Hispanics and the Arts - Interview

Being Hispanic myself (born in Lima, Peru, came to the United States when I was a 6 year old) I know a lot about being stereotyped. I'll never forget my first months in Nashville when in second-grade a boy asked me if I wore sombreros at dinner time.
(This is what I imagine the kids in Tennessee saw when they looked at me)

In Nashville it seemed everyone assumed if you spoke Spanish, you had to be Mexican. It became my mission to inform my classmates about the other countries through out the world that communicated using the Spanish language.
This is why I found this interview from-The Hispanic PR Monitor-with Isabel Lara, from the Smithsonian Latino Center, enjoyable. I like how she addresses the stereotypes often associated with Hispanics- stereotypes I feel are perpetuated by Spanish media itself ( more on this topic in a later blog). Lara makes it clear that a lot of us enjoy the arts and are passionate about them. Not all of us sit at home eating chips & salsa wearing sombrero's-although if someone does, there's nothing wrong with that either.



Isabel Lara is Public Affairs Manager at the Smithsonian Latino Center where part of her job is promoting pride in Latino culture. She came to Smithsonian from GMMB, a Washington, D.C.-based strategic communications firm, where she was a senior associate responsible for strengthening efforts in the U.S. Hispanic community. Previously, she worked in the business development department at Grey Global Group's Hispanic agency, winglatino, in New York. Before that she was at Interpublic Group's Hispanic agency, Siboney USA, supervising integrated marketing campaigns. She also worked for Univisión Radio/Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation as New York website manager.

Lara graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in literature from Universidad Católica Andres Bello in Venezuela and received an master's degree in Media Studies from The New School University in New York. In this interview, Ms. Lara sheds light on some stereotypes often associated with Latinos; the different ways the Smithsonian Center is raising awareness about the outstanding contributions Latinos have made to our culture, and enlightens us on how privileged she feels to be working this field, which she considers, her dream job.

Why do you feel it is important to educate the public about Latinos in the art, sciences and humanities fields?
Latinos who come to our nation's capital and visit any of the Smithsonian museums should feel welcome and represented. The Smithsonian Institution is a repository of our country's cultural legacy --- Latino contributions and achievements are an important part of this and must be recognized as such. Our community has made invaluable contributions to music, art and science; we need to feel proud of them. Especially now with all the debate about immigration and the dangers of isolation, we need to be aware that we have been a part of American history since the country's very beginnings – St. Augustine, Florida, was founded by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565, years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth in 1620.

Do you feel the Smithsonian Latino Center is helping to break the stereotypes often associated with Latinos?
The mission of the Center is to ensure that Hispanic contributions to art, science and the humanities are recognized, understood and advanced through the development and support of public programs, research, museum collections and educational opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution and its partners and affiliates across the U.S. and internationally. It is very important to foster understanding and appreciation of our contributions to America's history, society and culture.

We have contributed to build this nation with our hard work, but also with our creativity and our rich cultural heritage; it is very important for Latino and non-Latinos to learn there is more to our community than sombreros, chips and salsa.

With our programs and exhibits we aim to show the lesser-known sides of Latino culture, the untold stories. We recently had an exhibit in collaboration with Museo Soumaya de Mexico called "Myth, Mortals and Immortality." It showcased the different myths that come together to make the mosaic of Mexican culture: the Virgin of Guadalupe, death, magical realism, among others. It was a fascinating show which was visited by over 35,000 people. Our exit surveys showed that most people aren't aware of the first-rate art we have in our community and in our different countries of origin. Latino visitors, including many of the Smithsonian staff in that exhibition space were filled with pride in our heritage. Non-Latino visitors were surprised to discover there was so much more to learn about a country that is such a close neighbor, but so often misunderstood or taken for granted.



What has been your most challenging assignment thus far at the Smithsonian Latino Center?
The most challenging part of my job is getting the arts press to cover our exhibits on their own merits, not solely because they are "Latino" art or to satisfy a "multicultural" theme. We want our art and exhibits to be taken seriously and we need to get reviews in the mainstream publications in order to increase our visitors. But, as I said before, once we get the word out and get the critics to come see the shows, the art just speaks for itself! At the same time it is wonderful to see the amount of support Spanish language media gives to our programs – it is a real service to our community to inform people of the free exhibits and weekend activities the Center sponsors.

(source: The Hispanic PR Monitor )