Completing my project helped me see that there is a lot tied into one identity, and that this identity is shared by many people who at first glance may seem different. Puerto Ricans are all over New York, ask someone if they’re Puerto Rican and they’ll either say yes, or at least say they know someone who is. I don’t normally visit the other boroughs, besides Brooklyn, so I am not really exposed to a lot of art in New York, but I do know that Puerto Rican culture is in a lot of places, and that it is often mentioned in media based in New York. Living in New York, making this mask also helped me see that even small pieces of culture can go a long way and that culture is shared, such as a flag or a symbol.
I think the role of art in the community is similar to my own, but more broadly as an entire community is not one solid demographic; communities are made of different people and each community, a combination of cultures, is its own unique culture in itself, and art used to express community can do a lot to bring people closer, especially in such a diverse place like New York City where there are so many neighborhoods comprised of vast cultures who all identify under their shared communal identity.
I’m Puerto Rican, so I made half the face the flag, and made the star the eye because any way else and it wouldn’t’ve worked. You can’t really see most of what I put, but under the flag is the Bacardi Bat because the company moved to Puerto Rico from Cuba after a revolution and now its a PR thing. Above the flag is the coquí, adorable little frogs from PR who got the pokemon treatment because they are named after the sound they make. The left side of my face is a globe because I want to travel further than NJ. The mask is orange and purple to try to mimic the absurdity of vejigante masks created and worn during celebrations
Completing my project helped me see that there is a lot tied into one identity, and that this identity is shared by many people who at first glance may seem different. Puerto Ricans are all over New York, ask someone if they're Puerto Rican and they'll either say yes, or at least say they know someone who is. I don't normally visit the other boroughs, besides Brooklyn, so I am not really exposed to a lot of art in New York, but I do know that Puerto Rican culture is in a lot of places, and that it is often mentioned in media based in New York. Living in New York, making this mask also helped me see that even small pieces of culture can go a long way and that culture is shared, such as a flag or a symbol.
I think the role of art in the community is similar to my own, but more broadly as an entire community is not one solid demographic; communities are made of different people and each community, a combination of cultures, is its own unique culture in itself, and art used to express community can do a lot to bring people closer, especially in such a diverse place like New York City where there are so many neighborhoods comprised of vast cultures who all identify under their shared communal identity.
I'm Puerto Rican, so I made half the face the flag, and made the star the eye because any way else and it wouldn't've worked. You can't really see most of what I put, but under the flag is the Bacardi Bat because the company moved to Puerto Rico from Cuba after a revolution and now its a PR thing. Above the flag is the coquí, adorable little frogs from PR who got the pokemon treatment because they are named after the sound they make. The left side of my face is a globe because I want to travel further than NJ. The mask is orange and purple to try to mimic the absurdity of vejigante masks created and worn during celebrations.
