Abstract
As a team of interdisciplinary scholars, we curated an exhibit titled “Quinceañeras: Celebration, Joy, and Ethnic Pride,” showcasing quinceañeras, a popular coming-of-age practice and celebration among Latine/x and Latin American populations throughout the Americas, at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at the University of Illinois, USA. Our team collected artifacts from people local to Champaign-Urbana and in other parts of the U.S., including dresses, shoes, religious artifacts, and family videos, and compiled a montage of mainstream media representations of quinceañeras. We created a faux cake, flower arch, and cutout figures for photo opportunities to simulate attending a quinceañera party, and produced a print and electronic zine in Spanish and English to distribute to attendees and those looking to learn more about the exhibit online. We sought to include the local Latine/x community in all stages of our planning with communications outreach, and produced craft days, evening media screenings, and a public opening night party with Latine/x vendors from Champaign-Urbana, doubling the attendance for the museum. By curating “Quinceañeras,” we successfully integrated the local community into the university and museum and challenged the exclusivity for which such spaces are known.
Presenters
Angharad ValdiviaResearch Professor Emerita, Institute of Communications Research, Latina Latino Studies Department, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Ethnic Pride, Americas, Latinx, Media Studies, Girlhood Studies, Gender Studies
