Geographic and gender birth place distribution of Latin American and Latinx Artists in the NSU Art Museum Collection.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

"Entre Las Aguas (Between the Waters)" utilizes data visualization and GIS tools to explore the narratives of artists represented in the Latin American & Latinx Collection of the NSU Art Museum. By analyzing the dataset of artists in the collection, this project critically examines the definitions and implications of "Latin American" and "Latinx" within the context of museum and collection classification and the inclusion of “Latin American and Latinx” artists into the American Art/European Art categories and collections. It also aims to highlight underrepresented artists across categories like gender and geographic origin. The project further seeks to question the association of art and artists with specific geographic locations, both in terms of birthplace and current residence, and aims to understand how these categorization standards shape Museum collecting practices in South Florida.

As the project lead and Registrar in the Collection Digitization Initiative at the NSU Art Museum, I had the responsibility of categorizing artists and artworks within the museum's gifts and acquisitions, including the Latin American and Latinx Collection. Engaging in this project and deeply reviewing the dataset provided me with a valuable opportunity to critically reflect on my own work and the impact of these categorizations.

Ultimately, this project calls for a critical examination of the categorization standards in the art world and encourages museum professionals to look beyond narrow identitarian categories, such as country of origin, when curating exhibitions and assembling collections for a diverse audience. Since relying on such categories may inadvertently marginalize artists, "Entre Las Aguas" invites viewers to rethink traditional categorization practices, fostering a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of Latin American and Latinx art and artists. Additionally, the spatial analysis conducted in this project reveals patterns of artist migration across countries, offering insights into the socio-political circumstances that have influenced the artists and art history. This project is particularly relevant to art history students, museum professionals, and academics engaged in the study of modern and contemporary art.

SOFTWARE

Carto, Tableau, Flourish, ArcGIS Storymaps, Photoshop