Popular Cultural Association and American Culture Association Conference

“Communication professors, Dr. Brandy DePriest and Professor Sarah Zimmer, present findings at Chicago conference”

By: Patrycja Derendal

On March 27th through March 30th of 2024, communication professors, Dr. Brandy DePriest and Professor Sarah Zimmer, attended a Popular Cultural Association and American Culture Association (PCA and ACA) conference in Chicago.

At this year’s event, Dr. DePriest and Professor Sarah Zimmer presented their work: “A Delicate Cycle: From Cultural Artifact to Souvenir”.

Dr. DePriest and Professor Zimmer, selected this topic when Dr. DePriest came across a replica of an ancient Mexican artifact. They then turned their search for the origins of the artifact into a research project.

“Museums and galleries have long curated spaces and crafted educational experiences focused on envisioning the past,” said Dr. DePriest. “But to what extent do they shape our collective memory of events? Perhaps it is more likely that the influence on our understanding of history or culture is our everyday interaction. Something that sparked our interest, led us down the rabbit hole, [and] revealed a completely new world.”

“We began examining the practice of producing cultural replicas,” Professor Zimmer explained. “The context in which we encounter a cultural object, icon, or heritage site can significantly influence a viewer's understanding of its meaning.”

The conference, while largely surrounding topics similar to that of Dr. DePriest and Professor Zimmer’s findings, was still able to teach Dr. DePriest new information.

“I learned a lot about Mexican national identity,” said Dr. DePriest. “[This is] a topic that I never knew I would be learning about, but it had been fascinating.”

Dr. Brandy DePriest and Professor Zimmer hope to continue furthering their knowledge of Mexican cultural heritage, particularly of Mexican artifacts and heritage sites.