Tulane University

On Monday, April 23, students from the UMS-Wright Preparatory School, Mobile, Alabama, joined us at Tulane University to explore the library holdings and research dedicated to the study of Latin America.

During their visit, students had the opportunity to engage hands-on with archival materials from the special collections of Tulane‘€™s Latin American Library. Curator Chris Hernández selected a set of materials that highlighted crucial moments in Central America‘€™s and Cuba‘€™s history. Students were able to view lithographs and ink rubbings of Maya monuments by artist and explorer Frederick Catherwood and photographs and stereocards documenting the construction of the Panama Canal. Chris Hernández translated portions of the original correspondence from the president of the Federal Republic of Central America, Francisco Morazán. Student even had the opportunity to listen to audio Cuban-American radionovelas.

In celebration of the New Orleans Tri-centennial, Newcomb Art Museum has on display an exhibit entitled EMPIRE, an immersive art installation by Los Angeles-based artists Fallen Fruit on Tulane University‘€™s uptown campus. Laura Blereau, Curator and Coordinator of Academic Programming, took students on a tour of EMPIRE, and called students’ attention to historical records, ephemeral artifacts, artworks and objects culled from various archives across Tulane‘€™s campus. Students were able to see how the artists culled items from archives and institutes such as the Latin American Library and Middle American Research Institute and recontextualized them in the museum.

Students concluded their visit with a lecture on Cuba lead by Carolina Caballero, Senior Lecturer in the Spanish and Portuguese Department and the Associate Director of the Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute at Tulane University.

Please contact the Latin American Resource Center to learn how we can facilitate K-12 classroom visits to Tulane University‘€™s institutes and libraries dedicated to Latin American studies. Please visit our website for more information, or contact us via email (crcrts@tulane.edu) or by phone (504.865.5164). We eagerly anticipate working with you to enhance the classroom experience you create and expand the outreach services we provide.