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Museum of History, Anthropology, and Art of the University of Puerto Rico - Andrea Mercado-Cruz, Week 4


Week #4 - Internship Blog

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

by Andrea Mercado-Cruz (YAP 2024)

Since I could not be on university grounds last week, on Monday, I decided to go overdrive on the digitization project and began tackling the large pile I had left over from week 2. I've attached a picture of my favorite guest contributions — they are just absolutely beautiful. Out of hundreds of submissions I've scanned, those are the top of the top. 


The exhibit allowed guests to pick from four different prompts to answer, but most of the contributions were from the prompt, "Draw your favorite flower." The ones pictured above are all from that prompt. 

Lisa and I also reviewed the episodes I recorded last week and discussed releasing them on the museum's YouTube Channel as educational materials for the "24 años de donaciones" gallery. However, the episodes won't be released immediately since they have to be approved by the museum staff's supervisor and receive the green light. 

On Tuesday, I finally digitized more than 450+ guest contributions. I still have about 100~ guest submissions left to digitize, all of which were drawn on oval paper, which will be harder to scan. I also accepted Lisa's final changes to my research paper and have linked it here if you want to read it! This is the finalized version, unless I find more information that can contribute to my research.

Wednesday, I dedicated my morning to working on a graphic that summarized my internship experiences. This creative project allowed me to reflect on all I've learned and accomplished during my time here. I also continued my ongoing task of scanning oval guest contributions. In the afternoon, Lisa and I did a small photoshoot outside the museum, capturing some memorable moments from my internship.


Later, we welcomed two guests from Spain for a gallery tour. Lisa and I spent about an hour guiding them through the different works and artifacts, providing detailed explanations of various pieces. I was particularly excited to share my knowledge about Jose Martino's police file, an artifact I had personally researched. Interestingly, our guests shared that Spain had experienced a similar leftist movement, which was new information to me!

Thursday and Friday offered a change of pace from my usual routine at the museum. I had the chance to join the museum staff at UPR's freshman fair, where campus offices, groups, and departments set up booths to showcase opportunities for new students.
 

I helped set up our table and observed staff interacting with prospective students. Soon enough, I was handing out pamphlets and engaging with freshmen myself. It was inspiring to see these students exploring their college options with such interest, and it was refreshing to see me as someone currently on my own college journey. It was a great way to round out my week and see another side of the museum's role in the community.

As a fun tradition, the museum staff photographs all interns and volunteers wearing an "ugly" sweater to commemorate their time at the museum. Lisa had mentioned this to me earlier in the week, but we decided to save it for my last day. On Friday afternoon, we finally took the photos. 


This silly ritual turned into a surprisingly heartfelt moment, as it was done in the final hours of my internship at the museum. Wearing the sweater and posing for pictures, I felt a mix of accomplishment for what I'd learned and a bit of sadness that my time there was coming to an end. It was a perfect, lighthearted way to cap off my experience and feel like a true part of the museum family. To top it off, at the end of the day, Lisa and the staff surprised me with a goodie bag and a beautiful card!

Overall, my time at the museum was truly amazing. I had the opportunity to research pieces of art and aspects of Puerto Rican culture that I had never explored in school. Engaging directly in the museum's work, from documenting donations to playing a role in their categorization, gave me hands-on experience in museum operations. The most exciting part was the creative freedom I was given to record a mini-podcast series about my research, allowing me to share my knowledge in a dynamic way.

This internship has not only enhanced my understanding of Puerto Rican art and culture but also provided me with valuable skills in research, archival work, and public engagement. As I reflect on this experience, I'm grateful for the knowledge I've gained and the connections I've made. I'm excited to see how this internship will shape my future academic and professional pursuits in cultural studies and museum work.

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