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The conference opens with a provocative
keynote by Jose Limón which takes a look at the Mexican-American
community and its relation to museums. The first session called
“Historicizing Narratives” presents hidden photographic and
documental archives that enlighten the understanding of the
historical presence of Latinos in the United States.
The second session, “Borders and Diasporas”
illustrates issues of identity, borders, diasporic movements,
and transnationalism as interpreted in music and in museum
exhibitions. The papers in this session also address the
many challenges in trying to represent these stories.
The third session, "Challenging Curatorial
Practices," speaks to both practical, and ideological
political issues embedded in the nature of institutions such
as museums and their relations to the community they represent.
The fourth session, called “Aesthetics-Beauty”
relates to the interpretation of Latino visual art; conceptions
of beauty, aesthetics, and community perceptions. This session
also deals with some methodological issues involved in representational
practice.
The fifth session called “The Body: The
Real and the Symbolic” deals with the issues of gender, race,
sexuality as manifested at the level of the body.
The last day of the conference presented
three workshops intended to be hands-on learning experiences
of some of the critical issues affecting the representation
of cultures: the script-writing process, understanding the
audience, and securing the necessary funds.
Copyright © 2003
Smithsonian Institution |
