"Americanos: Latino Life in the United States"
2002-05-12 until 2002-08-04
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Houston, TX, USA

Americanos: Latino Life in the United States presents 120 contemporary photographs by 32 of the nation's top Latino photojournalists. Collaborating with the actor and activist Edward James Olmos and a team of prominent editors, the photographers documented the diversity and energy of today's Latin American communities in the United States.

The exhibition is a fascinating self-portrait of Latino America. The photographers focused on themes of family, community, work, spiritual life, recreation, and the arts. Some of the people chosen as subjects are celebrities-singer Gloria Estefan, fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, actress Rita Moreno, and athlete Sammy Sosa, to name only a few. Other portraits feature citizens like Houston flag seamstress Bernadine Mendoza and New York police officer Lisa Demetriou. Enhancing the photographs are texts by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, poet Maya Angelou, poet Humberto Ak'abal, and other leading Latino writers.

For more information, visit www.si.edu/sites or www.americanosproject.com.

Americanos: Latino Life in the United States, a project of Olmos Productions, was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives. The exhibition was made possible through the generous support of AOL Time Warner, Inc., and Qwest Communications. Additional support was provided by Farmers Insurance. Funding in Houston is generously provided by Lyondell Chemical Company; Isla and Tommy Reckling in memory of Mary Ann Ransom Livingston; the Wortham Foundation, Inc.; Baker Botts LLP; Credit Suisse First Boston; and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

IMAGE:
John Castill
Musician Carlos Santana,
Concord, California
photograph.
copyright John Castillo

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Texas

Other Important Exhibitions in United States