Graduate Internship:
I completed two internships during my MA program. First, at the New York City Archaeological Repository. Second, in the Cooper Hewitt’s curatorial department.
Digital Project Requirement:
I contributed to the first digital prototype of the 2022 virtual exhibition Shaped by the Loom: Weaving Worlds in the American Southwest. I was part of the design team and also created an individual page dedicated to the use of natural and aniline dyes in North American Southwest textiles.
Qualifying Paper:
Seafaring Treasures: Latin America and the Transpacific Trade
Describe one surprising discovery during your QP research:
As a woman of both Indigenous and Spanish descent, I believed my ancestry was defined by transatlantic migrations and the relationship of the Americas with Europe. Thanks to my QP research, I discovered that Latin America’s relationship with Asia during the early modern period was equally influential and long-lasting, impacting our foodways, language, material culture, and definitions of luxury and beauty to this day. I was excited to see the agency of often victimized communities, such as Indigenous craftsmen, reflected in hybrid designs that combined Asian and Indigenous imagery. This hybridity symbolized a thriving and prosperous trade that mostly benefited mixed-race merchants and craftsmen, as opposed to the transatlantic trade, which largely benefited the Spanish crown. Studying the transpacific trade shed a light on a part of my identity that was hidden, and it strengthened my sense of belonging to this continent. If this exhibition becomes a reality, I hope it will do the same for other Latin American visitors.
Next Steps:
I’m about to start a one-year internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Twelve-Month Curatorial Intern in American Decorative Arts.
I completed two internships during my MA program. First, at the New York City Archaeological Repository. Second, in the Cooper Hewitt’s curatorial department.
Digital Project Requirement:
I contributed to the first digital prototype of the 2022 virtual exhibition Shaped by the Loom: Weaving Worlds in the American Southwest. I was part of the design team and also created an individual page dedicated to the use of natural and aniline dyes in North American Southwest textiles.
Qualifying Paper:
Seafaring Treasures: Latin America and the Transpacific Trade
Describe one surprising discovery during your QP research:
As a woman of both Indigenous and Spanish descent, I believed my ancestry was defined by transatlantic migrations and the relationship of the Americas with Europe. Thanks to my QP research, I discovered that Latin America’s relationship with Asia during the early modern period was equally influential and long-lasting, impacting our foodways, language, material culture, and definitions of luxury and beauty to this day. I was excited to see the agency of often victimized communities, such as Indigenous craftsmen, reflected in hybrid designs that combined Asian and Indigenous imagery. This hybridity symbolized a thriving and prosperous trade that mostly benefited mixed-race merchants and craftsmen, as opposed to the transatlantic trade, which largely benefited the Spanish crown. Studying the transpacific trade shed a light on a part of my identity that was hidden, and it strengthened my sense of belonging to this continent. If this exhibition becomes a reality, I hope it will do the same for other Latin American visitors.
Next Steps:
I’m about to start a one-year internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Twelve-Month Curatorial Intern in American Decorative Arts.
