Smithsonian Premieres Exhibit on Latino Achievement

The Smithsonian will open an exhibition that gives visitors a look at the experiences of Latinos who have made significant contributions to American life. "Our Journeys/Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement" present 25 individuals' stories to tell a much bigger story about the influences, from mentors to popular culture, that made them who they are today.

"Our Journeys/Our Stories" premieres in February 2004 in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building on the National mall and continues through April 25. After it closes in Washington, the bilingual exhibition will travel to museums around the country through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES).

The exhibition, its national tour and related programs are made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund.

A seven-member advisory committee that included historians, curators and people known for their work in the U. S. Latino community chose the 25 people in this exhibition whose stories are told through powerful photographs accompanied by their own narratives.

"We are using personal stories, photos, oral histories and dichos, or traditional sayings, to get at what makes these people successful, what happened in their lives that helped move them in a certain direction," said project director Henry Estrada. "Often we found that Latinos, be they from Cuba or Mexico, Puerto Rico or El Salvador, were profoundly influenced by dichos, which pass knowledge, experience and values down through the generations."

Among the exhibition's featured portraits are astronaut Ellen Ochoa, labor leader Dolores Huerta and artist Pepón Osorio. Their portraits and others are complemented by photos and narrative inspired by the individual. For example, Dolores Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with César Chávez, therefore photos and text on Chávez and the UFW will provide historical background about Huerta and today's UFW leadership.

"This exhibition is an anthology of compelling biographical portraits that will evoke the depth and breadth of Latino contributions to American society," said Anna Cabral, director of the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives. "We also recognize the individuals who inspired them, and the next generation of leaders in their fields. There will be well-known names in the exhibit as well as people who may not be as famous but whose inspirational stories need to be told."

"These stories celebrate what's at the heart of so many Latino success stories -- a desire to achieve and make a difference," said Sandra Ulsh, president of Ford Motor Company Fund. "Visitors to this Smithsonian exhibit will have the opportunity to learn about Latinos who have made varying but very important contributions to the American fabric."

The portraits of these achievers have been taken by three well-known photographers commissioned by the Smithsonian to bring back compelling images for this exhibition -- Celia Alvarez Muñoz of Arlington, Texas, who has used photos to illustrate her stories and is currently creating a mural for the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas; Luis Mallo, a New York-based Cuban American photographer whose works have been exhibited in museums around the world; and Héctor Méndez Caratini, an award-winning photographer, who spent the past 30 years documenting the cultural identity of his native Puerto Rico.

The exhibit's introduction has been written by Nicolás Kanellos, the Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Literature at the University of Houston and director of a national Hispanic literary research program. Kanellos also is founding publisher of the journal The Americas Review and of the publishing company Arte Público Press.

"Our Journeys/Our Stories" will include an educational resource area in the exhibition as well as several educational components - a Web site, family activity guide, a teachers' guide and posters. Host venues will be encouraged to involve their local communities in public programming and educational activities when the exhibit travels to their cities.

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