by Elizabeth Cerejido, Ph.D.
I am excited to announce that as of September 1, I assumed a new role at the Cuban Heritage Collection as Curator for Cuban Collections. In this capacity, I have the opportunity to focus more fully and strategically on the work I began during my tenure as chair from 2018-2022 in areas related to research and collection development, programming, and donor relations.
As curator, I will primarily focus on procuring materials related to the visual arts and art history, as well as Cuban exile history and culture. The Luis Camnitzer and Rachel Weiss papers, as well as the José Kozer papers are just two examples that represent the types of acquisitions we secured under my leadership that significantly added to our existing holdings in the research areas of contemporary Cuban visual arts and Cuban diasporic literary production. The recent purchases of the photographic work of Tony Mendoza and the late Mario Algaze, as well as drawings by Nereida García-Ferraz, made notable additions to our holdings of works on paper and contemporary photography. These acquisitions also represent one of our collection development priorities, that is, a special focus on practitioners who belong to a generation of Cuban Americans that emerged in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s, a period pivotal to the formation of a Cuban American cultural identity.
As I discovered during my visiting researcher fellowship at Cuban Heritage Collection in 2014, the department already boasts several collections in the area of art and culture, such as the records of the Cuban Museum of Arts & Culture and INTAR Theatre (which includes INTAR Gallery). With the recent donation by the Cintas Foundation of their records, together, these collections represent some of the pillars of Cuban diasporic cultural history. The Collection also has an impressive collection of artists’ books from creatives on the island and in the diaspora. Building on this strong foundation, the Cuban Heritage Collection is well-positioned to create a stellar archive of materials and objects that represent the rich history of the visual arts from Cuba and its diaspora—from the modern period to the present.
I look forward to working closely with Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair and Director Amanda Moreno and the team at the Collection in continuing to develop initiatives that bring visibility to the breadth and depth of our collection through curated initiatives that we will continue to offer our patrons, reinforcing our singular place in the Cuban studies landscape. Leveraging my areas of expertise in modern and contemporary Cuban and Cuban American art, my knowledge of and passion for Cuban exile history, and deep ties within the local Cuban community will allow me to continue contributing meaningfully to the Cuban Heritage Collection—a place very dear to my heart and to many!
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