Community Preview and Party
Thursday, Feb. 5 | 5-7 p.m. | FREE
Contemporary Latino music and appetizers from Red Iguana.
“Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art” brings to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) and the University of Utah a dynamic gathering of more than 80 artworks from more than 60 leading modern and contemporary Latino artists from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Faculty, staff and students are invited to a free exhibition preview and celebration on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 5-7 p.m. at the UMFA.
This landmark exhibition, on view Feb. 6 through May 17 at the UMFA, explores the varied and deep links between Latino art and U.S. history, culture and art through work created since the 1950s, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. “Our America” explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and provides insight into our nation’s past and unfolding present.
“These are beautiful and important works of art that visitors won’t see anywhere else in our region,” said Gretchen Dietrich, UMFA’s executive director. “Especially in a community like ours, where the Latino population is significant and growing, this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to experience stunning visual art while engaging each other in exciting conversations, learning and cultural exchange.”
Artists featured in “Our America” played important roles in all the postwar American art movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture and scenes of everyday life. The artists—of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican descent, as well as from other Latin American groups with deep roots in the United States—reflect the rich diversity of Latino communities in our country.
“Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art” is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Generous support for the exhibition has been provided by Altria Group, the Honorable Aida M. Alvarez, Judah Best, The James F. Dicke Family Endowment, Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins, Tania and Tom Evans, Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, The Michael A. and the Honorable Marilyn Logsdon Mennello Endowment, Henry R. Muñoz III, Wells Fargo and Zions Bank. Additional significant support was provided by The Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Support for Treasures to Go, the Museum’s traveling exhibition program, comes from The C.F. Foundation, Atlanta.
The UMFA exhibition is presented by Zions Bank. Additional support was provided by the S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, the Ray, Quinney & Nebeker Foundation and Wells Fargo. Red Iguana is an in-kind sponsor and Artes de Mexico en Utah is a community partner.