Hispanic Society Of America

THE SOCIETY PROVIDES A FREE PUBLIC MUSEUM AND A REFERENCE LIBRARY OF THE HISPANIC CULTURES.

I. EXHIBITIONSOUR EFFORTS TO PROMOTE THE HISPANIC SOCIETY'S WORLD-RENOWNED COLLECTIONS AND ENGAGE WITH AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE CONTINUED THIS FISCAL YEAR WITH EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS OFFSITE, ONSITE AND ONLINE. DUE TO THE PANDEMIC WE EXTENDED OUR EXHIBIT GLORY OF SPAIN: TREASURES FROM THE HISPANIC SOCIETY MUSEUM & LIBRARY, AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON FROM MARCH 1, 2020 TO JANUARY 8, 2021. FROM SEPTEMBER 24 TO DECEMBER 6, 2020, WE PRESENTED AN OUTDOOR EXHIBITION ON THE TERRACE IN FRONT OF THE EAST BUILDING TITLED, TREASURES ON THE TERRACE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE HISPANIC SOCIETY MUSEUM & LIBRARY, WHICH EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2020. ON MAY 28TH WE OPENED ANOTHER OUTDOOR EXHIBIT TITLED THE LATINX DIASPORA: STORIES FROM UPPER MANHATTAN, A COLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION WITH THE NORTHERN MANHATTAN ART ALLIANCE (NOMAA) AND BORICUA COLLEGE. THE EXHIBIT FEATURED A MURAL PROGRAM CREATED IN CELEBRATION OF THE RICH AND COMPLEX HISTORY OF THE LATINX COMMUNITY IN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS FROM THE LATE 1800S TO THE PRESENT. THE MURAL PROGRAM WAS CREATED BY ARTISTS CARLOS JESUS MARTINEZ DOMINGUEZ (FEEGZ), DISTER RONDON, DANNY PEGUERO, AND CARLA TORRES. THE RENOVATION OF THE EAST BUILDING GALLERY AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS, THE FIRST OF WHICH FEATURED THE EXHIBITION, IN THE HEIGHTS FROM UNIVERSITY TO SILVER SCREEN IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NORTHERN MANHATTAN ART ALLIANCE, WHICH TOOK PLACE FROM JUNE 9TH THROUGH SEPTEMBER 22ND. II. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND OUTREACHDESPITE CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES RELATED TO THE PANDEMIC, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ENGAGED AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF GUESTS, STUDENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS DURING FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021. IN OBSERVANCE OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, THE HISPANIC SOCIETY PARTNERED WITH THE MICROSOFT CORPORATION TO OFFER A VIRTUAL TOUR THAT INCLUDED MULTIMEDIA IMAGERY AND NARRATION FROM THE LATINX DIASPORA TERRACE PROGRAM, THE TERRACE MURAL PROGRAM, AND THE SOROLLA'S VISION OF SPAIN. FACILITATORS FROM MICROSOFT WERE TRAINED TO GUIDE K-12 STUDENTS THROUGH THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ALSO CONTINUED ITS PRACTICE OF OFFERING LECTURES AND CONVERSATIONS TO INTERESTED ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. NOTABLE TALKS THIS YEAR INCLUDED A SESSION WITH THE OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA THAT HOSTED OVER 400 ATTENDEES, A NATIONWIDE TALK TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, AND SESSIONS WITH UNIVERSITY GROUPS FROM BROWN UNIVERSITY, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, CITY COLLEGE, ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY, AND OTHERS. EDUCATORS ALSO FACILITATED A JOINT DISCUSSION ABOUT THE HISPANIC SOCIETY ARCHITECTURE BETWEEN YALE UNIVERSITY ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS AND PHILIP RANDOLPH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. DURING SUMMER 2021, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED ART-MAKING WORKSHOPS BASED ON THE OUTDOOR MURAL EXHIBITION. TAUGHT BY EXHIBITION ARTISTS, THEY OFFERED THREE ARTMAKING WORKSHOPS AND ONE THEATER WORKSHOP FOR BETWEEN A DOZEN AND TWENTY PARTICIPANTS EACH. III. CONCERTSTHIS YEAR OUR CONCERT SERIES WAS DEVOTED TO THE PRODUCTION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE OPERA, APOLO Y DAFNE (CA. 169699), IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ENSEMBLE, SONNAMBULA. ALL FOUR CONCERTS WERE HOSTED VIRTUALLY AND WERE COMBINED WITH WONDERFUL HISTORY OF THE OPERA AND ITS VIRTUAL PRODUCTION. GIVEN THE CONSTRAINTS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE PANDEMIC, AUDUBON TERRACE BECAME A SAFE SPACE FOR OUTDOOR EVENTS, INCLUDING A CONCERT OF VOICES OF THE HISPANIC DIASPORA, INTERPRETED BY SYLVAN WINDS ON JUNE 28TH, AS WELL AS IF THE STARS ALIGN, INTERPRETED BY OVERLOOK ON JULY 7, 2021.