Carlos Conde III, who at the time in question was president of the board of directors of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña [ICP, Puerto Rican Cultural Institute], answers several questions asked by the Puerto Rican artist Lorenzo Homar about the Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano [San Juan Biennial of Latin American Prints]. Conde agrees entirely that there should be a selection jury for the Biennial, but has no objection to using the artists themselves as members of the jury. He remarks that the goals of the Biennial are to create a reputation for excellence and quality, to provide a forum in which to introduce Puerto Rican artists to the world, and to promote the technique of printmaking. Conde believes that the Biennial should have two functions: to show good prints as well as those that are currently being produced in order to compare them and establish a set of more thoughtful criteria. He appreciates Homar’s interest in the Biennial since, in his opinion, it shows Homar’s love of the graphic arts.

This letter, dated December 15, 1971, is from the period between the first and second San Juan Biennials of Latin American Prints. The questions that Carlos Conde replies to are omitted here, but given that the replies are numbered from one to six, we can infer that Lorenzo Homar’s earlier letter to Conde contained six questions. The gist of Conde’s replies suggests that Homar disagreed with the selection process for works included in the Biennial, as well as with the selection of the members of the jury. Lorenzo Homar (San Juan, 1913–2004) was a printmaker, poster artist, calligrapher, book illustrator, set and clothing designer, and mentor to a whole generation of Puerto Rican printmakers. From 1952 to 1957, he was the director of the Taller de Gráfica [Graphics Workshop] at the División de Educación de la Comunidad (DIVEDCO). In 1955, he organized the Taller de Gráfica at the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP), where he remained until 1973. Later, he worked in his own studio, where he experimented with and perfected the silkscreen technique.The Biennial de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano was one of the most important events held in the Caribbean region, given that it fostered an exchange of ideas and contact among different artists. The first of these biennials was organized by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña [Institute of Puerto Rican Culture] (ICP) in 1970. Printmaking was selected because it was a form of expression that was widely practiced by Puerto Rican artists, who were producing very high quality work. In 1986, “y del Caribe” [and Caribbean] was added to the name of the biennial so it could include that geographic area in the event. Parallel to this change, the biennial included two exhibitions to recognize artists’ work: one to honor a Puerto Rican artist and the other to honor a foreign artist. It is of interest to note that Lorenzo Homar was the Puerto Rican artist honored at the first Biennial.