A multimedia exhibit honoring the heritage of Puerto Ricans and their important role in forging Central Florida's history will open Saturday, Feb. 28, in Kissimmee and Sunday, March 1, in Winter Park.

Researchers Patricia Silver and Natalie Underberg, both of UCF's Digital Ethnography Lab, led an effort to collect stories and photographs from people of Puerto Rican heritage who lived in Central Florida during the 1940s to 1980s. The research team interviewed more than 75 people to compile the exhibit, which features photographs and printed and digital stories, all displayed in English and Spanish.

"Puerto Ricans in Central Florida from the 1940s-1980s: A History" describes residents' daily lives, politics, the economy, the charisma of leaders in the community and more. Funded with a $22,237 grant from the Florida Humanities Council, the exhibit is being designed by the Orange County Regional History Center.

The same exhibit will be featured at two local libraries. One exhibit will open with a free public celebration from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Hart Memorial Central Library, 211 E. Dakin Ave., Kissimmee. That exhibit will remain open through March 31. The second exhibit will open with a free public celebration from 2 to 4 p.m. March 1 at the Winter Park Public Library, 460 E. New England Ave. That exhibit will remain open through April 18.

Jorge Duany, an anthropology professor at the University of Puerto Rico, will speak at both events.  Duany is the co-author of a recent report entitled "Puerto Ricans in Orlando and Central Florida."

About half of Central Florida's Hispanic population is Puerto Rican. In 2006, there were 123,367 Puerto Ricans living in Orange County alone. Another 60,257 called Osceola County home, according to U.S. Census data.

The project focused on Puerto Ricans because of the substantial impact they have had on Central Florida's growth – their contributions include businesses, law firms, newspapers and cultural organizations – and because little is known about their early years in the region.

"To collect, share and interpret this history as part of a public exhibit lends a powerful voice to a segment of the population whose unique contribution to Central Florida needs and deserves to be shared and celebrated," Silver and Underberg said.

The Hart Memorial Central Library in Kissimmee is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Winter Park Public Library is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

After the library exhibits close, the project will be available as a traveling exhibit from the Orange County Regional History Center. The center also plans to house all of the interviews in its permanent archives.

The UCF Digital Ethnography Lab, established in 2007, strives to develop innovative ways for artists, communities and anthropologists to express new insights into culture through the intersection of folklore, anthropology and digital media.

Silver is a visiting assistant professor of Anthropology based at UCF's South Lake campus. She moved to Orlando in 2005 after living in Puerto Rico for several years. Underberg is an assistant professor of Digital Media and director of the Digital Ethnography Lab.  She has directed, co-directed or served as a consultant on 15 grants totaling nearly $250,000 related to folklore, education and technology. She also is a frequent speaker on Hispanic folklife in Central Florida.

The project is housed at UCF's Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment (CREATE) in downtown Orlando. For more information, visit http://create.cah.ucf.edu. Click on the image of Florida with the Puerto Rican flag.