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Museum of History, Anthropology, and Art of the University of Puerto Rico - Andrea Mercado-Cruz, Week 2


Week #2 - Internship Blog

Museum of History, Anthropology, and Art of the University of Puerto Rico

by Andrea Mercado-Cruz (YAP 2024)

This was my second week working at the Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte (Museo UPRRP) in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico! Much like last week, this week focused on research and helping museum staff with donations. Additionally, I began working on the outline for the podcast episodes I would record for the museum and post on their YouTube channel.


Monday began with a productive meeting with Lisa to discuss her guided tour from Friday. We discussed her engaging method of interaction with students, focusing on how she encourages them to make their own observations before offering her own analysis. A significant point of our conversation was the apparent lack of education about indigenous communities in Puerto Rico, as evidenced by the students' keen interest in the archaeological exhibit featuring a burial mock-up.
Following our meeting, I dedicated time to my research paper, conducting further research on the artists I'm writing about and composing my introduction. In the afternoon, Lisa and I did a campus tour, walking through the main library and its collections. We explored the old book-finding system and discussed the history behind the numerous murals adorning the campus, from academic buildings to the student center and central library. Tuesday morning was spent making progress on the museum donation project. We're almost done with the list detailing all items gifted to the museum. This task was time-consuming since I had to review previously cataloged items to gather and add more information to the document. In the afternoon, I focused on reading about the colonial occupation of Vieques to conclude the historical segment of my research; overall, most of this week was dedicated to refining my paper for Lisa's review.


On Wednesday, I wrapped up my first draft and began the Spanish translation, which I completed in the afternoon, leaving proofreading for the following day. I also started outlining episodes for the podcast/video series, planning five episodes - an introductory episode and four covering the different pieces discussed in my paper. Earlier in the day, Lissa and I examined the remaining plants from a previous exhibit to discover why they were dying. Lisa introduced me to the "carritos" used for interactive tour activities and explained their contents. We then visited the gallery to observe "El Velorio," where Lisa pointed out subtle details I had missed, such as the falling flowers and the symbolism in the characters' attire.
Thursday began with discussing my podcast ideas and a review of my essay's first draft with Lisa. We covered the main topics, sources, and how everything ties into the outlined episodes. I created a logo for the podcast, which will be incorporated into the intro and thumbnail of both audio and video versions. I then shadowed my second tour of the internship, guiding a group from Upward Bound Chicago. The English-language tour covered the "El Velorio" painting, Egyptian mummies, and Puerto Rican indigenous artifacts. Afterward, I completed an evaluation form, recapping the tour's highlights, noting guest interactions with exhibit items, and recording their questions and areas of most significant interest.

On Friday morning, I focused on finalizing the logo for the podcast series and proofreading the Spanish translation of my essay. Lisa began reviewing my research, and I'm now waiting for her feedback. Continuing tasks from last week, I resumed working with the donation downstairs and dedicated some time to digitizing contributions for the 'Flor Borinqueña' interactive table.

                                  
This week at the Museo UPRRP has been busy, filled with research, projects, and hands-on museum work. Next week, I'll be working remotely from home as the university is on vacation. Still, I'm looking forward to using this time to further perfect my research and record my podcast episodes.

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