On New Year\u2019s Eve 1958, the Cuban Revolution deposed the ruling military dictatorship and opened a new political era for the country. This event changed not only the political and social reality in the island but also the material environment, including domestic spaces and leisure activities. Pioneros: Building Cuba\u2019s Socialist Childhood, curated by Mar\u00eda A. Cabrera Ar\u00fas and Meyken Barreto, is an exhibition of the material world of childhood in Cuba from the 1960s to the 1980s. It explores the ways in which the Cuban state\u2014monopolizing production and commerce\u2014tried to shape a socialist \u201cnew man\u201d and instill notions of a Cuban modernity associated with a \u201cluminous\u201d communist future.<\/p>\n
The exhibition features more than 200 objects such as toys, clothing, books, furniture, appliances, diplomas, certificates and schoolroom paraphernalia, and other childhood ephemera designed for or used by Cuban children in these decades, as well as old photographs obtained from Facebook and other social media or contributed directly by their owners. In addition, the exhibition includes posters, television shows, and recorded music from the period. The music selection is curated by art historian Emilio Garc\u00eda Montiel and the posters are part of the collection that designer Pepe Men\u00e9ndez keeps in Havana, Cuba. A series of photographs produced by Cuban-born artist, Geandy Pav\u00f3n\u2014former pionero and, now, exile and political activist\u2014anchors the collection in a critical present.<\/p>\n