This fall semester, Princeton students in the course “Contemporary Art: The World Picture” examined how large-scale art exhibitions challenge and transform the way we look at the world. A key component of the class was a fall break trip to Brazil to visit the 32nd São Paulo Bienal.

The course was led by Irene Small, assistant professor of art and archaeology, who said a goal was to study “the international mega-exhibition as a model for thinking about globalization — how art seeks to question, bridge and transform cultural divisions.”

The students met fellow scholars at the Universidade de São Paulo, which has a strategic partnership with Princeton. Francesco Perrotta-Bosch, a graduate student at the university’s school of architecture and urbanism, led the class on a tour of modernist buildings, museums and cultural centers. Students from the architecture school led a walking tour they created called an “urban safari” throughout the city. Cristina Freire, professor and curator of the university’s Museum of Contemporary Art, showed the group an exhibition she has been working on for several years, which focuses on Latin American art in the university’s collection.

The course was supported by the David A. Gardner ’69 Magic Project in the Humanities Council, the Department of Art and Archaeology, the Program in Latin American Studies, and the Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities. Programmatic and logistical support was also provided by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Operations.

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Under the direction of Alberto Beltrán Garcia (1923-2002), this Mexican satirical magazine flourished for only two years. Beltrán was an active member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular (The People’s Print Workshop or TGP, see: http://pudl.princeton.edu/collections/pudl0012) then later, worked as deputy director for graphics for the newspaper El Día. On his own time, he drew, printed, and self-published several journals including Ahí Va El Golpe (There Goes the Punch) and El Coyote Emplumado (The Feathered Coyote). Read More

This coming spring, students will have the opportunity to travel to Cuba with the class, LAS 396/GSS 382: Cuban Biopolitics taught by Adrian Lopez-Denis.

The class explores the intersection between race, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Cuba and how these have been framed by the development of the Cuban revolution. According to Lopez-Denis, using these intersections as a lens, the students will look at the contrast in the experiences of Cubans living abroad, particularly Miami, versus those staying in Cuba. Read More

For the first time, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) will be hosting a Global Seminar in Havana this summer. Offered entirely in Spanish, the six-week course will explore how writers, artists and filmmakers have used their media to examine the changes in many aspects of Cuban society: the economy, race relations, sexual minorities, freedom of speech, political models, the legacy of communism, among others. The program will be based in Havana and will include one weekend trip to Trinidad, one of the most important ports in Cuban history.

The faculty director is Rubén Gallo is the Walter S. Carpenter Jr., Professor in Language, Literature and Civilization of Spain as well as a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures.

The seminar fulfills the Social Analysis (SA) requirement and the requirements for the certificate in Latin American Studies.

Final costs are still being calculated, but will range between $6,500-$8,000, inclusive of airfare, accommodations and spending money. As soon as exact costs are finalized, they will be posted on the website and application.

Learn more about the seminar.

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Please direct any questions to the seminar’s program manager, Nikki Woolward, who can be reached by email or by calling 609-258-8873.

Princeton University will present its top honors for alumni to Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc., and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, president of Peru.

Schmidt, a member of the Class of 1976, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award. Kuczynski, who earned a Master in Public Affairs in 1961 from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, will receive the James Madison Medal. They will receive the awards and deliver addresses on campus during Alumni Day activities on Saturday, Feb. 25. Read more

Monica Amor and Irene Small, assistant professor of art and archaeology, will discuss their recent books “Theories of the Nonobject: Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, 1944-1969” and “Hélio Oiticica: Folding the Frame,” respectively, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the School of Architecture, Room N107.