CONTACT:
Penni Martorell
Curator and City Historian, Wistariahurst
(413) 322 – 5660 x. 5169
martorellp@holyoke.org
September 9, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Note: Digital photos attached.
Wistariahurst awarded Mass Humanities Grant to present
Nuestras Abuelas de Holyoke: Empoderamiento y Legado
Our Grandmothers of Holyoke: Empowerment and Legacy
exhibit
Exhibit to showcase photography and oral histories of Latina grandmothers in Holyoke
(HOLYOKE, MA) Wistariahurst Museum has been awarded a Mass Humanities ‘Engaging New
Audiences’ grant to produce the photography and bi-lingual text exhibition Nuestras Abuelas de
Holyoke: Empowerment and Legacy curated by Waleska Santiago. This exhibition will narrate stories of
women in general, and Latinas in particular drawing attention to concepts of family, challenges faced by
grandmothers raising their families, gender expectations, and the connections between grandmothers and
their adult grandchildren who reside in Holyoke. The project will be launched this fall, as Santiago
works with members of the community on gathering stories and images with the resulting exhibition
opening in March of 2016, at Wistariahurst Museum.
Waleska Santiago is the Museum Educator at the Art Gallery of the University of Saint Joseph in West
Hartford, Connecticut, holds a BA in Art History from Mount Holyoke College, and is pursuing a
Master of Liberal Arts degree in Museum Studies at Harvard University. Santiago describes her work,
“My interest and experience primarily focuses socially-engaged art that addresses the concerns and
interests of non-traditional museum audiences and women. Over the last 18 years that has included the
intersection of art considered Latin American, Caribbean, Latino and African American. My efforts have
also included work intended to include veterans and college students.”
“This exhibit has the ability to hit you in your cultural soul. Waleska [Santiago] knows that frequently it
is our grandmothers who share with us our family stories, traditions and history. This is exactly what
Wistariahurst is all about - preserving our local history and culture through exhibits and events. I can’t
Wistariahurst Museum
Page 2
wait to be moved by these stories,” says Penni Martorell, Holyoke’s City Historian and this grant’s
project director.
Beginning in September, Santiago and Community Outreach Coordinator, Maria Salgado-Cartagena will
be connecting with Holyoke community members in order to locate adult grandchildren who will share
their memories and testimonials of their grandmothers’ influence. Participants will work with Santiago
to hone their stories, which will become exhibit text, and to collect and select accompanying
photographs. Alberto Sandoval Sanchez, Professor of Latin American Studies at Mt. Holyoke College
and Jennifer Guglielmo Professor of History at Smith College will provide historical context and
guidance for the exhibit.
Nuestras Abuelas – Our Grandmothers fits in with the on-going efforts of Wistariahurst to uncover,
preserve and share the stories of Holyoke residents, past and present. “We are constantly looking for
these points of connection with regard to history that people can hook into,” says Kate Preissler,
Director of Wistariahurst. “The Nuestras Abuelas project addresses complicated topics such as gender
roles and what it means to be a family but it uses the personal stories of people within this community to
make them accessible and relatable. We can learn so much by listening to each other.”
Nuestras Abuelas – Our Grandmothers is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support
from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the
Humanities. Additional funding is from Historic Holyoke at Wistariahurst and the Pioneer Valley
History Network’s ‘Herencia Latina Project’ supporting public programming in response to
ALA/NEH’s 500 Years of Latino History.
About Wistariahurst
Wistariahurst Museum is dedicated to preserving Holyoke’s history and inspiring an appreciation of history and
culture through educational programs, exhibits and special events. Listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, Wistariahurst is the former home of William Skinner and his family, prominent silk manufacturers and
residents of Holyoke. Today, Wistariahurst Museum provides a variety of programs, events, and history projects
aimed at engaging and educating residents and visitors with our history, our collection, and our community.
Wistariahurst Museum is open Sat., Sun., and Mon., from noon to 4p.m. Historic House Tours are $7 general
admission and $5 for students and seniors. Hours for Archive Research: Mon. 9a.m. -7p.m. & Thur. 9a.m. - 1p.m.
Wistariahurst Gardens are open to the public daily dawn to dusk. For more information or to view a schedule of
other upcoming events, please visit our website at www.wistariahurst.org.
About Mass Humanities
Wistariahurst Museum
Page 3
Mass Humanities conducts and supports programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other
humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Foundation for
Humanities and Public Policy, now simply known as Mass Humanities, was established in 1974 as the state-based
affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), we are an independent programming and grantmaking organization that receives support from the NEH and the Massachusetts
Cultural Council as well as private sources.
About Herencía Latína
This event is part of Herencia Latina 2015-16, Exploring Latino Culture in the Pioneer Valley, a community
celebration and discussion from September, 2015, to May, 2016, organized around the PBS series, LatinoAmericans. Explore the full calendar of events at the project webstie, http://herencialatina2015-16.org/.
Learn more about local and national Latino history and heritage in the United States and the Valley, discuss
community relations and Latino identity, participate in creating an exhibit. Fourteen film-and-discussion events,
four exhibits, and six cultural programs and festivals will take place in Holyoke, Northampton, Springfield, and
Turners Falls.
Herencia Latina is spearheaded and coordinated by the Pioneer Valley History Network in partnership with Casa
Latina Northampton, Holyoke Community College, L.I.S.A. (Latin American Students Association at H.C.C.),
Holyoke Public Library, Springfield Museums, Springfield Public Library, Turners Falls RiverCulture, and
Wistariahurst Museum.
The project is funded by grants from the American Library Association/National Endowment for the humanities,
and Mass Humanities, and supported by El Sol Latino, Nuestras Raices, and WGBY Public Television.
####