Archival Program Information
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Symposium Schedule


Between Theory and Practice: Rethinking Latin American Art in the 21st Century
Conceived by Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Chief Curator, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach
Advisory Committee: Andrea Giunta, Cuauhtémoc Medina, Natalia Majluf, and Gerardo Mosquera

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 11–13, 2011
9:15 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Museum Lecture Hall, The Getty Center




Day One: Friday, March 11, 2011

9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Museum Lecture Hall, The Getty Center



8:30–9:00 a.m.
Check-in and Coffee

9:00–9:15 a.m.
Welcome, Thomas Gaehtgens, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles
Introduction, Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach

Session I
The Role of the Museum: Collecting, Contextualizing, and Representing Latin American Art in the 21st Century (Part 1)
Sessions I and II consider the role of collecting, specialization, and context in the Latin American art field. Papers explore concurrently a range of issues related to the worldwide museum, with a focus on Latin American art, the specialized museum, and museums in Latin America. The sessions address the creation of curatorial models for local culture and self-representation, the development of national identity and memory in the context of museums both within and outside of Latin America, how to broaden global understanding about art from the region, and finally, the successful introduction of wider global audiences to historical and contemporary art practices from Latin America.

9:15–9:30 a.m.
Introduction, Moderator: Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach

9:30–9:50 a.m.
The Museum's Expanded Field
Tanya Barson, Tate Modern, London

9:50–10:10 a.m.
Commands of Knowledge and Sources of Legitimization
Osvaldo Sánchez, Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City

10:10–10:30 a.m.
The Museum as a Platform for Thinking
María Inés Rodríguez, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León, León

10:30–11:00 a.m.
Coffee Break

11:00–11:15 a.m.
Introduction, Respondent: Gustavo Buntinx, Micromuseo, Lima

11:15–Noon.
Conversation, Moderator: Cecilia Fajardo-Hill. Respondent: Gustavo Buntinx. Participants: Tanya Barson, Osvaldo Sánchez, and María Inés Rodríguez.

Noon–12:30 p.m.
Q&A

12:30–2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

Session II
The Role of the Museum: Collecting, Contextualizing, and Representing Latin American Art in the 21st Century (Part 2)

2:00–2:15 p.m.
Video Screening:
Anna Bella Geiger, Mapas Elementares n 1 (Elementary Maps, No. 1), 1976, 3 mins
Anna Bella Geiger, Mapas Elementares n 3 (ElementaryMaps, No. 3), 1976, 3 mins
The Getty Research Institute (2006.M.18). Courtesy of the artist

2:15–2:30 p.m.
Introduction, Moderator: Natalia Majluf, Museo de Arte de Lima

2:30–2:50 p.m.
Expanding the Contemporary Art Discourse: The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and Its Latin American Art Program
Alma Ruiz, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

2:50–3:10 p.m.
From Cartography to a Network
Marcelo Araújo, Pinacoteca, São Paulo

3:10–3:30 p.m.
Extraordinary Aliens: New Approaches to the Representation of Latin American Artists in Specialized and International Museums
Estrellita Brodsky, Independent curator, art historian, and philanthropist, New York City

3:30–4:00 p.m.
Coffee Break

4:00–4:15 p.m.
Introduction, Respondent: Guillermo Santamarina, Independent curator, Mexico City

4:15–5:00 p.m.
Conversation, Moderator: Natalia Majluf. Respondent: Guillermo Santamarina. Participants: Alma Ruiz, Marcelo Araújo, and Estrellita Brodsky.

5:00–5:30 p.m.
Q&A

5:30–6:30 p.m.
Public Reception


Day Two: Saturday, March 12, 2011

9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Balboa Event Center, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach



8:30–9:00 a.m.
Check-in and Coffee

9:00–9:15 a.m.
Welcome, Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach

Session III
Art Historical Practice: Rethinking Research Methodologies and Interpretive and Critical Frameworks
The development of new research methodologies and interpretive and critical frameworks is crucially important for scholars of Latin American art. Much of the historiography of art from the region still needs to be developed and many hidden and suppressed histories have yet to be explored. These papers examine new research models and the important and complex role that archival documentation plays in the construction of new art historical narratives.

9:15–9:30 a.m.
Introduction, Moderator: Rita Eder, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, Mexico City

9:30–9:50 a.m.
Latin American Art as Center Stage: or How to Make SureWe Never Lose the Asterisk Completely (*)
José Falconi, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge

9:50–10:10 a.m.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Modern and Contemporary Art History and Latin America
Robin Adele Greeley, University of Connecticut, Mansfield

10:10–10:30 a.m.
Reformulating Histories: Constructing New Narratives in Latin American Art History
Ivonne Pini, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota

10:30–11:00 a.m.
Coffee Break

11:00–11:15 a.m.
Introduction, Respondent: Maria Angélica Melendi, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte

11:15–Noon
Conversation, Moderator: Rita Eder. Respondent: Maria Angélica Melendi. Participants: José Falconi, Robin Adele Greeley, and Ivonne Pini.

Noon–12:30 p.m.
Q&A

12:30–2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

Session IV
The Archival Impulse: Accessing Documents in the Museum and the Politics of Knowledge
Collecting archives has become a trend during the last few years; museums purchase and exhibit them with the promise that documents will be completely accessible. This session explores how censorship and dictatorship have threatened the formation and conservation of archives, as well as the archive's role in promoting critical thinking. This new "archival moment" bears witness to a situation that is both worrying and stimulating.

2:00–2:15 p.m.
Video Screening:
ICAA Documents of 20th Century Latin American and Latino Art, 2011, 9 min. 33 sec.
Produced by the International Center for the Arts of the Americas at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Mouth Watering Media

2:15–2:30 p.m.
Introduction, Moderator: Andrea Giunta, University of Texas at Austin

2:30–2:50 p.m.
Politics and the Production of Knowledge in the Museum Context: The ICAA's Documents of Latin American and Latino Art Project
Mari Carmen Ramírez, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

2:50–3:10 p.m.
40 Degrees: "Democratizing Fevers." Promises and Mirages from the Archives of the South
Miguel López, Red Conceptualismos del Sur, Lima

3:10–3:30 p.m.
The Archive as a Battlefield
Cristina Freire, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de la Universidad de São Paulo

3:30–4:00 p.m.
Coffee Break

4:00–4:15 p.m.
Introduction, Respondent: Joaquín Barriendos, Universidad de Barcelona

4:15–5:00 p.m.
Conversation, Moderator: Andrea Giunta. Respondent: Joaquín Barriendos. Participants: Mari Carmen Ramírez, Miguel López, and Cristina Freire

5:00–5:30 p.m.
Q&A


Day Three: Sunday, March 13, 2011

9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Balboa Event Center, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach



8:30–9:00 a.m.
Check-in and Coffee

9:00–9:15 a.m.
Welcome, Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach

Session V
Curatorial Models: Emblematic Art Historical Cases
This session combines theoretical and art historical issues with direct analysis of emblematic case studies that may suggest future models of curatorial practice. Papers discuss the confluence, or lack thereof, between strict art historical practice and the curatorial field as seen in emblematic cases and future curatorial projects, as well as the ways in which theory informs curatorial practice and the differences between curatorial practices depending on the historical or contemporary nature of the exhibition.

9:15–9:30 a.m.
Introduction, Moderator: Beatriz González, Museo Nacional de Colombia, Bogota

9:30–9:50 a.m.
The Battle of the Canons
Luis Camnitzer, State University of New York College at Old Westbury

9:50–10:10 a.m.
Looking at Ourselves and Letting Ourselves Be Seen: Latin America in Question
Rodrigo Alonso, Universidad de Buenos Aires

10:10–10:30 a.m.
From an Anthropophagic Urban Master-Plan to a Group Show: On How to Translate Avant-Garde Spirit from the Americas into Contemporary Discourse
Inti Guerrero, Independent curator, Amsterdam

10:30–11:00 a.m.
Coffee Break

11:00–11:15 a.m.
Introduction, Respondent: Cuauhtémoc Medina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City

11:15–Noon
Conversation, Moderator: Beatriz González. Respondent: Cuauhtémoc Medina. Participants: Luis Camnitzer, Rodrigo Alonso, and Inti Guerrero.

Noon–12:30 p.m.
Q&A

12:30–2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

Session VI
Curatorial Models: Emblematic Contemporary Cases
This session focuses on the analysis of emblematic contemporary art exhibitions. Papers explore the differences between art historical curatorial practice and contemporary curatorial art practice, given that a historical approach requires a specialized and contextualized practice, whereas contemporary curating calls for an international context.

2:00–2:15 p.m.
Video Screening:
Tania Bruguera, Tatlin Whisper # 6 (Havana version), 2009, 15 min. excerpt from 40 min. 30 sec. video
Courtesy of Studio Bruguera

2:15–2:30 p.m.
Introduction, Moderator: Taiyana Pimentel, Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros, Mexico City

2:30–2:50 p.m.
The Right to Speak
Tania Bruguera, Art Institute of Chicago

2:50–3:10 p.m.
When (Bad) Faith Moves Borders: Eight Aspects for Analyzing the Representation of Mexico Abroad
Magali Arriola, Museo Rufino Tamayo, Mexico City

3:10–3:30 p.m.
Art in the Desert: Humberstone, 2007
Arturo Duclos, Artist, independent scholar, and curator, Santiago de Chile

3:30–4:00 p.m.
Coffee Break

4:00–4:15 p.m.
Introduction, Respondent: Michael Krichman, inSite, Tijuana/San Diego

4:15–5:00 p.m.
Conversation, Moderator: Taiyana Pimentel. Respondent: Michael Krichman. Participants: Tania Bruguera, Magali Arriola, and Arturo Duclos.

5:00–5:30 p.m.
Q&A

5:30–6:30 p.m.
Closing Public Reception