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Museum of History, Anthropology, and Art of the University of Puerto Rico - Andrea Mercado-Cruz, Week 3

 

Week #3 - Internship Blog

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

by Andrea Mercado-Cruz (YAP 2024)


This was my third week working at the Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte (Museo UPRRP) in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico! This marked my third week working at the Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte (Museo UPRRP) in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico! Unlike the previous two weeks, I worked remotely this time. The university leadership offered staff the option to take the entire week off, given that there were already scheduled days off. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I traveled across the island to Mayaguez, where my family lives, and set up camp at my uncle's place to begin recording the podcast series.

Monday was dedicated to testing various recording equipment and mechanics my uncle owns to determine which would best suit our video recording needs. We settled on a green screen setup with a detached microphone and a recording platform called "mmhmm Studio," which his company developed. After finalizing the setup, I began recording the first episode of the series—the introduction.



Make-shift podcast studio setup my uncle and I created.

Once the recording was complete, we focused on editing the video and incorporating music at the beginning and end to increase engagement. Additionally, we created a separate file featuring just the podcast's logo, providing an alternative option for the museum to use if they preferred to exclude the visual presentation. During my downtime, I also worked on editing and refining the Spanish version of my research paper, ensuring it was ready for review by Lisa next week.


Tuesday and Wednesday were productive days dedicated to the podcast series. I focused on recording two more episodes, diving deeper into the works I wrote about in my research paper. By Wednesday afternoon, I had successfully filmed, edited, and uploaded three video and audio files to a shared folder. I also began working on the manuscript for the Spanish audio version of the episodes.

The series is starting to take shape, with three episodes now complete. These include an introduction to set the stage, followed by two in-depth explorations: one on Jose Pelaez's powerful "Bandera de lucha para los pescadores viequenses" (Battle Flag for the Vieques Fishermen) and another on Angel M. Vega Santana's vibrant "13er. Festicarnival Jueyero, 2000" (13th Jueyero Festicarnival, 2000). Each episode offers a thorough analysis of the artwork, insights into the artists' backgrounds, and relevant historical context, bringing depth to the collection.



Getting ready to record using the "mmhmm" software!

I completed filming the final two episodes focused on the Puerto Rican nationalist movement this Thursday and Friday. These episodes cover 'The Carpeta of José A. Torres Martinó' and Carlos Raquel Rivera's work 'Por Puerta de Tierra, Entierro de Albizu Campos.' I've finished editing and uploaded all materials for Lisa and me to review when we return on Monday. We plan to upload the video and audio to the museum's YouTube channel, though we might also explore other platforms. Next week, I'll work on creating Spanish versions of all the content. As I wrap up this productive week, I'm filled with accomplishment and excitement for what lies ahead. Creating this podcast series has been an incredible journey, allowing me to delve deeper into Puerto Rico's rich artistic and cultural heritage while honing my research, scripting, recording, and editing skills. Though different from my usual routine at the Museo UPRRP, the remote work setting was a space for creativity and progress. It allowed me to tap into family resources and expertise, resulting in a professional-quality production that I'm proud to present to the museum. I'm excited to share this series with the world next week - I can't wait to see how people react to these incredible stories and artworks we've brought to life!

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