Ten art museums from across the U.S. were each named as the recipient of a $500,000 grant from Advancing Latinx Art in Museums (ALAM), an initiative aimed at nurturing and prioritizing art created by U.S. Latine artists.
ALAM is the second phase of a multiyear grant program that has raised $5 million, which will go to creating 10 permanent positions focused on Latine art in each museum.
The museums receiving a grant are: 516 ARTS in Albuquerque; Arizona State University Art Museum in partnership with CALA Alliance in Tempe; Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin; El Museo del Barrio in New York City; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico in San Juan; Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago; Newark Museum of Art in New Jersey; and Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College.
“The deep knowledge and understanding of Latinx art these 10 curators hold comes from rigorous expertise and commitment to the creative expression of Latinx communities in the United States and Puerto Rico,” Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Mellon Foundation, said in a statement. “Through ALAM, we are proud to help expand opportunities for Latinx art curatorship across the country and to do our part in upholding the centrality of this work in our museums and arts organizations.”
The ALAM grant program will also help expand the existing community of curators with expertise in Latinx art by connecting them to one another, so they can form a larger circle of influence.
“Institutional change can happen when we have experienced and knowledgeable voices at the table” E. Carmen Ramos, chief curatorial and conservation officer of the National Gallery of Art, said in a statement. “We are eager to support the new curator as they join our team and help shape our work, all while affirming the importance of Latinx art and artists in the wider story of art and reinforcing our commitment to engage and serve Latinx audiences.”