Exhibitions
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
3rd floor North, American Art Museum
October 25, 2013 – March 2, 2014
Ana Mendieta, Anima (Alma/Soul), 1976/printed 1977, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores a key cornerstone in our national narrative—that we are "a nation of immigrants"—by considering the varied contributions of Latino artists to American art and culture from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Featuring more than seventy works across all media by some of the leading contemporary artists working in the United States, the exhibition will examine how their works express an unfolding and particular American experience.
Latino artists across the United States were galvanized by the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. They created new images of their communities and celebrated hybrid cultural traditions. Approaching their practice with humor, irony, and valor, Latino artists critically probed American history and popular culture, revealing the possibilities and tensions of expansionism, migration, and settlement. Many devoted themselves to artistic experimentation, pushing the limits of their chosen medium. Our America will show how Latino artists tackled classic American themes and actively participated in the artistic movements of their day. It will present an evolving picture of our national culture that challenges expectations of what is meant by "American" and "Latino."
The artworks in this exhibition will be drawn entirely from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's pioneering collection of Latino art. Highlights include an installation altar by Amalia Mesa-Bains, which resonates with vernacular Chicano traditions and feminist art practices; the "recycled" films of Raphael Montañez Ortiz, which merge the artist's dual interests in Hollywood film and Native American ritual; and a 1960 geometric painting by Carmen Herrera, the pioneering Cuban-born artist who was part of the New York avant-garde at mid-century. Other notable artists in the exhibition include Luis Jiménez, John Valadez, Pepón Osorio, Ana Mendieta, Freddy Rodríguez, Sophie Rivera, Enrique Chagoya, and Vik Muniz, among many others. The exhibition will introduce more than twenty newly-acquired artworks from the museum’s permanent collection.
Our America is organized by E. Carmen Ramos, curator for Latino art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
National Tour
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art is available for tour after closing at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. If you are interested in hosting the exhibition at your museum, please visit our traveling exhibitions page for contact information.
Credit
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from Tania and Tom Evans.
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