The Whitney: no existe un mundo poshuracán

 

The Whitney

no existe un mundo poshuracán:

Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria

In the fall of 2022, the Whitney Museum of American Art opened no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria, the first exhibition of Puerto Rican art organized by a major U.S. museum in nearly 50 years. Curated by Marcela Guerrero, the exhibition coincided with the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria and explored how artists have responded to the Category 4 storm and its social, political, ecological, and economical reverberations.

With support from the Mellon Foundation, the Whitney’s education department commissioned us to make an episodic series of films examining the exhibition’s underlying themes. The goal was to educate Whitney visitors as well as local middle and high school students about the circumstances to which the exhibition artists felt compelled to respond. 

In the run-up to the show, SandenWolff Director Noah Therrien embedded with participating artists in both Puerto Rico and New York City alongside the Whitney’s director of Interpretation and Research, Anne Byrd, and San Juan journalist, Mariela Fullana Acosta. In post-production, SandenWolff Creative Director Rachel Wolff worked closely with the production team to shape the series’ narrative and each episodic story arc. The episodes—TERRITORY, MEMORY, and RESISTANCE—offer a window into life on the archipelago today and the role artists might play in imagining a more prosperous future.


Director / Cinematographer: Noah Therrien

Producer / Story Editor: Rachel Wolff

Producer / Interviewer: Mariela Fullana Acosta

Producer: Anne Byrd

Supervising Producer: Jonathan Sanden

Camera Assistant: Carlos J. Medina Rivera

Additional Camera: Nate Reininga, Jonathan Sanden, and Samantha Cohen

Editors: Stephen Parnigoni, Noah Therrien

Music: Noah Therrien

Assistant Editors: Hannah Kaylor, Paulina Campo Haeusler

Translators: Angie Rodriguez

Production Assistant: Kimberly Hopgood


Archival footage courtesy of POND5, Shutterstock, NASA


© 2022 Whitney Museum of American Art


EPISODE 1: TERRITORY

The Whitney: no existe un mundo poshuracán - Episode 1: Territory - Directed by Noah Therrien, Story editing by Rachel Wolff


EPISODE 2: MEMORY

The Whitney: no existe un mundo poshuracán - Episode 2: Memory - Directed by Noah Therrien, Story editing by Rachel Wolff


EPISODE 3: RESISTANCE

The Whitney: no existe un mundo poshuracán - Episode 3: Resistance - Directed by Noah Therrien, Story editing by Rachel Wolff


EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

The Whitney: no existe un mundo poshuracán - Overview - Directed by Noah Therrien, Story editing by Rachel Wolff


The WhitneyJonathan Sanden