WE ARE: The Smithsonian Latino Center
Mission and Vision
Mission
The Smithsonian Latino Center is dedicated to ensure that Latino contributions to art, science and the humanities are highlighted, understood and advanced through the development and support of public programs, scholarly research, museum collections and educational opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution and its affiliated organizations across the United States.
Vision
"The Latino presence in the Americas is centuries old, culturally rich, and demographically vast and growing.... The Center is established so that American history and culture may be displayed in all of its diversity."
-The Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, establishing the Smithsonian Latino Center in 1997.
WE ARE: THE SMITHSONIAN LATINO CENTER
We celebrate Latino culture, spirit, and achievement in America.
By facilitating the development of exhibitions, research, collections, and educational programs at the Smithsonian and its affiliated organizations, the Center turns a powerful spotlight on Latino heritage and culture in our country. Over the past decade, the Center has been the catalyst for over 300 Latino-themed projects, from living exhibitions to live arts performances, underwritten with federal and private sector support.
WE ARE: EDUCATION
We help teach the untold stories of Latinos in America.
By educating the public about Latino contributions to the arts, sciences, and humanities, the Smithsonian Latino Center helps people understand the imprint of Latinos on our nation's history. From the Latino Virtual Gallery's bilingual, on-line resources to traveling exhibitions such as Our Journeys, Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement, every one of our programs carries a strong educational focus. These programs teach the public about an important piece of our nation's heritage which is seldom taught in the classroom.
WE ARE: DIVERSITY
We help people understand the many forms of Latino cultural identity.
The Smithsonian Latino Center highlights vibrant cross-sections of culture from the poignant Puerto Rican santos to the rich Chicano rhythms of Texas and East L.A. As the Smithsonian's liaison to the Latino community in the United States, we engage diverse nationalities through partnerships with cultural organizations, community groups, artists and scholars, so that distinctive Latino traditions and perspectives resonate in our programs.
WE ARE: LEGACY
We help preserve the legacy of the Latino community at America's most important cultural institution.
Our programs carry the hallmarks of the Smithsonian Institution: national importance, universal relevance and quality scholarship. Through our efforts to collect, document, display, and disseminate information about Latino history and culture, we ensure that visitors to the nation's capital today and for generations to come understand the impact of the Latino community on our collective heritage.
WE ARE: THE FUTURE
We promote the cultural, educational, and scientific advancement of America's fastest growing population.
Latinos are now the largest minority in the United States and will account for 46% of U.S. population growth in the next decade. The past, current, and future impact of Latinos on this nation is undeniable. The Smithsonian Latino Center not only fosters understanding of how Latinos have shaped our nation thus far, it helps Latinos influence the America of tomorrow. Through educational opportunities such as the Young Ambassadors program for high school students gifted in the arts and fellowships for graduate students at the National Zoo, the Center helps ensure that young Latinos become the nation's future scientists, historians, curators and artists.
Overview of the Center
The Smithsonian Institution is the nation’s largest and most important museum complex, with millions of visitors each year. As such, it is critically important that America’s largest and fastest growing minority community see itself reflected and feel welcome in every Smithsonian museum. It is equally important that all Americans have an opportunity to learn about this rich and important part of American history and culture.
To achieve those aims, in 1997, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents established the Smithsonian Latino Center, a pan-institutional unit that works with the entire network of Smithsonian museums, research centers, the National Zoo, and more than 140 affiliates nationwide, to foster understanding and appreciation of contributions made by Latinos to history, society and culture.
The Center promotes the inclusion of Latino contributions in Smithsonian programs, exhibitions, collections and public outreach. It does this in three principal ways:
- It supports cultural, historical and scientific projects across the Smithsonian that represents significant Latino achievement either through funding or technical assistance.
- It develops and manages educational programs, products and outreach.
- It promotes public awareness of Latino programs at the Smithsonian museums and its affiliates across the United States.
Please note that the Smithsonian Latino Center was previously named the Smithsonian
Center for Latino Initiatives. The name went into effect in February 2006.
