A guidepost for egalitarianism has arrived in the Dallas Design District, representing the 42% of Dallas’ population who are Latino. The Latino Arts Project opened its doors on Dragon Street this past Cinco de Mayo with the exhibition Mexican Modern Sculpture: A Study of the Artists, on display until Sept. 22.
By Scott Tucker
The Latino Arts Project is Dallas’ latest effort to push Latino culture to the forefront of the conversation in a city with an ever-growing Hispanic population. Museum founder Jorge Baldor and executive director Carlos Gonzalez-Jaime look to change the Latino museum experience by making a space accessible to all, while building a platform to celebrate diversity in Latino arts.
“Latin America has a rich history of the arts from folk art to fine arts. … We are interested in presenting Latino culture beyond the stereotypes,” says Gonzalez-Jaime. “We are always looking for excellence. We want everything to be perfect and aim to run Latino Arts Project with this philosophy.”
The museum director’s clear passion for the museum is contagious. He offers a plethora of information on the history of Latin American art and is even happy to give personal tours in both English and Spanish when needed.
The space seems more like a private art gallery than a museum. There are no objects displayed behind glass, no tape markers on the floors and no ominous security presence distracting viewers from connecting with the works. All of the museum’s staff are bilingual, adding extra accessibility to native Spanish speakers. Other helpful features in the museum include bilingual labeling, live interpretations with their ongoing lecture series titled “Art Voices Lecture Series” and several community education programs slated for the near future.
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