Southern California’s Premier Latino Arts Institutions Unite to Form The Latinx Arts Alliance
The Alliance will serve as a collective voice advancing Latinx arts, artists, and culture
Five prestigious nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Southern California have partnered to form the Latinx Arts Alliance, a collective aimed at advancing, serving, and supporting Latinx art, artists, and culture in greater Los Angeles.
Launched with the support of an arts grant from Bank of America, the founding members — LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Self Help Graphics & Art, Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), and the Vincent Price Art Museum — envision the Alliance as a platform from which they will maximize their collective impact and influence, amplify their audience reach, and serve as an essential strategic partner to promote Latinx art.
The timing of the Latinx Arts Alliance launch comes at the historic moment when the nation calls for racial reckoning. Through collaborative initiatives, the Alliance will champion a more equitable representation of Latinx art and artists in the public and private realms and advocate for Latinx art integration in major civic and cultural events.
The Alliance has launched a website, LatinxArtsAlliance.org, that will serve as the one-stop destination for easily accessible information about the five Alliance members’ exhibitions and programs, as well as news about their joint projects.
As the inaugural collaborative project, the Latinx Arts Alliance planned a free Virtual Launch event entitled, The Importance of Equitable Inclusion: Amplifying Latinx Art, Artists, and Culture held on September 10th. This event kicked off a month-long series of projects at member institutions as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month. During the event, Alliance members and guest speakers will discuss the importance of more equitable representation in the public and private realms, including Raul A. Anaya, President of Business Banking and Market President, Greater Los Angeles for Bank of America; John Echeveste, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes CEO; Lourdes I. Ramos-Rivas, Ph.D., MOLAA President & CEO; Betty Avila, Self Help Graphics & Art Executive Director; Carlos Rogel, SPARC Executive Director; and Norma Fabian Newton, Vincent Price Art Museum, Los Angeles, Board of Directors Member. Plus Master of Ceremonies Juan Devis, Chief Creative Officer, KCET + PBS SoCal.
One of the goals of the Latinx Arts Alliance is to develop strategies for growth in funding for its members. John Echeveste, CEO of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, notes “while 39 percent of the California population is Latinx, the single largest ethnic group in the state, less than 1.3 percent of philanthropic dollars are designated for Latinx organizations. Even less of these philanthropic dollars go to Latinx art-specific institutions. Eliminating these funding inequities is one of the top priorities of the Latinx Arts Alliance.”
Norma Fabian Newton, Board Member at the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation, sees the Alliance as a wonderful opportunity to showcase the innovative and often underrecognized programming of its member organizations. “The Greater Los Angeles area is so rich in world-class arts institutions and experiences, and this collaboration will help highlight the important work of our Latinx-focused institutions. The Alliance, and its website, will serve as a central hub to champion and underscore our critical contributions to the cultural fabric of the region.”
The Alliance members point out a growing influence and prominence of artists of diverse background previously missing from the western canon of art history but acknowledge the need to support more artists of color who are currently under-recognized. According to Dr. Lourdes Ramos, President and CEO of the Museum of Latin American Art, “Our five institutions of the Latinx Arts Alliance demonstrate the depth and complexity of the Latinx art world. This collaboration will strengthen our individual efforts to seek out and embrace a Latinx culture of diversity in the local and global context.”
Betty Avila, Executive Director of Self Help Graphics, sees the Latinx Arts Alliance as a natural extension of the region’s strong experimental and collaborative art practices. “We aim to serve as a resource and advocate for Latinx artists, who are very often involved in issues of social justice critical to our society. Southern California is known for the collaborative spirit among its arts community and the Latinx Arts Alliance is another example. Together our five institutions serve as a potent advocate for Latinx artists.”
The Latinx Arts Alliance plans to develop a program of collaborative projects working to bring increased visibility to Latinx art and artists, Carlos Rogel, executive director of SPARC notes that “greater Los Angeles provides a stage from which its creative community broadcasts to the world. As visitors move through our cities, they are surrounded by evidence of our Latinx heritage on walls, river embankments, and freeway bridges. We want them to know that this is but a glimpse into the richness of Latinx arts and culture.”
The Latinx Arts Alliance launched with the support of an arts grant from Bank of America. “Los Angeles is the creative epicenter for Latinx culture, art and artists, bridging diverse Angelinos together and contributing to the region’s economy. Bank of America, as a long time investor into the artistic economy, recognizes the collective power of these highly respected institutions committed to showcasing local talent and attracting new audiences,” said Raul A. Anaya, President of Business Banking and Market President, Greater Los Angeles for Bank of America.
In addition to the Virtual Launch on September 10, the Latinx Arts Alliance will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a wide variety of virtual programs for all-ages.
For more information on the Latinx Arts Alliance visit LatinxArtsAlliance.org
