Two current exhibits at the Michigan State University museum which touch on issues of diversity are“Our Journeys/Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement” and "Visual Griots of Mali: An Exhibition of African Youth Photography." http://museum.msu.edu/Exhibitions/Current/
The first exhibit features 25 Latino individuals' and families' experiences which showcases the Latino culture and ideology. This compilation of athlethes, authors, philanthropists, entertainers, leaders and other inspiring individuals sets positive examples for young Americans by illustrating dedication and hard work, even in the face of racism.
The second exhibit displays photographs taken by children in Mali, West Africa. By documenting their daily lives in the village, the children are carrying-on an age-old tradition of storytelling but in a more modern fashion. Forty-eight black and white photographs illustrate the children's communities while teaching the photographers the power of continuing cultural traditions through contemporary means.
A narrative that drew my attention was that of José Martí in the “Our Journeys/Our Stories” exhibit. Martí's Marxist ideas and publications had long-lasting effects. Politically active in the late nineteenth century Cuba, his writings designed for the Cuban Independance were used as inspiration during the Cuban revolution as well. I enjoyed the photographs in this exhibit. It is always interesting to me to see how individuals represented in history actually looked in their environment. This exhibit was especially intersting to me because I am currently studying the Cuban revolution in a class entitled Rethinking the Cold War from Las Americas.
Author and poet Sandra Cisneros was a subject in the exhibit "Our Journeys/Our Stories." While attending a MFA seminar at the University of Iowa Cisneros describes how she realized the differences between herself, as a Mexican woman, and others around her. It was this moment that Cisneros turned to her Mexican culture as inspiration for her writing instead of conforming to North American literary norms.
The first exhibit features 25 Latino individuals' and families' experiences which showcases the Latino culture and ideology. This compilation of athlethes, authors, philanthropists, entertainers, leaders and other inspiring individuals sets positive examples for young Americans by illustrating dedication and hard work, even in the face of racism.
The second exhibit displays photographs taken by children in Mali, West Africa. By documenting their daily lives in the village, the children are carrying-on an age-old tradition of storytelling but in a more modern fashion. Forty-eight black and white photographs illustrate the children's communities while teaching the photographers the power of continuing cultural traditions through contemporary means.
A narrative that drew my attention was that of José Martí in the “Our Journeys/Our Stories” exhibit. Martí's Marxist ideas and publications had long-lasting effects. Politically active in the late nineteenth century Cuba, his writings designed for the Cuban Independance were used as inspiration during the Cuban revolution as well. I enjoyed the photographs in this exhibit. It is always interesting to me to see how individuals represented in history actually looked in their environment. This exhibit was especially intersting to me because I am currently studying the Cuban revolution in a class entitled Rethinking the Cold War from Las Americas.
Author and poet Sandra Cisneros was a subject in the exhibit "Our Journeys/Our Stories." While attending a MFA seminar at the University of Iowa Cisneros describes how she realized the differences between herself, as a Mexican woman, and others around her. It was this moment that Cisneros turned to her Mexican culture as inspiration for her writing instead of conforming to North American literary norms.
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