Professor and Chair of the Department of Art History Lynette Bosch gave a presentation at the Cuban Cultural Center of New York on Nov. 20. Titled “Hybridity and Transnationalism in Cuban-American Art,” Bosch presented on mid-century and contemporary Cuban Americans. The Cuban Cultural Center of New York’s annual conference has been established for 15 years. Held at Sotheby’s in New York City, the event was entitled “El Arte en Cuba: Inside and Out.” The event consisted of artist panels, a series of presentations, a distribution of prizes and a tour of Sotheby’s Latin American collection.
Bosch started studying Cuban-American art in 1990. She spent time in Miami meeting with artists, curating exhibitions and gathering information before writing her book Cuban-American Art In Miami: Exile, Identity And The Neo-Baroque, which was published in 2004. Bosch’s interest in Cuban art stems from her Cuban heritage.
Bosch saw the opportunity to speak as more than just an occasion to put herself and her work on display. Bosch said that she believes that this event provided a chance for the museum studies minor to develop connections with the Cuban Cultural Center in order to help students become involved in the business side of art.
“The thing that I think is most interesting about this is we have the museum studies minor, which is new, and I’m hoping to take it into the direction of commercial art,” Bosch said. “Setting up links with the Cuban Cultural Center, and through them Sotheby’s is something that I think will be very interesting for doing internships and expanding things into the business side of art.”
By furthering connections with museums and curators, Bosch hopes art history majors will practically apply what they have learned during their studies.
“We have the scholarly and we have the museum side, but the business side of art generates tremendous amounts of income for the New York State economy and there are jobs there and so that’s our hope—that we can spearhead this kind of three part arrangement for the study of art here,” Bosch said.
Visiting assistant professor of art history and museum studies coordinator Alla Myzelev echoed Bosch’s sentiment on the importance of collaborating with outside art businesses.
“The more connections that we have the better we can direct the students to where they actually want to go. So it’s important I think, and it also attracts students to come here for the museum studies minor and potentially have people come here as guest speakers or guest artists in the future,” Myzelev said. “And we’re always looking for opportunities for our students to do internships in different places.”
As part of the museum studies minor, students are required to complete at least one internship at a museum or cultural center, Myzelev said.
Similar to that of Bosch’s, presentations that faculty may give in the future have the potential to attract more students to Geneseo and to the museum studies minor, according to Myzelev.
The art history program is also working to develop an art appraisal certificate program in the near future in order to increase the amount of opportunities available for students to gain experience in the business world and to practically apply their studies, according to Myzelev. This would allow students to pursue careers as art curators and other art related professions.
The practical and business side that the art history department is looking to include is unique in the SUNY system, according to Bosch.
“It’s the bigger picture,” Bosch said. “It isn’t just about giving this talk about what I’ve done, it’s about where could this go for our program and what can it bring back to the students.”