A Guide to Art, Activism, & Culture

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).

🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogrammearts 📧 [email protected]

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

🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogrammearts 📧 [email protected]

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. 🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogrammearts 📧 [email protected]

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.

🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogrammearts 📧 [email protected]

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

🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogrammearts 📧 [email protected]