Browse Items (144 total)

A beloved Trinidadian art form, steel pan music is associated with the celebration of Carnival. The tradition took shape during the 1940s, when it was discovered that oil barrels could be crafted into a variety of steel instruments called “pans.”…

Video interview with Michael Kernahan, founder and director of the 21st Century Steel Band. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, steel bands feature percussion instruments called “pans,” which are expertly crafted from oil drums. The 21st Century…

The tres guitar originated in Cuba, and its sound has become a defining characteristic of Cuban son music. The instrument gets its name, meaning “three” in Spanish, from its three pairs of strings. Leandro Rojas is a master musician and instrument…

Interview with Leandro Rojas, a master musician and instrument builder who specializes in the tres, a guitar-like instrument with three pairs of strings, and the primary instrument in the Cuban son genre.

Cory Osceola and a white woman examine Seminole patchwork at Musa Isle, 1927.

Seminole artist Pedro Zepeda uses a curved tool called an adze to carve the inside of a canoe.

Video interview with Pedro Zepeda. Zepeda is a Seminole artist and an expert dugout canoe carver specializing in a variety of traditional arts, including leatherwork, beading, patchwork, and basket weaving.

Tiffany Fantasia talks about her career as a drag queen working in Miami

Ponce talks about her Mexican heritage, specifically a Mexican performance dress, and the importance of preserving cultural practices. 

Carlos Gonzalez talks about Garifuna history and identity while mapping his own lineage. He describes his drum, its importance in Garifuna ceremonies, and how he fixed the instrument with the help of his great-grandfather who came to him in a dream.