A Guide to Art, Activism, & Culture

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 so...

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 concep...

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 w...

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 ...

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 epi...

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. Retrospec...

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...

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...

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 C...

Today, I am sitting down with Maryland based artist, Inga Bragadottir. Inga is a fiber artist with an emphasis on material and experimentation. Her work spans from performance to photography, textile and sculpture and often explores identity and the body in relation to its environment.

View the artwork discussed in this episode: https://www.aerogramme.org/virtual-viewing-room/inga-bragadottir

Image Credit: Inga Bragadottir

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Today, I am sitting down with New Mexico based artist, Nicholas B. Jacobsen. Nicholas is 8th generation Mormon whose work seeks to unsettle the Mormon assumptions of masculinity, white supremacy, and capitalism, i.e. the foundations of U.S. culture.

View the artwork discussed in this episode: www.aerogramme.org/virtual-viewing-room/nicholas-b-jacobsen

Image Credit: Nicholas B. Jacobsen

🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogramm...

Welcome to “A Guide to Art, Activism, & Culture”. I am your host Zoë Elena Moldenhauer. This podcast is an extension of The Aerogramme Center for Arts and Culture. As we continue to build an archive of today’s creativity, we also believe it is important to hear the voices behind the art. Today’s episode, introductions! So who are we, why are we, what are we? Hope all will be answered.

🌐 https://www.aerogramme.org ➡️ @aerogram...