Article on Martorell Published in Exhibition Journal

I’m thrilled to have written an article for the current issue of Exhibition (Spring 2022), a journal of exhibition theory and practice for museum professionals published by the National Association for Museum Exhibition and the American Alliance of Museums.

My article “Visiting Puerto Rico, Martorell’s Exhibition Grounds,” is about Entretelas: Antonio Martorell y sus amigos (Interfaces: Antonio Martorell and His Friends) exhibition at Museo De Las Americas and was adapted from an article originally posted here on Travesía Artística (October 2021).

I have included some screen shots of the article below. To learn more about the journal, this issue, past issues, and how to subscribe, check out: https://www.name-aam.org/past-issues-online

Puerto Ricans, Now En Vogue, in NYC

Brooklyn Museum member's opening reception for  

Impressionism and the Caribbean: Francisco Oller and His Transatlantic World .

Well apparently it's National Hispanic Heritage Month and while I’ve never paid if much mind before, I have recently been more aware of “Hispanic” goings-on around town, especially in the art world. I just Googled it and found that the month runs from September 15^th to October 15^th, which is kind of weird and interesting – overlapping between two different months and in fact two different seasons, summer and fall. The "month" is composed of multiple elements, much like one might say Hispanics are? I don’t think the reasoning was that poetic. I read online that the dates were stretched in order to include Columbus Day (as he “discovered” many of the Latin American countries [pause here for a look of stunned disbelief]). By the way, I am not a fan of the term Hispanic - but I will save that for a different blog post. For now, I would like to report on a few events that I’ve recently found out about and/or attended and around town, as they relate to this Travesia Artistica blog in general, and to Puerto Rican art and culture specifically.

Firstly, there is the tri-pronged exhibit, ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York located at El Museo Del Barrio, the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Loisaida Center. The exhibits have been running since the summer, but this month, I've noticed a few other institutions linking in on the Young Lords theme. Specifically, the Shomberg Center for Research in Black Culture with a panel discussion event entitled, Conversations in Black Freedom Studies - The Young Lords Party, Part 1, which took place on October 1st (part 2 to be scheduled for 2016), and the Queens Museum hosting an "offsite" event (actually at El Museo, not QMA) called Puerto Ricans in New York and the Young Lords in El Barrio on October 10th. Besides those, I came across information for a food festival called, Puerto Rico Meets NYC (September 30th to October 4th) featuring a multitude of top chefs at tasting events culminating in a Lechon Asado Block Party (yes, an old fashioned pig roast!). 

Another major event that kicked off this month is the retrospective exhibition of Puerto Rican master artist Francisco Oller at the Brooklyn Museum, entitled, Impressionism and the Caribbean: Francisco Oller and His Transatlantic World (running from October 2nd, 2015 through January 3rd, 2016). Being a museum member, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to  the members-only advance preview and reception for the exhibit, which I attended on October 1st. Ann Pasternak (the museum's recently appointed director) gave a welcoming speech before introducing a lovely Latin Jazz band and inviting members to partake in the open bar which included Puerto Rican rum drinks - and there were even plantain chips to snack on, not to mention gorgeous table arrangements made of tropical plants reminiscent of the island (a nice touch!). The Oller exhibit is extensive, 85 works - Oller's, as well as some of his contemporaries and predecessors. Even though the exhibit rightfully points out how Oller was influenced by his time and study in Europe, I thought they also did a great job at illuminating the fact that his Puerto Rican/Caribbean influence was maintained throughout his career and how it shows through his aesthetic, for example, in Still Life with Coconuts (circa 1893). Moreover, Oller's works featuring people - from portraits to scenes - give a sense of the complicated spectrum of race and class in Puerto Rican culture; for example in his well-known work; Maestro Cordero's School (circa 1890). Another iconic piece featured in the exhibit is The Wake (circa 1893), which is actually a reproduction (that seemed to be a big disappointment for some visitors). But even though the museum was unable to obtain the original for whatever reasons, I think that they would have been remiss had they not offered some reference to this important work.  

I'm not sure if all of the aforementioned events were specifically programmed to revolve around Hispanic Heritage Month or not. But in addition to the Puerto Rican/Nuyorican-centric institutions like El Museo and Loisaida Inc., it's wonderful to see Puerto Rican culture - from fine art, to culinary to political and historical influences - brought to light at a wide array of venues across NYC. In any case, I hope to see this appreciation continue well beyond National Hispanic Heritage Month. 


To see more photos of the Francisco Oller exhibit and lots of other arts and cultural events check out my Instagram: @whippedhoney.

Brooklyn Museum member's opening reception for  

Impressionism and the Caribbean: Francisco Oller and His Transatlantic World .

Brooklyn Museum Director, Ann Pasternak.

Latin-Jazz band playing the reception.

Oller, Self-Portrait

Oller, Still Life with Bananas, Pitcher and Cashews.

Oller, Maestro Cordero's School.

Oller (reproduction), the Wake. 

Oller, Still Life with Coconuts.

From New York to Puerto Rico to New York…

Chalk artist creating outside of El Museo Del Barrio.

As per my original intention, this blog – Travesia Artistica – was meant to document my experience with the Community Arts University Without Walls (CAUWW) program in Puerto Rico, as well as any subsequent inspirations that came out of it. Since I’ve been home in New York City, I have been thinking a lot about what those “subsequent inspirations” and projects are/will be. Although it’s been a while since I actually posted here, so I figure I’d better do so ASAP.

First off, there’s my own personal painting project inspired by my CAUWW experience, which I have already started on (updates soon to come). Secondly there is my art exhibition/event project, which I plan to produce and will include a group of multi-disciplinary artists. The concept for the event was actually my CAUWW final project presentation, however, after getting home, I realized that I need more time to conceptualize and tighten up on my mission (I hope to have that done very soon) before I can start on the production. Besides these projects, I have continued to attend lots of art exhibits and events (if you know me, you know that this is a very regular occurrence), documenting and posting them through my Instagram account (with the appropriate hashtags, of course!) so that they can be shared far and wide. The addition in this case, is that now I have an eye out for the particular Puerto Rican, diasporic and/or Nuyorican connections  – and making said connections on my Instagram postings, and on this very blog. (All three of these things: the painting project, the exhibition event and the online publishing are interrelated, as I hope will be evident once they are all publicly presented.)

One such connecting-of-the-dots that I’ve made is to see the art exhibit that’s up right now: ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York. It’s a three-pronged exhibit that’s taking place simultaneously at three NYC institutions: The Bronx Museum of the Arts, El Museo del Barrio, and Loisaida Inc.  It piqued my interest, especially after having met Panama Alba, a member of the Young Lords Party (he presented a passionate lecture on his first-hand experience and history of YLP for CAUWW). Two weeks ago I saw ¡Presente! at El Museo (during a block party, Uptown Bounce, in conjunction with the Museum of the City of New York), and last Wednesday I went to Loisaida Inc.

In addition to the exhibit, Loisaida Inc. provided some thoughtful public programming. First, Maximo Colon gave a gallery talk discussing his work as a world-renown photographer, and his involvement with the Struggle as documenting through powerful black and white photography (many which are included in this exhibition) during the time when the YLP was most active. Next, there was another talk: Presente in Absentia: Diasporic Responses to Puerto Rico’s Crisis. This was a brilliant in the part of Loisaida Inc. to make the connection between what was happening politically during the YLP’s heyday and what’s happening now – and offering the opportunity to create dialogue around it. The presenters were journalist Ed Morales, activist David Galarza Santa, leader of Puerto Rico's Working People’s Party, Rafael Bernabe (who Skyped in from Puerto Rico) and a last-minute addition, poet and activist Felipe Luciano. The presentation was well-attended and the conversation was lively (to put it mildly), offering much food for thought.

I haven’t been able to make it up to the Bronx Museum yet, but I hope to at some point soon. In the meantime, I will keep working on my paintings, pondering the art event project, and continue on this Travesia Artistica.

You can see more photos of ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York and lots of other arts and cultural events on my Instagram: @whippedhoney

Gallery talk for ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York at El Museo Del Barrio

Entrance of Loisaida Inc.

Photographer Maximo Colon's gallery talk at Loisaida Inc.

¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York at Loisaida Inc.

¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York at Loisaida Inc.

¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York at Loisaida Inc.

Talk "Presente in Absentia: Diasporic Responses to Puerto Rico’s Crisis" at Loisaida Inc.

Panelists and staff at Loisaida Inc.

The final two days of the CAUWW program in Puerto Rico...

Photo: Hallway at Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico (MAC)

I lost track of blogging about what we did during the last two days of the CAUWW program... Let me disclose now that during the whole time we were living on campus, we did not have a proper WiFi connection; so, I actually did all of the blogging (writing and photo uploading) through my iPhone. Kinda challenging!

On Thursday, June 2nd, we took a trip to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico (MAC). We were met by artist, Lionel Cruet, who gave us a tour of the show Colonial Comfort. After seeing so many types and styles of art it was a nice finale to encounter a contemporary collection - especially of artists responding to the concept of colonialism (a theme which we have been discussing a lot on this trip to the commonwealth of PR, which some would argue is actually a US colony). Lionel showed us around and explained about the works (including his own piece) in this group show, put together by guest curator Lisa Ladner (el-status.com) and originally shown at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Saint Croix.

From there we went back to campus to work on our final project presentations. For the culmination of the CAUWW program, each of us students were expected to take what we had learned and come up with a concept for individual projects, moving forward. Our presentations would take place the next morning, the last day of class. Back at the Casa Carmona guesthouse, for maybe the first time, there was no talking to be heard - only the clickity-clack of keyboards and the scribbling of pens to paper. On Friday morning, we took a few hours making our presentations and Dr. Vega gave us feedback and guidance. From there, she took us out to lunch, our last meal together as a group, to El Patio Sole in Santurce. Lunch was great, but I felt a little sad that the experience was coming to an end.

(To see more photos, go to my Instagram: @whippedhoney.)

Adal, "Operation Mind Scrub."

Janet Cook-Rutnik, "The House of Dreams."

Janet Cook-Rutnik, "The House of Dreams."

Liza Morelez-Ortis, "La Calle, Tendedero."

Lionel Cruet with his work, "On Related Circumstances."

El Patio de Sole restaurant in Santurce.

A day in Caguas

"Ancestral Africana," installation by Samuel Lind, at the Botanical Gardens in Caguas.

The thing about Puerto Rico that's so interesting to me is that it is such a small island, but each area and town are vastly different. Within an hour's drive in any direction, you might find yourself in a city, at the beach, in the mountains or some other atmosphere.

On Wednesday we traveled to the area of Caguas. Starting at the Caguas Tourism Office, we prepared for a museum walk, La Ruta del Corazón Criollo. Our friendly tour guide explained how Caguas is a center of arts and culture, with many museums, three of which we would see: Museo Del Artes Populares (folk art), Museo Del Tobaco and El Museo De Arte De Caguas. From there we took a short drive to the Botanical Gardens so see a sublime sculptural installation by Samuel Lind (whom we had the pleasure of meeting in his home studio last week). 

From there we drove high up into the mountains of Caguas, to the community of San Salvador. The landscape is one of the most beautiful one can find on earth (I regret not being able to take proper pictures). We were welcomed to the Community Museum of San Salvador for a presentation and a tour of their space. Their collection consists of various items collected from the community with the intention of preserving the culture and history of San Salvador.

Santurce Es Ley.

Photo: Murals on a building in Santurce.

Monday's excursion was so visually overwhelming (in a good way) and also had a particularly personal discovery for me.

First, in the morning, we had an incredible class with Dr. Maria Elba Torres, who's a co-creator of the CAUWW program, and a foremost expert on Puerto Rican art history. She showed us slides of images and explained to us about the different perspectives on, and aesthetics of Puerto Rican art - from the institutionally accepted Spaniard/European, and the American to the lesser known and documented Antillean/Caribbean aesthetic. The latter of which she has been researching, documenting, writing and teaching about, as it is her specialty as an art historian and educator. 

My classmates and I then piled in to the van for a trip to Santurce to meet with a local artist there named Javier Cintron. Javier is one of the artists that works with the event Santurce Es Ley (Santurce is Law), which invites artists to create public murals all over town. And with that, the whole town is COVERED in huge and amazing art. It's really quite a sight to see. Javier took us on a tour all around to view murals that were created by fellow artists, as well as himself. One of the most poignant things that Javier said, which stuck with me was that the public mural movement in Santurce has become so strong and relevant that it alleviated the need for artists to rely on the acceptance of institutions like art galleries or museums. It allows them to have a voice and get their authentic messages out and impact upon the community. 

This visit had a particular relevance for me because my father actually lived in this city for some time (being born in the farmlands of Humacao and moving to Santurce for some time before immigrating to New York City). I hastily called my dad to ask him what street he lived on and as serendipity would have it, he lived on Monserrate street,  the same street as Javier! After our mural tour, Javier welcomed us into his home which was interesting since a part of his work is to illustrate the old houses of Santurce (one of which he lives in), and interesting for me too, since it's a part of my own family's history.

(There are lots more pics of the art of Santurce on my Instagram: @whippedhoney.)

Javier Cintron in front of Bikismo's mural in Santurce

Javier in front of his house

CAUWW with Javier in front of one of his murals

A day in Loiza and Piñones

Photo: Sculpture and paintings in Samuel Lind's home studio

What an extraordinary day we had, traveling to the towns of Loiza and Piñones today. This is an area of Puerto Rico which is primarily populated by people of African descent, and maintains much of the culture and traditions within, such as bomba and plena music and dance. 

First we were welcomed into the home studio of artist, Samuel Lind. As a part of this community, Samuel highlight so much of the beauty in Loiza by way of documenting the people and their traditions. His work spans from painting to sculpture and silkscreen and every corner of his two- story home studio is covered in artwork. 

From there, we went across the street for a quick visit to the artisan shop of Castor Ayala, who's famous for making the masks used in Puerto Rican festivals. Next we went for a "quick" bite at a beachside cuchifrito spot called Kiosco Boriqua (which took forever, but was well worth the wait). We wanted to make a detour to the beach, but ran out of time as we had an appointment in Piñones. 

We went to the Cooperativa Piñones se Integra (COPI) and met with the founder, Maricruz Rivera Clemente. She spoke with us about her activism through art and how COPI strengthens the community through sustainable development, offers ecotourism and is also a center for bomba and plena performance and classes. 

(For more photos, go to my Instagram @whippedhoney)