Roots of Puerto Rico (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1973 June 6 - 1973 December

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened June 6, 1973 and closed December 1973. Located on Floor 1 in Education Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Roots of Puerto Rico, funded by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, traced the origins of Puerto Rican culture. It was curated by Program Coordinator Maria Uyehara and Assistant Coordinator Lucille Rios of the Caribbean Studies Program of the Museum's Department of Education and designed by the Department of Exhibition.

Summary

Roots of Puerto Rico, funded by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, traced the origins of Puerto Rican culture. It was curated by Program Coordinator Maria Uyehara and Assistant Coordinator Lucille Rios of the Caribbean Studies Program of the Museum's Department of Education and designed by the Department of Exhibition. The exhibition was designed to present and interpret the multi-cultural heritage of Puerto Rico, including Taino, African, and Spanish influences (1, p. 1-2).

Highlights (1, p. 1-2):

*A simulated patio with curved arches, stucco walls, a courtyard well, and an exterior stairway to highlight Spanish Colonial architecture

*Illuminated niches in patio walls featuring saints carved in mahogany, cedar, oak, and other native woods by eighteenth and nineteenth century artists

*Traditional music

*A globe-shaped terrarium with more than a dozen live coqui frogs

*Masks and photographs from the Loiza Aldea area to highlight African influences

*Exhibition labels in English and Spanish

This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Colorful Exhibit at American Museum of Natural History Traces Origins of Puerto Rican Culture." June 6, 1973. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

For information on this exhibition see:

"Puerto Rican exhibit blends ethnic forces." The Herald-News (Passaic, NJ), June 6, 1973.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Education.
Exhibition under purview of the Caribbean Studies Program of the Museum's Department of Education (1, p. 1)

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Exhibition.
Designed exhibition (1, p. 2)

American Museum of Natural History. Education Gallery.
Location of exhibition 1973 June 6 – 1973 December (1, p. 1)

Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust
Sponsor of exhibition (1, p. 1)

Rios, Lucille
Curator of exhibition; Assistant Coordinator, Caribbean Studies Program, Museum's Department of Education (1, p. 1)

Uyehara, Maria E.
Curator of exhibition; Program Coordinator, Caribbean Studies Program, Museum's Department of Education (1, p. 1)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1973-1974: 29.

American Museum of Natural History annual reports, 1902-2001.
"Department of Education Annual Report 1972-73." [1973].

American Museum of Natural History photographic drawers
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Black and white contact sheets of exhibition on view]

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s.
"Colorful Exhibit at American Museum of Natural History Traces Origins of Puerto Rican Culture." June 6, 1973.

American Museum of Natural History Special Collections vertical files
CRepository: AMNH Special Collections [News articles]

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