2016 November 21 - 2017 August 13
Summary
"¡Cuba!" was an exhibit which explored the island's rich biodiversity and culture. This bilingual exhibit offered visitors insights into the island nation with a close look at Cuba's unique natural history, including its native species, highly diverse ecosystems, and geology. The exhibit also explored Cuba's history, traditions and contemporary Cuban voices to give new perspectives on the country. The exhibition included cultural artifacts, as well as live animals, specimens, and lifelike models representing the island's distinctive wildlife, from a venomous mammal to the world's smallest bird. Biodiversity displays were developed in collaboration with scientists at the Cuban National Museum of Natural History. Highlights included a recreation of the Zapata wetlands, home to the endangered Cuban crocodile, and a reconstructed cave environment were visitors were able to examine fossil remains of a giant ground sloth once common to the island. A long open boulevard evoking Cuban street life invited visitors to discover Cuban culture through music, games and a variety of interactive experiences. On display at the beginning of the boulevard was a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air. Other highlights included a pair of altars celebrating orisha religion, an Afro-Cuban spiritual tradition also known as Santeria; a gallery showcasing contemporary Cuban art; and a display on the cultivation of tobacco. An introductory film about Cuba's history provided visitors with historical context. The exhibition also featured footage from a 2015 expedition to the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park known as the Explore21 Expedition to Cuba. Developed in collaboration with the Cuban National Museum of Natural History, the exhibit was co-curated by Dr. Ana Luz Porzecanski, director of Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, and Dr. Chris Raxworthy, curator-in-charge in the Museum's Department of Herpetology. Support for the exhibit was provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Dalio Ocean Initiative and Jet Blue. The exhibit was on view in Gallery 3 of the American Museum of Natural History from November 21, 2016 through August 13, 2017.
Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: Cuban National Museum of Natural History, Ana Luz Porzecanski and Chris Raxworthy.
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American Museum of Natural History
Gottesman Research Library
200 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024-5192
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