ARTH 501-301: SOY CUBA / I AM CUBA: THE CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPES OF ROGER TOLEDO BUENO

ARTH 501-301: SOY CUBA / I AM CUBA: THE CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPES OF ROGER TOLEDO BUENO
Seminar: Fall 2018
Exhibition: April 6 – June 2, 2019
Faculty leader: Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
Student co-curators: Francesca Bolfo, Luiza Repsold França, Isabelle Lynch, Marie McFalls, Ramey Mize, Kaylee Slusser, and Tamir William

In 2018, a curatorial seminar led by Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw of the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of History of Art brought together eight students to collaboratively curate Soy Cuba / I Am Cuba, an exhibition of work by Cuban artist Roger Toledo at the Arthur Ross Gallery. Toledo visited Penn in September to share his practice with the campus community and to work closely with the student curators. Soon after, the team traveled to Havana to meet Toledo in his studio, gaining first-hand insight into his working methods and artistic influences. In less than nine months, Dr. Shaw and the student curators brought the exhibition to fruition. The resulting project reflects both Toledo’s deep artistic commitment and the students’ skill in curating in direct collaboration with a living artist. Accompanied by a companion web catalog, soycubapaintings.com, Soy Cuba / I Am Cuba resulted in robust scholarship on Toledo’s artwork.