Puerto Rican Records and Constructions Exhibit

This exhibit reimagines the architectural blueprint as a dynamic, narrative-driven medium that captures the evolving identities of Puerto Rican communities in migration. Building upon the conceptual framework of the Community Drafting Archive (CDA), the exhibit layers storytelling, archival materials, and architectural representation to explore the lived experiences of displacement and placemaking. Rather than presenting space as static and abstract, the exhibit transforms the blueprint into a participatory and speculative realm, inviting visitors to engage with the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural forces shaping Puerto Rican migration.

Anchored in the idea that “as people move, stories move with them,” the exhibit juxtaposes two pivotal migratory periods: the Puerto Rican Great Migration of the 1950s and the post-Hurricane Maria displacement of 2017. Through archival records, cinematic references, and architectural drawings layered on vinyl records, visitors are encouraged to map, connect, and reimagine these migrations in ways that reflect the hybrid nature of Puerto Rican identity. The interactive exhibit space, designed as a blend of domestic and work environments, invites visitors to relax, collaborate, and co-create narratives, echoing the CDA’s mission to layer, revise, and annotate lived experiences.