Giving Compass' Take:

· After the damage cause by Hurricane Maria last year, Puerto Rico is still recovering and finding new ways to support arts and culture in the changing government.

· Is this an opportunity for philanthropists to adjust their giving strategy and focus on supporting the arts in Puerto Rico?

· Read more about Puerto Rico post-Maria.

When Hurricane Maria barreled into Puerto Rico last year, it swept away homes, businesses, and jobs. Not only did it leave a catastrophic environmental mess, but Maria also blew away any remaining cover for the island’s dire fiscal crisis. That’s affecting the basics of life like power and education, but it goes further. Shifting financial priorities are also affecting the arts.

In his downtown San Juan studio, Tomas Gonzalez Hernandez is crouched on the floor -- cutting, gluing and reshaping old street posters into new works of art.

“I’m interest[ed] in that kind of objects because that kind of objects got a history in their environment,” he said.

The aftermath of Hurricane Maria has pushed him in new artistic directions.

“Maria was a really tough experience to the island, to the people, to the government,” said Gonzalez. “And yes, right now my work is going to start to get a little more -- patriotic is the word?”

Read the full article about reimagining arts and culture by Diane Orson at WNPR News.