Teacher Guide:
no existe un mundo poshuracán
Nov 23, 2022–Apr 23, 2023
The Whitney is delighted to introduce no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria. The exhibition surveys the transformative years since the high-end Category 4 storm made landfall on the Caribbean archipelago on September 20, 2017. The title, no existe un mundo poshuracán, “a post hurricane world does not exist,” is borrowed from a poem by the Puerto Rican poet Raquel Salas Rivera.
The twenty artists from Puerto Rico and the diaspora included in the exhibition challenge existing narratives about the archipelago and its complex relationship to the United States. They illuminate hidden stories and propel creative ways forward. Through objects, videos, paintings, and sculptures, the artists reveal new understandings of Puerto Rico’s people, its dynamic history, and its long tradition of activism.
This teacher guide provides information about featured artists and a framework for discussion about their artworks. It offers questions for exploration and suggestions for activities inspired by the artists’ works organized under three overarching themes drawn from the exhibition’s key concepts.
We hope that you and your students enjoy engaging with no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria.
For additional resources, please visit the exhibition page.
Frances Gallardo, from the series Aerosoles (Aerosols), 2021. Colored pencil on laser-etched paper, 12 × 17 ¼ in. (30.4 × 43.9 cm). Collection of the artist. © 2021 Frances Gallardo
Activity
We encourage students to watch the exhibition’s introductory video as a launching point for discussion prior to exploring the artworks and carrying out the suggested activities.
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Gamaliel Rodríguez, Collapsed Soul, 2020–21. Ink and acrylic on canvas, 84 × 112 in. (213.3 × 284.5 cm). © 2021 Gamaliel Rodríguez. Courtesy the artist and Nathalie Karg Gallery NYC. Photograph by Gamaliel Rodríguez
Audio Guide
no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria Teacher Guide
Credits
This Teacher Guide was written by María del Carmen González, Whitney educator, and Gabriela O’Leary, Whitney educator, advised by Iris Cortes, Grace Church School Faculty (Manhattan, NY), Miguel Luciano, Artist and faculty member at the School of Visual Arts and Yale University School of Art (New York, NY), Nilda Rosario-Planas, Art Educator and Curriculum Engineer (Ponce, PR), Pedro Reina-Pérez, Full Professor of Humanities, and Cultural Agency and Administration at the University of Puerto Rico (San Juan, PR) with support from Melissa Robles, Manager of K-12 Initiatives and Youth Learning; Monica Sekaquaptewa, Coordinator of K-12 Initiatives; and Laila Stevens, Intern to K-12 Initiatives.
Generous support for Education Programs is provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; the Annenberg Foundation; Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg; Krystyna Doerfler; The Paul & Karen Levy Family Foundation; Steven Tisch; and Laurie M. Tisch.
Major support is provided by Lise and Michael Evans, Ronnie and Michael Kassan, Barry and Mimi Sternlicht, and Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick.
Significant support is provided by Kevin and Rosemary McNeely, Manitou Fund.
Additional support is provided by Ashley Leeds and Christopher Harland; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; and the Whitney's Education Committee.
Free Guided Student Visits for New York City Public and Charter Schools are endowed by The Allen and Kelli Questrom Foundation.
Leadership support for no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria is provided by David Cancel and the Mellon Foundation.
The exhibition is part of the Whitney's emerging artists program, sponsored by
Generous support is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Judy Hart Angelo, the Elaine Graham Weitzen Foundation for Fine Arts, and the Whitney's National Committee.
Significant support is provided by Further Forward Foundation, the Kapadia Equity Fund, and The Keith Haring Foundation Exhibition Fund.
Additional support is provided by Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.
Curatorial research and travel for this exhibition were funded by an endowment established by Rosina Lee Yue and Bert A. Lies, Jr., MD.
