Maya Diaz at SAMA - Week 1


July 8-12, 2019 

Starting the week off on Sunday at 11 am, I was able to take part in a museum outreach program entitled Family Days at the San Antonio Museum of Art. This event includes group tours of not only the museum’s permanent collection but also its temporary installment. The temporary exhibition is “Men of Steel, Women of Wonder” focusing on the humanization of superheroes, specifically Wonder Woman and Superman. Making them part of the LGBT community, undocumented, and underrepresented in modern society. Throughout the museum campus, there were art activities and food trucks relating to the exhibit. Within the main gallery, I was able to assist with the photo booth attraction. Handing the public some pre-cut props and even taking pictures of them in front of a beautifully designed backdrop. For the second portion of the event, I relocated one of the classrooms to help children with their activities. The projects organized for them included creating mini superheroes, superhero cuffs and headgear, and screen printing on tote bags. Through these activities, I shared with teachers and volunteers my journey through the Smithsonian Latino Center and my plans for my future. Therefore, encouraging and ensuring me that what I want for my future is the right path.  


Beginning the new work week, I was able to take inventory and check the shape of an initiative under the Education department. This initiative was to extend the walls of the museum to classrooms throughout San Antonio. These 8 suitcases, or "Traveling Trunks" are full of costumes, herbs, books, music, and lesson plans on the themes of the permanent exhibitions located within the Museum. These suitcases include Japanese, Chinese, Oceanic, Contemporary, Spanish Colonial, Egyptian, Ancient Near East, Early American, Indian, and Latin American Art. Each trunk containing a binder with lesson plans and activities for students to better understand the culture or time period of each. Thus, including art, creative writing, literature, and even occasionally math projects. Since the trunks have not been updated in the past 5 years, I was able to update and create some new lesson plans for them. 

Throughout the week I assisted with some of the events going on within the museum. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday there was a teen workshop to create superhero comic books. Teens explored the various galleries throughout the museum to brainstorm ideas for weapons, backdrop, and costumes for their heroes. Each of them had such creative and amazing Ideas from aliens of a different dimension to an Egyptian Pharaoh as an anti-hero. On Thursday morning, I also assisted with the weekly Thursday activity: Art Crawl, an initiative to bring more babies into the museum environment. During this activity, babies played with toys while being read a peek-a-boo story. Occasionally even getting scared when the “boo” came around. During the activity, I learned that often times, when playing peek-a-boo, may babies do not have the perception that one’s face is still there. They legitimately believe that the person is gone. It is not until they get older when they realize that someone is still behind the set of hands. Seeing the reaction of the babies faces was such an enriching experience. 


Throughout the week when I was not in the museum, I helped with preparations for some other art projects and brainstormed activities for the upcoming Family Days in both September and October. One of the most intense activities I had to do this week included cutting a total of 360 cacti and landscape images, laminating them and cutting them again, all in preparation for a classroom activity. With cramping hands, I was able to realize the amount of preparation necessary for these activities to run smoothly, and for the people participating to have a good experience. All around, week 2 at the San Antonio Museum of Art was a success!!

Todo lo mejor, 
Maya Diaz 


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