Immigrant Voices
A large-scale poster experimenting with expressive typography as part of a class-wide installation highlighting various immigrant stories, both past and present. Originally made in Fall 2018, then remade in Fall 2019 for a Senior Design Exhibition.
My piece focuses on the Puerto Rican diaspora post-Hurricane Maria, specifically featuring the voices of multimedia journalist Natalia Muñoz, and Nuyorican poet Caridad de la Luz surrounding themes of identity, nationalism, and US imperialism.
Communication Studio III
Fall 2018
↑ Hurricane San Ciriaco had come at a time where the US had just taken control over the island from Spain. Relief efforts after the storm were lackluster at best as the United States juggled establishing a new government, feeding its people, and resurrecting a decimated agricultural economy.
↑ Poster iterations started broad, with value studies and collaged type experiments.
Puerto Rican identity is undeniably complex. The Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917, among other things, granted those from the island U.S. citizenship. While now technically American, it's an uneasy dynamic—serving in U.S. wars but ineligible to vote for an American president, being a territory of the US but slow to receive aid.
The perspectives I chose helped give me an understanding of the range of perspectives regarding Puerto Rican identity, particularly after Hurricane Maria. Ultimately, I used the poetry of Caridad de la Luz to highlight the narrative of Natalia Muñoz and the tension that comes from sharing an identity with an imperial power with none of the aid.
Explored Narratives
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Natalia Muñoz
Blunt. Transparent. Independent.
Puerto Rican multimedia journalist, moved to the United States as a result of Hurricane Maria. Highlights the complex identity of Puerto Ricans with American culture and expectations.
NPR Code Switch podcast, "Puerto Rico, My Heart's Devotion" Source | Transcript
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Caridad de la Luz
Bold. Outspoken. Activist.
Nuyorican poet, actress, and activist. Advocated for the release of Oscar López Rivera—an activist and militant deemed a freedom fighter by supporters and political terrorist by his critics.
Caridad de la Luz, "La Bruja recites her poem Poor to Rico in Washington DC" Source
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Natalie Jaresko
Outsider. Analytical. In a double bind.
Ukrainian-American investment banker, now the executive director of Puerto Rico's financial oversight and management board. Appointed before Hurricane Maria's landfall.
NPR All Things Considered podcast, "Hurricane Maria's Devastation of Puerto Rico, 1 Year Later" Source
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Yasmín Hernández
Empathetic. Committed. Romantic.
Brooklyn-born artist who moved to Puerto Rico in 2014, "answered a soul call to repatriate [her] ancestral homeland of Borikén." Most of her work is rooted in "struggles for personal, political, and spiritual liberation," particularly in a push for decolonization.
Hyperallergic, "An Artist's Powerful Letter on Post-Hurricane Puerto Rico" Source | Website
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Tato Laviera
Mindful. Romantic. Fluid.
Puerto Rican native who immigrated to the United States. Nuyorican poet with a focus on the blending of American and Puerto Rican culture to create a new identity, rather than assimilating.
