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Conceptions
and Representations of Latinos by Public Institutions in the
United States
The focus of this paper is the North
American public institutions' conceptions and representations
of Latinos. An Analysis of various agencies that affect North
American interest in Latin American art introduces issues
that impact exhibitions of Latino art. A presentation of the
history of the United States' foreign policy establishes incentives
behind their support of Latin American art exhibitions in
the U.S. The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition and collection
practices serve to illustrate the historical disparagement
of Latin Americans and Latinos by U.S. public art institutions.
An examination of the factors behind the upsurge of interest
in Latin American and Latino art in the 1980s reveals the
system that manipulates the standards that are applied to
the arts. An evaluation of the Road to Aztlan exhibition
serves to emphasize the point that institutions curatorial
practices continue to create inaccurate conceptions and misrepresent
the Latino experience. An evaluation of U.S. art institution's
administrative, curatorial, and exhibition design practices
concludes my discussion.
This paper asserts that public art institutions
have and continue to serve as components of the communications
apparatus of the political, military, and corporate powers'
in the United States.
This paper reflects the history of U.S. public
institutions practices in regards to Latin Americans and Latinos.
It also attempts to challenge statements about the improvement
in the treatment, conceptions, and conditions of Latinos in
the United States today. How to dismantle the current model
and how to integrate more culturally responsive and community
building exhibitions is addressed, but by no means resolved.
Through this paper I work towards the rethinking of the representation
of Latino culture in the U.S.
Copyright © 2003
Smithsonian Institution |
