Olivia Gracia
The United States is one of the countries with the greatest presence of Latin culture, and in this opportunity we want to delve into a particular aspect of culture: American Museums that feature Latin American culture.
There are more than 60 million Latinos in North America, so the Latino influence in the United States is beyond question. This can be seen and felt in different social spheres, so culture is not far behind. Because of this, there are many museums about Latin America throughout the United States. Here are the most important and iconic ones.
Latino museums in the United States
National Museum of the American Latino
The Smithsonian is building the National Museum of the American Latino to recognize the accomplishments, history, and culture of the Latino communities. In 2020, Congress enacted legislation to establish the National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, DC.
The reason for the existence of one of the most anticipated U.S. museums on Latin America is to explore the United States through the Latin American experience.
“¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States” offers an introduction to the important ideas, moments, and people that shine a light on the many ways Latinas and Latinos shaped the nation.
Centro de Artes Gallery
Located in the heart of downtown San Antonio’s Historic Market Square, the Centro de Artes Gallery is a two-story exhibition space dedicated to telling the story of the Latino experience in the United States .
It focuses on South Texas through regional art, history and culture. Latino artists exhibit their artwork there.
Hispanic Society of America
The Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington (1870-1955) with the aim of creating a free public museum and reference library for the study of Spanish art and culture.
With more than 900 paintings and 6,000 watercolors and drawings, the Hispanic Society of America, one of America’s museums on Latin America, offers a comprehensive overview of Spanish painting and drawing, including masterpieces by El Greco, Velázquez, Goya and Sorolla.
The sculpture collection also contains exceptional works from the first millennium BC until the beginning of the 20th century.
There are many exceptional examples of pottery, glass, furniture, textiles, iron, and jewelry among the more than 6,000 artifacts in the Society’s broad decorative arts holdings.
El Museo del Barrio
The mission of El Museo del Barrio is to present and preserve the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and of all Latin Americans in the United States.
Through extensive collections, exhibitions, diverse publications, bilingual public programs, educational activities, festivals and special events, this American Latino museum educates diverse audiences about the rich artistic and cultural history of the Caribbean and Latin America.
By introducing young people to this cultural heritage, the Museum is creating the next generation of museum visitors, while responding to the growing interest in the Caribbean and Latin American art from both local and international audiences.
Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)
The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) was established in 1996 in Long Beach, California, serving the Los Angeles area. MOLAA is the only museum in the United States dedicated to modern and contemporary art from Latin America.
Since its founding, MOLAA has doubled in size and added a 15,000-square-meter sculpture garden. Its permanent collection currently includes more than 1,300 works of art.
