Skip to main content

Carlos Laster Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 156

Scope and Contents

The Carlos Laster collection consists of artifacts donated by the artist and craft maker to Centro. Among them are Perez and Martina puppets based on the Pura Belpre story, a piece on the Three Kings, made from bottles and papier mâché on a wooden base, as well as a piece called Vejigante, also made from papier mâché on a wooden base. Included in the Centro Art Collection are 2 pieces by Laster. One is a digital print entitled “The New Millenium,” featuring surreal imagery of a man on a cross with a Coca-Cola symbol on it, and the other is a poster entitled “Haciendo Patria,” which features Puerto Rican Nationalist Leader Pedro Albizu Campos.

Dates

  • Creation: 1998-2001

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the artist.

Biographical / Historical

Carlos Laster is an artist and craft maker from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He is also a graduate of both Hostos Community College and Parsons School of Design. He has previously served as an artist-in-residence at Taller Boricua in New York City. Laster works with many mediums including digital artwork, papier-mâché, and puppet-making. His artwork is representative of his Puerto Rican heritage and combines nature with every-day items to create unique pieces.

Extent

1.0 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Spanish; Castilian

Abstract

The Carlos Laster Collection includes a selection of orginal artworks and artifacts donated to Centro. The pieces include papier-mâché sculptures, digital prints, and a poster.

Other Finding Aids

English / Spanish bilingual finding aid available upon request.

Title
Carlos Laster Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Archive staff members under the supervision of Pedro Juan Hernandez
Date
August 2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • June 2021: Container list updated by Victoria Fernandez.

Repository Details

Part of the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora Repository

Contact:
Silberman Building, Hunter College
2180 Third Ave. Rm. 122
New York New York 10065




About the Collections

Our collections consist of personal papers from prominent Puerto Rican artists, elected officials, social activists, writers, as well as the records of community-based organizations. Our largest collection, the Offices of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States (OGPRUS) Records, measures approximately 2,900 cubic feet and contains an extraordinary amount of information regarding Puerto Rican migrants and the government institutions established to assist them. The collections date from the 1890s to the present, and document Puerto Rican communities in the Northeast, Midwest, Florida, California and Hawaii.