Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler (she/her/ella) is a first generation Cuban-American working at the intersection of Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums. She is currently the Exhibits Director at the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries and Adjunct Assistant Professor in Museum Studies. She established and oversees a comprehensive exhibition program that includes physical and digital exhibitions that enhance research and learning opportunities at the University. She specializes in exhibition program development and leadership that emphasizes curatorial and interpretive training centering inclusion and equity, inclusive practices in cultural heritage spaces, digital scholarship, and student mentorship, particularly for those who have been minoritized in higher education. Lourdes holds a BFA in Creative Photography and MA in Museology.
Katiana Bagué (she/her/ella) is the Exhibits Associate for the University of Florida (UF) George A. Smathers Libraries. She has worked at the UF Libraries since 2016. She started as a student assistant at the Latin American and Caribbean Collection, where she had the opportunity to write up bilingual finding aids and curate book exhibits. She has held other titles within the libraries, such as Bilingual Outreach Assistant for The U.S. Caribbean & Ethnic Florida Digital Newspaper Project. She was tasked with creating blog posts related to historical Puerto Rican newspapers. She was also the User Engagement and Communications Specialist for UF’s Library West and participated in the branch’s outreach programming, and managed their social media accounts. Katiana, the daughter of Puerto Rican migrants, received her B.A. in Art History from the University of Florida in 2018. She graduated in the spring of 2022 with an M.A. in Latin American Studies specializing in Latinx Studies, Migration & Transnational Studies. Her research focuses on creating anti-racist spaces in cultural institutions such as libraries and museums. Katiana was also part of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino’s Latino Museum Studies Program 2021 cohort.