Many are surprised there's no Latino Cultural Center in Phoenix. Voters can change that on Nov. 7
Download mp3 (25.63 MB)More than 40% of Phoenix’s population today is Latino — and it’s growing fast.
Located just a few hours from the border with Mexico, Phoenix has a rich history of Latino culture and influence. But, you wouldn’t know it by looking at its arts and culture institutions. There is no Latino Cultural Center in Phoenix.
The National Museum of Mexican Art is in Chicago and, unlike the rich centers in cities like San Diego, Los Angeles and San Antonio, Phoenix’s efforts to create one have gone nowhere for at least two decades.
But now, that all could change.
Phoenix voters are about to decide the future of a $500 million bond package that covers everything from city infrastructure like drainage and pavement, to police and fire, to arts and culture — including $21.6 million for a Latino Cultural Center.
The Show spoke more about what it would mean for the Latino community — and the arts community — with longtime Valley artist and arts administrator Carmen Guerrero, who runs the Cultural Coalition, and the Arizona State University Art Museum’s Alana Hernandez. She’s senior curator and CALA Alliance Curator of Latinx Art there.
They come from two different perspectives. Guerrero has been an arts administrator in the Valley for 45 years and a part of the conversation surrounding a Latino Cultural Center in the Valley for much of that.
Hernandez’s point of view is that of an outsider. She’s a curator who’s worked in New York City at The Whitney and then in San Diego at the Museum of Contemporary Arts there. She came to Phoenix a little over two years ago to run the artists residencies and more with the CALA Alliance, and she told The Show that she when she moved to Phoenix, she wasn't aware there was no Latino Cultural Center here.
