Thursday, April 6, 2017
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
First Voice: Latino Representation at the Smithsonian featuring Eduardo Díaz
Executive Director, Smithsonian Latino Center
Thursday, April 6, 2017
6 – 7 p.m. | Presentation
7 – 8 p.m. | Exclusive Silver Dollar Society Reception*
Rockwell Members: Free; Students with ID: $5; Not-Yet-Members: $10
*Silver Dollar Society Members are invited to an exclusive post-lecture reception with the speaker, immediately following the presentation.
Tickets are no longer available online, but there’s plenty of room for tonight’s event! Please join us at the door.
Despite rapidly shifting demographics and a continued rise in the number of educated and experienced women and individuals of color entering the museum field, the history, culture, and contributions of communities of color and women are not equitably represented in our institutions. Museums have long served as trusted custodians of our cultural patrimony and as essential storytellers. However, the contributions of Latinos in nation building and shaping national culture are largely missing from our museums’ walls and related programs. Exacerbating the situation is the underrepresentation of minority groups in museum leadership that fuels implicit bias in everyday practice. Executive Director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, Eduardo Díaz, will discuss the Smithsonian’s Latino Curatorial Initiative as an effective strategy for ensuring Latino presence in museums.
About the Speaker
Eduardo Díaz, director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, is a 34-year veteran of arts administration. He is responsible for fulfilling the Center’s mission of enabling Latino presence at the Smithsonian by supporting curatorial positions, research, exhibitions, collections, public and educational programs, web/digital content, and publications that address the contributions of the Latino community in nation building and shaping our national culture.
Previously, Díaz was the executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC), the largest Latino cultural center in the United States. Before joining the NHCC, Díaz operated a small consulting firm, serving arts organizations, local arts agencies, statewide advocacy organizations and community-based organizations, specializing in grant-making programs, business and strategic planning, cultural facilities planning and cultural and heritage tourism.
In 2001, Díaz co-founded the International Accordion Festival, a free outdoor music festival, in San Antonio. From 1989 to 1999, Díaz served as director of Cultural Affairs for the city of San Antonio, the municipality’s designated local arts agency. Díaz earned a law degree (1976) at the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor’s degree (1972) in Latin American Studies at San Diego State University.
First Voice: Latino Representation at the Smithsonian featuring Eduardo Díaz
Executive Director, Smithsonian Latino Center
Thursday, April 6, 2017
6 – 7 p.m. | Presentation
7 – 8 p.m. | Exclusive Silver Dollar Society Reception*
Rockwell Members: Free; Students with ID: $5; Not-Yet-Members: $10
*Silver Dollar Society Members are invited to an exclusive post-lecture reception with the speaker, immediately following the presentation.
Tickets are no longer available online, but there’s plenty of room for tonight’s event! Please join us at the door.
Despite rapidly shifting demographics and a continued rise in the number of educated and experienced women and individuals of color entering the museum field, the history, culture, and contributions of communities of color and women are not equitably represented in our institutions. Museums have long served as trusted custodians of our cultural patrimony and as essential storytellers. However, the contributions of Latinos in nation building and shaping national culture are largely missing from our museums’ walls and related programs. Exacerbating the situation is the underrepresentation of minority groups in museum leadership that fuels implicit bias in everyday practice. Executive Director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, Eduardo Díaz, will discuss the Smithsonian’s Latino Curatorial Initiative as an effective strategy for ensuring Latino presence in museums.
About the Speaker
Eduardo Díaz, director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, is a 34-year veteran of arts administration. He is responsible for fulfilling the Center’s mission of enabling Latino presence at the Smithsonian by supporting curatorial positions, research, exhibitions, collections, public and educational programs, web/digital content, and publications that address the contributions of the Latino community in nation building and shaping our national culture.
Previously, Díaz was the executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC), the largest Latino cultural center in the United States. Before joining the NHCC, Díaz operated a small consulting firm, serving arts organizations, local arts agencies, statewide advocacy organizations and community-based organizations, specializing in grant-making programs, business and strategic planning, cultural facilities planning and cultural and heritage tourism.
In 2001, Díaz co-founded the International Accordion Festival, a free outdoor music festival, in San Antonio. From 1989 to 1999, Díaz served as director of Cultural Affairs for the city of San Antonio, the municipality’s designated local arts agency. Díaz earned a law degree (1976) at the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor’s degree (1972) in Latin American Studies at San Diego State University.