San Antonio
DESIGNING AMERICA: SPAIN’S IMPRINT IN THE U.S.
Historic Bexar County Courthouse. From June 18, 2018 to June 20, 2019
From 1513, the year when Ponce de León first set foot in Florida, through to the twenty-first century, Spain has had an influential presence in the United States of America we know today. This exhibition aims to examine, under the same looking glass, the contributions Spain has made toward the construction of territories, landscapes and cities in the United States: a living legacy that is continually renewed despite the centuries that have gone by.
With some 500 years of uninterrupted control, Spain was the first European nation to settle in the territory that is known today as the United States, and the one that has stayed the longest. This influence extends to very distinct fields: from the exploration and charting on the map of the American territory to the founding of American cities. A long period of Spanish rule (1565-1821) that has left behind pivotal influences on the territory’s structure and the composition of its landscape.Through today, the work of Spanish engineers and architects in the United States has kept this connection alive.
Embarking on a themed, yet non-sequential cross-sectional survey of these contributions, the exhibition is presented in four blocks: The image of America; Constructing the territory; Cities: the Spanish urban space; and Constructed works: architecture and engineering. In each of these blocks, a set of more than 20 maps, images and objects is matched with parallel narrations that complement and enrich this collection. The visit is completed by The Spanish Language: place names in the United States, an interactive installation that helps to localize the states and cities in the US, the video The Spanish Frontier in North America, and a multi-touch table with zoomable maps. Most of the images will have QR codes.
This exhibition takes place within the context of several key events, to be celebrated between 2013 and 2015, that reflect upon the common history between Spain and the United States. Current commemorative celebrations include the 500th anniversary of Ponce de León’s arrival in Florida, the 500th anniversary of the exploration of the Pacific Ocean by Núñez de Balboa, the 300th anniversary of the birth of California’s founder, Father Junípero Serra; and the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the first city in the United States: St. Augustine, Florida.
The exhibition has been organized by the Fundación Consejo España-Estados Unidos in collaboration with the Biblioteca Nacional de España. The Historic Bexar County Courthouse is the forth venue in the United States. It has been curated by Juan Miguel Hernández León, director of the Cultural Landscape Research Group of the Technical University of Madrid. The exhibition design was carried out by Indissoluble.
ORGANIZED BY
IN COLLABORATION WITH
HONOR COMMITTEE
HONORARY CHAIRMAN
His Majesty the King Felipe VI
Mr. José Manuel García – Margallo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
Mr. Salvador Alemany, Chairman, Abertis Infraestructuras
Mr. Antonio Brufau, Chairman, Repsol and Fundación Repsol
Mr. José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman & CEO ACCIONA
Mr. Jaume Giró, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Obra Social “la Caixa”
Ms. Helena Herrero, Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Iberia
Mr. Juan Lladó, Vice Chairman – CEO, Técnicas Reunidas
Mr. Florentino Pérez, Chairman, ACS and Fundación ACS
Mr. Rafael del Pino, Chairman, Ferrovial
Mr. Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, OHL Group
GOLD SPONSORS
Additional support was also provided by:
TECHNOLOGICAL COLLABORATORS
CURATORSHIP
Grupo de investigación Paisaje Cultural Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (GIPC-UPM)
Curator
Juan Miguel Hernández León – Director
Deputy curator
Francisco Arques
Scientific coordinator of the curatorship
Andrés Rodríguez
DESIGN, GRAPHICS AND PRODUCTION COORDINATION
Indissoluble S.L.
Juan Roberto Vásquez
Cristina García
Miriam Ribuffo
Fabio Alvino
TRANSLATION
NOVA Language Services Virginia Ghent
ASSEMBLY
Art Incorporated
LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Bridge Projects
GENERAL COORDINATION
Fundación Consejo España – Estados Unidos
Secretary General
Manuel Mª Lejarreta
Director for Cultural Affairs
María Luque
Former Director for Cultural Affairs
Belén López-Laguna
Head of Communications
Carmen Rodríguez
Bexar County Commisioners Court
Director. Bexar Heritage Programs
Betty Bueché
Project Manager
Juanita Fierro
Curator
J. Gilbert Candia, II, AIA
Bexar Heritage Center Coordinator
Juliette Moke
TECHNOLOGICAL COLLABORATORS
Exhibition printed with HP Designjet Z Technology by RPG
Exhibition and Outdoor Signage printed with HP Latex Technology by SpeedPro
Flyer and Catalog printed with HP Indigo Technology by Bennet Graphics