Since 2022, artists Sofía Gallisá Muriente and Natalia Lassalle-Morillo have researched Puerto Rican collections and holdings at the Smithsonian Institution, examining their histories of accession, how they live in off-site storage, and the possibilities for mediating their return to the people and places they belong to. On the occasion of the VLC Forum 2024: Correct History*, the artists’ performance lecture Tactics of Transmission reflects on their experiences as unruly colonial subjects navigating the imperial archive, as well as on the historical gossip, findings, and revelations from their research process. A series of films emerging from this project are exhibited in Cooper Hewitt’s Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial, on view November 2, 2024, through summer 2025.

A festive reception concludes the VLC Forum 2024: Correct History*.

The program is co-presented with the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center as part of Historias, a multi-year initiative exploring Latinx New York’s transformative impact on the city. Launching in fall 2024, Historias is a partnership with the Latinx Arts Consortium of New York, with lead support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.