Julie Mandimutsira

Julie Mandimutsira

 

Julie Mandimutsira 

Writing 101: Gender and Sexuality in Latin American Cinema 

Instructor: Sandra Sotelo-Miller

A Woman's Place: Important Archetypes of Women in Colonial Brazil and Their Respective Societal Roles and Contributions Guided Museum Experience *VIEW IN PRESENTATION/SLIDESHOW MODE

A Woman's Place Instructions


Biography

Long before I chose the topic, or even a general theme, of my final project for my wonderful Writing 101 course, Gender and Sexuality in Latin American Cinema, I knew my project would take on the form of a virtual museum experience. I don’t quite know when I fell in love with the idea of using technology to revolutionize the artistic and cultural world, and particularly, one of the primary institutions that support it. Or when the promise of museum experiences made learning even more engaging and museums themselves (as well as the wealth of knowledge they provide) more physically and economically accessible through tech. I do know, however, that I was enraptured swiftly and deeply. When given the creative freedom bestowed upon us for our final projects, I was determined to take full advantage and explore my lovely interest for what would be the first time.

Deciding on a subject matter to match the form I had chosen for my project, however, was not as simple a choice to make. The singular impulse I had in any direction, inspired by two films I had watched around that time, Hidden Figures (2016) and The Banker (2020), was to explore non-traditional people and stories. Those films had left me eager to explore the lives of other “hidden figures”, whose narratives have been glossed over, untouched, or simply ignored by history because they didn’t fit the mold they were “supposed” to. I originally set out to investigate and highlight Latinx trailblazers who occupied non-traditional career roles across time to understand the ever-evolving ‘spheres of gender’ as they manifested in Latin America and to analyze how they evolved over centuries and through monumental events. Eventually, I narrowed down my setting to Colonial Brazil and my subject of focus to the diverse, fascinating women of Colonial Brazil.

In sum, this exhibit and experience, made using Google Docs, is by no means the most sophisticated museum simulation, but I had lots of fun virtually encapsulating the “essence” of a museum and bringing the stories of the women of Colonial Brazil to life through this project. I cannot wait for you to engage with it!

I would like to sincerely thank Professor Sotelo-Miller for giving me the creative freedom and opportunity to explore this subject and Dr. Sheryl Emch for helping me refine, shape, and better my original creation.