My Father exhibit quickly grew to encompass an entire room called “Daddy’s Den.” In this room, which felt like stepping into a time capsule, you’ll find things like old photos, clothes, CDs, vinyl records, a record player, and more.

“So I call it Daddy’s Den because basically when I created it, it was the idea of, like, if my father had like a man cave, what would it include?”

-Christina Delgado

#BmoreBoricuas

The #BmoreBoricuas Project is a growing archive celebrating Baltimore City’s rich Puerto Rican history by collecting oral stories, artifacts, and artworks that share the narrative of Puerto Ricans who migrated to Baltimore from the 1800s to the present day.

Visitor Polaroid Collection

The last thing we had to do before leaving Tola’s Room was add to their collection of Polaroid photos featuring their various museum visitors. Of course, our team took a second photo to hang on the Live Baltimore fridge.

We enjoyed touring Tola’s Room Puerto Rican Home Museum & Culture Space and learning more about Puerto Rican history, culture, and its ties to Baltimore City. You can find more photos from our visit in our Tola’s Room Facebook album. If you haven’t visited Tola’s Room yet, we encourage you to take a ride to the Belair-Edison neighborhood and take a look. Trust us; you’ll learn more than you think!