The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO), the largest university-based research institute, library, and archive dedicated to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States, invites art critics, curators, art historians, and art or art history students to submit their original works focusing on contemporary diasporic Puerto Rican visual artists to be included in our Diasporican Art in Motion database initiative. This community of artists is understudied and as a result, they are underrepresented in the field of Arts and Arts criticism. This underrepresentation stems from the fact that diasporic Puerto Rican visual artists often fall outside the boundaries of American, Latin American, Caribbean, and sometimes even Puerto Rican art.
As a research center focused on the Diasporic Puerto Rican experience, we are committed to promote the creation of knowledge of our cultural heritage and expressions. Diasporic Puerto Rican Artists have been at the forefront of identity issues, and their work often examines and expands the national representation boundaries. The production of knowledge based on Diasporic Puerto Rican Artists will not only help the understanding and promotion of their work, but will enlighten the understanding of ourselves and of our diasporic journeys.
Submission Guidelines
- Essays should be no more than 1000 words and focus on an artist currently included in the Diasporican Art in Motion database.
- Essays can take the form of an artist profile, exhibition review or response, short interview, or response to a specific artwork.
- Submissions should follow the same standard requirements of our Centro Journal Style Guide with the exception that submissions won’t be sent by email but through a digital form instead and no readers are required.
- Any writer can submit more than one writing for different artists. Manuscripts can be submitted either in English or Spanish.
- Writings should be original and not previously published.
- We encourage writings on artists whose work has not been widely studied.
Overview of Manuscript Submission Process
- Complete the form in Submittable, ensure all mandatory fields are completed, and review and confirm your submission.
- We will email you to confirm receipt of your form.
- Your manuscript undergoes a rigorous internal review process where your submission is evaluated on its quality, originality, and relevance.
- We will email you with our decision and, if applicable, further steps.
Compensation for selected essays: $300
Deadline: October 21, 2024
Contact Information
If you encounter any issues or have questions about the submission process, please don't hesitate to contact our team at DiasporicanArts@hunter.cuny.edu before September 27th, 2024.
About Diasporican Art in Motion (DAM)
DAM is a digital database project seeking to document the impact of migration on Puerto Rican visual culture and community-building through in-depth profiles of contemporary diasporic Puerto Rican visual artists. This community of artists is understudied and as a result, they are underrepresented in the Arts field. Their underrepresentation stems from the fact that diasporic Puerto Rican visual artists often fall outside the boundaries of American, Latin American, and Caribbean art. Moreover, their uniqueness and singular contributions to the arts are overshadowed and diluted by their lack of exposure in sanctioning academic fields and institutions.
About the Center for Puerto Rican Studies
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College, City University of New York, is a research institute dedicated to the study and interpretation of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States by producing and disseminating relevant interdisciplinary research and collecting, preserving, and providing access to archive and library resources that document their history and culture. CENTRO seeks to link scholarship with social action and political debates, and contribute to the enrichment of Puerto Rican studies.
CENTRO is dedicated to the comprehensive collection of data, graphic arts, and library and archival resources that document the history and legacy of Puerto Ricans in the United States, to the study of critical and relevant social issues and conditions affecting this culturally diverse nation, for the purpose of promoting effective community and public sector interventions, and supporting the intellectual and educational advancement of young scholars.
CENTRO's Puerto Rican Diaspora Archives contain more than 5,000 cubic feet of materials and include documents from artists, writers, politicians, activists, and other prominent community figures and organizations. The archives document the diversity of individuals and communities that reside in the city and have sought to focus their efforts on historically Puerto Rican enclaves such as the Lower East Side (Loisaida), East Harlem (El Barrio), the South Bronx, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In addition, it houses the records of the Offices of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States, which record the migration and working conditions of Puerto Ricans from the early 1930s until the closing of their offices in the mid-1990s, and document the formation of Puerto Rican communities in neighborhoods throughout the Northeast, Chicago, and Florida, with a special concentration in New York City.
About Hunter College
Located in the heart of Manhattan, Hunter is the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Founded in 1870, it is also one of the oldest public colleges in the country and famous for a student body that is as diverse as the city itself. Most Hunter students are the first in their families to attend college and many go on to top professional and graduate programs, winning Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships, Mellon fellowships, National Institutes of Health grants, and other competitive honors. More than 23,000 students currently attend Hunter, pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 170 areas of study. The 1,700 full- and part-time members of Hunter’s faculty are unparalleled. They receive prestigious national grants, contribute to the world's leading academic journals, and play major roles in cutting-edge research. They are fighting cancer, formulating public policy, expanding our culture, enhancing technology, and more.