Islands share history in Maine exhibition
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At the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, the exhibition Imagining an Archipelago presents art from Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and their diaspora communities.
The show features work by over 40 artists and collectives, exploring themes of colonization, enslavement, migration, and identity. These islands all came under United States control following the Spanish-American War in 1898, and the exhibition examines their shared history alongside their distinct cultural identities.
Curator Jessamine Batario organized the exhibition with both regional and thematic sections, aiming to showcase “archipelagic thinking”, a way of understanding the world through the lens of interconnected islands. Artists address the impact of migration on the Philippines, where remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers account for nearly 9% of the country’s GDP. Several works also focus on the relationship between these islands and the United States military, highlighting both service and exploitation.
The exhibition also explores how outside forces have altered traditional ways of life. For example, Edra Soto’s video shows the artist preparing snacks from American processed foods, reflecting how these products replaced locally grown crops in Puerto Rico. Ultimately, Batario included regional organization to ensure viewers could locate the islands and understand their unique histories, recognizing a need to illuminate cultures often overlooked in broader narratives of American history.
