Latino Stories Told Through American Art

Discover something new in SAAM’s extensive Latino collection during Hispanic Heritage Month

I get a burst of excitement every year during Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s the time on the calendar when the U.S. turns its attention to the rich achievements and cultural contributions of the Latino community. Encompassing many different regions and cultures, the celebration is an opportunity to reflect on the shared experiences and honor the distinct roots that make up Latino identity. During this time, we go deeper—beyond just great food and entertainment (though we certainly celebrate those things too)—and explore the scientific, economic, and artistic achievements, among others, that have made an indelible impression on the U.S.

SAAM’s rich collection of Latino art is an exploration across time, region, and genre. From the religious works of the colonial period to abstract expressionist paintings and contemporary installations, the collection covers the diversity of and depth of the Latino experience from artists of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican descent, as well as other Latin American groups with deep roots in the United States.

I feel a sense of acknowledgement to see my own community reflected in these works. I'm drawn to artists such as Roberto Chavez, who pays homage to the neighbors and residents near his home in Los Angeles and Carmen Lomas Garza, who often portrays memories of her family in South Texas with folk-styled scenes that document the lives of Mexican Americans. Her stories echo my own grandmother’s childhood in the same border region and feel timeless. They are experiences that span generations.

Beyond exploring their individual lived experiences, artists also use their work as a platform to shed light on the challenges that they face and to confront some of the uglier sides of the American Latino experience. Ulloa’s Braceros explores the post-WWII guest-worker program during which Mexicans and Mexican Americans suffered racial and wage discrimination and substandard working and living conditions.

Miguel Luciano’s Double Phantom/EntroP.R. signifies the time of Puerto Rico’s constitution and the beginning of its Commonwealth status. It has two fronts and one back. As the artist states: “That’s the paradox…It cannot go forward, without also going backwards. If two opposite sides are trying to move at the same time it goes nowhere.”

I encourage you to discover more of the rich stories being told by Latino artists. Find something new in SAAM's collection not just during Hispanic Heritage Month, but all year round.

Rebekah Mejorado | Read More

Rebekah Mejorado is a Public Relations Specialist at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery.