I spoke with the Whitney Museum of American Art’s DeMartini Family Curator, Marcela Guerrero, about their recent exhibition “no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria.” Coinciding with the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Maria, the multi-generational exhibition brings together artists from the island and the diaspora to explore the overlapping disasters compounded by Puerto Rico’s ongoing colonial conditions.

Image Credit: Installation view of no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art In The Wake Of Hurricane Maria (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, November 23, 2022-April 23, 2023). From left to right: Edra Soto, GRAFT, 2022; Gamaliel Rodríguez, Collapsed Soul, 2020-21; Gabriella Torres-Ferrer, Untitled (Valora tu mentira americana) (Untitled [Value Your American Lie]), 2018. Photograph by Ron Amstutz.

I spoke with Saskia Lascarez Casanova about her exhibition “Cultural Traditions: The Quinceañera in Cabarrus County” currently on view at The Cabarrus County Museum of History in North Carolina till April 22, 2023. Through oral histories, Saskia explores the intersection of race, gender, class, religion, migration and family to present how the quinceañera has shaped the way that young Latina women identify themselves in American society.

Image Credit: Installation image of “Cultural Traditions: The Quinceañera in Cabarrus County” (Cabarrus County Museum of History, North Carolina, September 26, 2022—April 22, 2023). Image of purple quinceañera dress on stand. Photograph by Saskia Lascarez Casanova.

I spoke with Sarita Echavez See about her 2017 book “The Filipino Primitive” which traces stolen Filipino objects in the United States that have served as the foundation of power and knowledge in museums. One level her book is about two very specific museums, but in reality, the points she makes can be applied to any similar museum that considers itself to have an ethnological collection. I was particularly interested in the concept of the imperial museum how a museum reflects subconscious prejudice.

Image Credit: Display cases E3-E8, Philippine exhibit at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, Ann Arbor. Photography by Mark Gjukich.

During my final year at NYU, I took a course on Ethical Frameworks in Museums taught by Visiting Assisting Professor of Museum Studies, Lauraberth Lima. I invited Lima to speak with me to help define terminology such as decolonization and equity and how these words are co-opted by museums as well as to provide insight on how to communicate complex theories to the general public who might not be aware of the decolonial movement. I was also interested in how one teaches ethical frameworks and how such a course prepares emerging museum professionals in the field.

Image Credit: Lauraberth Lima

Today, I am sitting down with Puerto Rican artist, Miguel Luciano who spoke with me about their residency at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and their project "Cemí-Libre: Block Party Celebration and Pop-up Exhibition" (2021). The project featured work created during the Civic Practice Partnership Artist-in-Residency in where Miguel explored the history between The Met's collection and its connection to the East Harlem community in New York City. In our discussion, Miguel reflects on the social responsibilities of leveraging the institutions resources to give back to underrepresented communities as well as to challenge the colonial framework by replicating one of the museum's artifacts--the Zemí Cohoba Stand (A.D. 974-1020)--and symbolically returning it back to the Taíno community in El Barrio.

Image Credit: Miguel Luciano. Cemí in bronze, East Harlem, 2021.

Today I am sitting down with archeologist and museum professional, James Doyle, who spoke with me about their exhibition "Arte del Mar: Artistic Exchange in the Caribbean" (2019-2021) featured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arte del Mar" (Art From The Sea) was the second exhibition at The Met to explore the cultural, ritual, and political interconnections between the Taíno civilizations of the Antilles archipelago. In this episode, James shares his curatorial and research practice, exploring new ways to presenting non-Western art in museums, and the recent cultural and social shifts in museums to address systemic racism and land acknowledgements via their collections.

Image Credit: Installation Image of "Arte del Mar: Artistic Exchange in the Caribbean" (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, December 16, 2019-June 27, 2021). From left to right: Zemí Cohoba Stand, 974–1020 CE; Bowl with Resist Design, 7th–10th century; Heart-Shaped Bottle with Phallic Spout, 11th–15th century. Photograph by Hyla Skopitz.

Today I am sitting down with Maryland based printmaker, Juan Esparza, who spoke with me about their artistic process, reclaiming Mexican stereotypes, and the struggles of representation and privilege to peruse art. Currently based in Silver Spring Maryland, Juan was born in the city of Aguascalientes and is from the small town of Tepusco, Jalisco. His family emigrated to the United States when he was only three years old. Retrospection is a driving force in his creative process and is inspired by his Mexican American upbringing. Through the use of printmaking and animal symbolism, Juan creates expressions of nostalgia from being raised in a Mexican household and traveling to and from Mexico throughout his life.

View the artwork discussed in this episode: www.aerogramme.org/virtual-viewing-room/identity-and-memoryjuan-esparza.

Image Credit: Juan Esparza

Today, I am joined with Development Officer, Alexander Campos and Educator, Maria del Carmen Barney from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library who spoke with me about the museum, it’s complicated history with its Washington Heights neighborhood, and ongoing work to connect with its predominantly Dominican-Puerto Rican community.

Image Credit: Installation Image of Mezzanine Paintings Gallery (Hispanic Society of America Museum & Library, New York).

Today, I am sitting down with New York based artist and educator, Carlos Jesús Martínez Domínguez (FEEGZ) who spoke with me about Latinidad in art collections and museums. Referencing The Cheech Marin Collection --currently under construction in Riverside, California-- how can this push for Latinidad in museums and art collections further colonial mindsets by adhering to words like Latinidad, Latino/a, Latinx?

Image Credit: Carlos Jesús Martínez Domínguez. The Early Diaspora (1890s – 1940s), 2021.

Today, I am sitting down with Chicago based artist, Gabriel Soto. Gabriel is a painter with an interest in psychedelic imagery, history, and esoteric spiritual practices. He graduated from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with a BFA in 2017. Primarily focused on oil painting, Gabriel currently resides in Chicago, IL.

View the artwork discussed in this episode: www.aerogramme.org/virtual-viewing-room/gabriel-soto.

Image Credit: Gabriel Soto