New Haven Museum honors CT’s first Black woman brewer
Alisa Bowens-Mercado, who founded New Haven-based Rhythm Brewing and Alisa’s House of Salsa, is being celebrated at the New Haven Museum.
Bowens-Mercado donated an assortment of items from her two businesses that will be on view in the “community case” in the museum’s rotunda until the end of August. The display includes photographs and promotion materials from Rhythm Brewing Co., the first Black female-owned beer company in Connecticut and Bowens-Mercado’s salsa studio.
“I think [ this exhibit] shows entrepreneurship and empowerment,” said Bowens-Mercado.
“Hopefully [an] inspiration to the young people just that maybe need to be encouraged — you can get inducted into a museum just [by] living your life’s dream and passions.”
Bowens-Mercado founded Alisa’s House of Salsa in 2000 where she offers group, couple and individual salsa lessons. The display includes Alisa’s salsa-dancing shoes to commemorate her 20-year-old studio.
“These dance shoes have been on stage all across the country,” said Bowens-Mercado.
In 2018, Bowens-Mercado opened Rhythm Brewing, which was recently awarded a prize from the Women’s Business
Development Council’s Equity Match Grant Program. For the collection, Bowens-Mercado donated several cans of beer, promotional materials and a shirt from the brewery.
“I had a moment where I just said, ‘wow.’ What I saw in my case was worlds all coming together, and that’s what the world should look like,” said BowensMercado, who is interested in diversifying the larger craft industry.
The items donated by Bowens-Mercado premiered on July 30 and will be on view in the Community Case in the NHM rotunda all August.