When Hurricane Maria devastated our island on September of 2017, Old San Juan Heritage Foundation enhanced its mission with hands-on efforts to work with the various communities of La Isleta. As an indirect result, Perlarte was born as a women-lead cultural project anchored in a disadvantaged community. A unique art program aimed at creating an affordable and sustainable space for local artists. We found we could create a nurturing space for our residents and a creative outlet for the artists, while offering a unique experience to tourists, visitors, and the diaspora during their visits to Old San Juan. The program soon evolved from a successful test-market in Old San Juan’s 2019  “San-Sebastian Festival” to regular art workshops every Friday afternoon. By the end of 2019 artists began using the space and since then it has grown to include a "Taller de Bomba” Music program providing a safe space for people outside the community to interact with La Perla’s artists and residents.