This spring, The Walters Museum will debut its first long-term installation of Latin American art.
The installation, titled “Latin American Art / Arte Latinoamericano,” will be on view starting May 17 and will feature 200 works spanning 4,000 years and 40 cultures from North, Central, and South America.
“We are excited to present Latin American Art / Arte Latinoamericano, a dynamic platform to celebrate the varied and thriving cultures across North, Central, and South America and continue fostering connections with our Maryland Latino community and beyond,” said Kate Burgin, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director and CEO. “Our hope is that this installation becomes a vital community space, one where our Latin American neighbors feel welcome and seen, and where visitors of all backgrounds can engage with the powerful art, stories, and cultural expressions that shape this rich heritage.”
Works by 10 contemporary Latino artists will be displayed alongside historical works. There will also be touch and scent stations, reading nooks, video displays, and materials in both English and Spanish.
To mark the installation’s opening, the museum will host a free two-day festival on May 17 and 18. The festival will include an artisan and food market, performances, tours, art-making activities, and more.
Among the items featured in the installation will be an aquila, a small silver drinking vessel that the museum’s founder Henry Walters purchased in 1897. It is the first piece in this installation to have entered the Walters’ collection.
The Walters has added to their collection works by living Latin American artists that will be featured in this installation, including artists Jessy DeSantis; Eugenio Merino, Pierre Valls, and Uriarte Talavera; Ana de Orbegoso; Alfonso García Tellez; and Kukuli Velarde. On loan to the Walters, works by Joiri Minaya, Edgar Reyes, and René Trevińo will also be part of the installation.
“The Walters is fortunate to have a strong collection of art from Latin America, one that began even before our establishment as a public museum,” said Ellen Hoobler, William B. Ziff, Jr., Curator of Art of the Americas, who co-curated the installation alongside Patricia Lagarde, Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, Art of the Americas. “Latin America consists of hundreds of vibrant cultures with living traditions that are still in existence and, in fact, thriving today.”
Hoobler continued, “This installation is a means of celebrating and spotlighting this history through ancient works from the region, created by the hands of individuals whose names are often unknown and who have helped shape their cultures. At the same time, we are highlighting their contemporary Latin American counterparts who are shaping and preserving culture today, and strengthening our relationships with Maryland’s Latino community, too.”
The Walters created community advisory and focus groups to assist with the development of this installation. The advisory group comprised primarily first- and second-generation Latino immigrants, including artists, teachers, designers, activists, community organizers, and musicians. They gave input on the language of the gallery materials, the relationship between works, and other areas.
The museum also established two focus groups, conducted in Spanish, to gather feedback on Spanish-language materials, museum programming, and accessibility needs.
The installation will be on view in the museum’s newly renovated North Court galleries, which have been updated with new walls and gallery openings, new case designs, refurbishment of the original terrazzo flooring, new scrims, eye-catching paint colors for the cases, and accessibility improvements.
Video stations will showcase Latin American food, music, games, clothing, and language. The videos will feature artist Melissa Foss; social media personality K’Ancha; chocolatier and entrepreneur Jinji Fraser of Jinji Chocolate; and Carlos Raba, award-winning co-owner and chef of Clavel and Nana.
Visitors will be able to experience the smell of copal resin and the feel of ancient glyph text at scent and touch stations.
Gallery benches will be outfitted with young adult and children’s books in both English and Spanish.
