08/06/2012 Art for Art's Take

AUGUST 06, 2012

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VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 20

Also available in Digital Format

Latino Cultural Centers

El Museo del Barrio

National Museum of the American Latino

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® Editorial Board Publisher – José López-Isa Vice President & Chief Operating Officer – Orlando López-Isa

Ricardo Fernández, President Lehman College Mildred García, President California State University-Fullerton

Editor – Adalyn Hixson Executive & Managing Editor – Suzanne López-Isa News Desk & Copy Editor – Jason Paneque Special Project Editor – Mary Ann Cooper

Juán González,VP Student Affairs University of Texas at Austin Lydia Ledesma-Reese, Educ. Consultant Ventura County Community College District Gustavo A. Mellander, Dean Emeritus George Mason University

Administrative Assistant & Subscription Coordinator – Barbara Churchill

Loui Olivas,Assistant VP Academic Affairs Arizona State University

DC Congressional Correspondent – Peggy Sands Orchowski

Eduardo Padrón, President Miami Dade College

Contributing Editors – Carlos D. Conde Michelle Adam Online Contributing Writers – Gustavo A. Mellander

Antonio Pérez, President Borough of Manhattan Community College María Vallejo, Provost Palm Beach State College

Art & Production Director – Avedis Derbalian Graphic Designer – Joanne Aluotto

Editorial Policy The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® is a national magazine published 23 times a year. Dedicated to exploring issues related to Hispanics in higher education,The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® is published for the members of the higher

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From time to time,The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® will publish articles dealing with controversial issues.The

Article Contributors Rosie Carbo,Thomas G. Dolan, Marilyn Gilroy, Sylvia Mendoza, Miquela Rivera, Diana Saenger, Jeff Simmons

views expressed herein are those of the authors and/or those interviewed and might not reflect the official policy of the magazine.The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® neither agrees nor disagrees with those ideas expressed, and no endorsement of those views should be inferred unless specifically identified as officially endorsed by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine®.

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Esquina E ditorial

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elcome to our annual Arts Issue – our look at some of the people, institutions and organizations toiling passionately and successfully in the service of culture.

In arts news, Angel Corella, 36, recently gave his last performance with American Ballet Theatre, which he joined in 1995 as a “cherub-faced 19-year-old.” By the next year, he was named a principal dancer. In both his first and last performances in that role, his partner was Paloma Herrera of Argentina. Corella, described by Roslyn Sulcas in The New York Times as “full of fire and bravura, a dancer whose technical feats and intense presence can make audiences leap to their feet with delight,” is returning to the Barcelona Ballet, which he founded four years ago.

Visitors to the Museum of Modern Art in early July got to hear the New York premiere of Concierto de Camera, a contemporary classical piece by Puerto Rico-born Roberto Sierra, performed by the New Juilliard Ensemble. Works by Sierra, a professor of composition at Cornell, are being performed by orchestras and chamber groups – and by jazz musicians – throughout the U.S. and Europe. The music is described as joyful and poignant, as possessing luscious harmonies, haunting themes, colorful orchestrations.

And we can sample it, of course, on the Internet.

On mainstream TV stations across the country, we enjoy the comedic skills of Sofia Vergara on Modern Family and Salma Hayek on 30 Rock, and George López on TV and in stand-up.

And Jennifer Cruz and Christina Aguilera as savvy, judges on wildly popular TV talent shows. On Broadway, we have Ricky Martin and Elena Roger and Michael Ceveris in Evita.

Not all the news is good these days, but Hispanics are alive and well in the performing arts. We enjoy and salute them. ¡Adelante!

Suzanne López-Isa Managing Editor

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Po lit i cal Beat

The Politics of Immigration Reform

by Carlos D. Conde

We

are within four months of our presidential elections, and all are in a quandary on which way the Latino vote will go. The premise is that it will be won or lost on the candidates’ stand on the immigration issue, which for many, Latinos included, is a specious argument.

Neither candidate seems interested in bloodying himself over a reform bill that, contrary to expedient rhetoric, they’d prefer to sidetrack, particularly in the heat of the political season.

They haven’t said it, but the feeling is that it requires more political currency than either side wants to expend.

Meanwhile, President Obama, again with astute political timing and using his Executive Order powers, announced a makeshift solution patterned after the DREAM Act for illegal immigrant youth that provides two-year reprieves renewable only if they meet certain conditions.

Comparatively speaking, it’s an illusion of the original bill and does not lead to permanent status as many Latinos have been led to believe even after the president acknowledged it won’t.

Many Latino constituents were never that worked up about it anyway, except for the Latino youth groups that hailed Obama’s action, tearing up over his ersatz solution.

Frankly, the candidates would

rather ignore this contentiousness – but the issue, with all its warts, will simply not fade away.

President Obama spectacularly failed to achieve immigrant reform in his first term as he promised and has gobbledygooked all over the map trying to explain why.

He, of course, indicts Republicans, who rightly share the blame by mostly obstructing whatever legislative initiatives, offering only “go back and get in line” solutions.

You can’t ignore, however, that the Obama administration in its first term has deported more illegal aliens – mostly Latinos and mostly Mexicans – than ever while in its best demagoguery expressing compassion for their plight.

It made only feeble attempts to work up a reform bill, save for the DREAM Act, which allowed the undocumented youth to avoid deportation and gain permanent status and eventually citizenship by staying in school or serving in the military.

The Republicans beat that down, saying it was a backdoor proposal of amnesty.

To put it bluntly, not many Latinos are worked up about the fate of the “unauthorized” immigrants (the current and more urbane euphemism for the illegal population), except for those professional politicians and ethnic lobbyists who need those issues as their raison d’etre.

President Obama and his presumed Republican Party challenger Mitt Romney included it in their planks because it would have been political hara-kiri to ignore it.

You wonder sometimes if the Latino electorate would also rather ignore it and whether, like the candidates, it at times is overwhelmed by the circumstances driving the argument.

Current polls show that immigration reform, the DREAM Act

included, is not one of the priorities of the Latino constituency, although campaign activity by the candidates and attention by national media have made it a wedge issue, as some Latino lobby organizations hoped it would be.

In one of the latest USA Today/ Gallup polls, registered Latino voters placed health care and unemployment (the economy) over immigration policy.

However, when you include all Hispanics, registered or not, immigration policies are right up there with health and the economy as a primary issue. The downside is that many Latinos can’t or won’t vote.

Still, it’s an interesting mosaic of what to expect from the Latino voter – if you believe the polls.

Apparently President Obama and Romney do. The president, by virtue of his bully pulpit, has a larger, ready-made forum while Romney still stutters with some of the issues.

President Obama is much better at articulating and staying on message than Romney, a very decent, likeable guy with genuine affection toward the Latino constituency, particularly Mexican-Americans, but who doesn’t – as yet – command the style or simpatico quality of the Obama oratory.

I wish Romney’s handlers would let Romney be Romney among Latino supporters – even if he wants to eat a tamale without removing the husk, as Gerald Ford once did on the campaign trail in San Antonio.

George H. W. Bush, a great friend and ally of Latinos, had a similar problem early in his career when he ran and lost a Senate campaign in Texas to Lloyd Bentsen in 1970.

I was among a small group of his Mexican-American supporters in Houston who advised him to get into a more pachanga (beer and barbecue rallies) mood with the Chicanos who had the votes to help

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him win. He didn’t or wouldn’t.

Bentsen did and won.

Bush the Elder must have learned something because 10 years later he was elected our 41st president with the support of the Latino constituency.

Republicans have always had problems meshing with Latinos, particularly Mexican-Americans, who have a similar conservative bent and large constituencies in key battleground states.

The current GOP apparatus seems unable to capitalize on this affinity and exploit its strength, as did the last Republican president, George W. Bush, who followed his father as the 43rd president.

On Latino issues, the Obama campaign has a formidable organization filled with skilled, energized political operatives with a great penchant for creating mischief for the Republican message while loading you up with as much of the bosses’ merits and message as you can handle – and stomach.

President Obama has shown to be a formidable politician, going from a community organizer in Chicago to become the 44th American president in the span of a relatively few years. And is living proof of that old public relations edict, “sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

When it comes to the sizzle, we have to admit that Romney is not in Obama’s league.

When it comes to the meat, well, that’s another matter for Latinos and the rest of the American constituency to decide.

Carlos D. Conde, award-winning journalist and commentator, former Washington and foreign news correspondent, was an aide in the Nixon White House and worked on the political campaigns of George Bush Sr. To reply to this column, contact Cdconde@aol.com.

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MAGAZINE® AUGUST 06, 2012

CONTENTS Picasso, Pride and a Deeper Purpose

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by Sylvia Mendoza

Latino Cultural Centers by Michelle Adam

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El Museo Del Barrio:A Portrait of Success

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by Jeff Simmons

Tony Award-Winner Priscilla López Still Entertaining Audiences by Diana Saenger

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Texas Is Home to Renowned Latino Arts Organizations by Marilyn Gilroy

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Proposed National Museum of the American Latino Needs Bipartisan Action by Rosie Carbo

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Prodigy, Pianist, Educator and Emissary to the World by Thomas G. Dolan

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Online Articles Some of the above articles will also be available online; go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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DEPARTMENTS Political Beat

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by Carlos D. Conde

The Politics of Immigration Reform

Uncensored

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

FYI...FYI...FYI...

Hispanics on the Move

Interesting Reads Book Review

by Mary Ann Cooper

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Latino U.S.A.: A Cartoon History 15th Anniversary Edition

Targeting Higher Education Pablo Casals and His Musical Legacy for Puerto Rico by Gustavo A. Mellander (Online only)

Priming the Pump...

Healthy Use of Electronics

by Miquela Rivera

Back Cover

HO is also available in digital format; go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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Page 26 Cover photos courtesy of TAMUSA, “Picasso, Amigos & Contemporaneos” Exhibit

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THE ARTS

Picasso,

Pride and a Deeper Purpose

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by Sylvia Mendoza orn and raised in San Antonio’s South Side, Sylvia Sutton is fiercely entering another season of my life and I thought, “What can I do for my proud of her roots even though the area has had a troubled reputa- people? Many of them will live their lives and never see a Picasso or a protion, a low socioeconomic ranking and a high dropout rate. She fessional work of art. Why not have Picasso come to them?” stayed in the community when she became a teacher and, later, a princiDr. María Hernández Ferrier, president of TAMUSA, saw Sutton’s vision. pal, while raising her family there.

“There was a connection made with the own“I’m a Carvajal,” she says. “We’ve ers,” says Ferrier. “Sylvia told them, ‘I know been here for generations.” a university where you should hold it.’”

Her pride started an interest in genealIt took many negotiation skills Sutton ogy – not only to research her family but did not realize she had, yet she convinced to help connect other families to the beauthem to bring an exhibit to San Antonio, ty, fortitude and history of the surrounding and, more specifically, to Texas A&M vicinity. “You have to know where you’re University-San Antonio, the only four-year from and who you are to know where university in the area. you’re going,” says Sutton. “I want my “We had the good luck of meeting with people to know they are special.”

Sylvia, and with her passion, we got this Sutton became a certified genealogist going quickly,” explains Medina. “Quickly” and served on the National/International meant a year of negotiating, planning, cratSpanish Task Force of the Daughters of the ing the art and transporting it. It took the American Revolution (DAR) in Washington, effort of many, in Spain and in Texas.

D.C., she says. Her research took her to “It did cost money to bring it,” explains Spain numerous times, where she delved Ferrier. She spoke to Chancellor John into the life of Bernardo de Gálvez, the Sharp of the Texas A&M University System.

Spanish general who actually had a stake in “When I told him about the vision for the San Antonio, where the new Texas A&M school and community, he simply asked, University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) campus ‘What do you need, María?’ He helped was inaugurated last year. make it happen for us.”

While in Spain, Sutton became friends Things started to flow and fall in place, with Javier Medina of Spain and Guy says Sutton. Everyone she asked for help Rondou from Belgium. Owners of the stepped up to do so. She believed the comRemedios Medina Collection, an expanmunity would benefit greatly. “We had a sive group of works by Picasso, they at deeper purpose and had to make it happen.” one point spoke of how they wanted to In March 2012, the Picasso, Amigos & Dr. María Hernández Ferrier, president of TAMUSA bring an exhibit to Texas – and had in Contemporaneos Exhibit opened in the mind Dallas or Austin. halls of TAMUSA. And the South Side com“As usual,” Sutton says. “Then I thought, why not here? Why not the munity was on the map because of Picasso – and much more.

South Side?”

The thought would not leave her. Sutton felt the urgency to make it hap- The Exhibit pen. Her own love of art had come from her father, who “had art in his The “Picasso, Amigos & Contemporaneos” exhibit was the first of its kind soul,” and an artistic mother. Sutton had the opportunity to travel to at the new university campus, which broke ground in August 2011. And it Florence and other locales to study art. was the first time this selection of 97 works of art by Picasso and “friends” As a mother of a Texas A&M University student, she embraced acade- had left Spain to be exhibited in the United States. It was the first time Medina mia, saw the power of exposure to the arts, knew TAMUSA was about to be and Rondou agreed to allow their exhibit to be free of charge to the public. inaugurated – and that her community needed this boost.

In two months, nearly 10,000 people trekked down the TAMUSA halls, which “It became my mission,” she says. “I think I was a good daughter. I was are lined with a colorful patterned tile floor that makes the interior of the builda good professional. I was a good mother and a good wife. And now I’m ing look like art in itself. The contemporary look complements the exterior,

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which reflects the Alamo and missions. The works of several local artists such as Joe Villareal, Lionel Sosa and Eddie López hang on the walls, giving a slice-of-life glimpse of the people who live in the South Side and surrounding area.

“The exhibit brought culture to an already beautiful culture,” says Medina.

Even though there are permanent exhibits in Barcelona, Malaga and other Spanish locales, to keep it in Spain is not an option, says Medina.

“Even though I’m a doctor, art is important to me as a way of life. This was a chance to educate others and share our love for this art. Art is created to be shared and enjoyed by many. To share Picasso’s works of art has been our mission.”

Coming to the university was eye-opening for them. “This was the perfect place. We had not had an opportunity to work like this, and it showed us how Dr. Ferrier believes access for the community was important.”

Sharing their passion for Picasso’s art is understandable. Picasso, born in Malaga, Spain, in 1881, became one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. He co-created the Cubism movement and, after World War I, expanded into surrealism. The Spanish Civil War inspired one of Picasso’s greatest political works of art, Guernica, which was his reaction to the bombing of a Basque town. By the time he died in 1973, Picasso had created approximately 20,000 works of art.

The passion of Medina, Rondou, Sutton and the university was also evident in the intricacies of setting up the exhibit and in involving the community. The university promoted the exhibit and invited different groups to take part and learn about Picasso and other artists – and see the educational and cultural opportunities TAMUSA offers. University faculty partnered with history and art experts to develop K-12 modules on Spanish colonial history.

Adult community education programs implemented courses related to Picasso. Sutton and volunteer docents from major museums took time to lead tours for all students and the community at large.

On the third floor of the main building, the recessed lighting was placed specifically to spotlight works of art – not only for Picasso, but for future exhibits, as well. On either side of the pristine hallways are classrooms with an ever-growing student population for this brand new school, which has only one central building on the main campus at this time. As tours went on around them, students had the opportunity to experience Picasso at their own leisure.

The art itself was mesmerizing. There was a taste of Picasso’s incredible depth and breadth of talent through the different media he used – engravings, lithographs, ceramics, linoscans, bronze sculptures, sculptures in gold, etchings in stone, oil paintings on canvas, and pencil drawings on paper, cardboard and posters.

“Since his youth, Picasso started with his instructors to do his paintings by themes, so that is how we set it up here,” explains Medina. “In other exhibits, his works might be just ceramics or particular paintings; this had a little of several themes.”

Those themes included Tauromaguia (the art of Bullfighting), Mujeres (Women), Classics, Mitologia (mythology), Ceramic Sculpture (gold and stone) and Carteles (posters).

In addition, in no other place has there been access to Picasso’s teachers and other artists like Salvador Dali all at once. Throughout the exhibit, art by Picasso’s teachers – Antonio Muñoz Degrain, José Moreno Carboner, and Joaquín Martínez de la Vega – were featured. Works by “friends/amigos” include George Braque, Ricardo Opisso, Tsuguharu Foujita. Picasso’s “contemporaries/contemporaneos” included Salvador Dali, Horacio Lengo, José Denis Belgrano and Ricardo Verdugo Landi.

Dali’s work included Don Quixote and Horseman.

The most amazing piece of Picasso’s work was a stone engraving, Bullfighting Scene, created in 1955. Only 4 x 4.5 centimeters in diameter, the work is intricate in detail. The story goes that “Picasso created this rare piece using a nail to carve the stone when he was bored while visiting a seaside resort on France’s Cote d’Azur.” Today it is the Picasso piece most highly insured by Lloyd’s of London.

The paintings of women flowed with femininity or fun, depending on the medium used, such as bold colors or soft sketches. The pencil drawings on cardboard of minotaurs and sketches of bullfighters offset the infamous two eyes on a profile shot of various subjects. There were also colorful, child-like drawings of equestrian riders and circus scenes, showing his need to connect with himself as a youth, since all his life he was a prodigy and his work was advanced, explains Sutton. The Picasso signature was a famous flourish in itself.

Another unique twist to this exhibit was that when Medina and Rondou take their pieces on the road, they try to tie them to local interests, connections or events.

Sutton’s genealogical research came in handy. They were able to

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Salvador Dali and Picasso’s teachers has been an incredible boost here. It’s amazing. It’s been huge for our community and our state. We were very, very blessed. But you know what? It’s all about those divine connections that I absolutely believe in and witness here every day.”

Sutton was one of those core connections, and her mission never wavered. Exposing her people and her community to this art made her even more proud of her roots. All who came through the TAMUSA hallways lifted her spirits – and she hoped they felt the same. Perhaps it was the gentleman who came in and took his time viewing every last piece of art, she says. “He said to me, ‘Look at my hands. I’ve worked hard all my life

include a local connection to Spain – Bernardo de Gálvez, who was born in Malaga like Picasso, only two centuries earlier.

“De Gálvez was a viceroy of Spain, and later, governor of Louisiana, but he remembered as a boy the time he spent on the area right where the ground was broken for this campus, where this university now stands,” explains Ferrier. “There had been 10,000 head of cattle here, and when George Washington asked for help to feed his men, de Gálvez assisted by supplying them with the cattle. He was able to help Washington during the American Revolution.”

A historic panel display on the life of de Gálvez complemented the art exhibit and put a focus on the roles of Texas and Spain in world history, education and art.

“Now people around here know that our ancestors had a role in the American Revolution,” says Sutton.

Life After Picasso The ripple effect of having had the “Picasso, Amigos & Contemporaneos” exhibit on the South Side, and TAMUSA’s motto, “Access and Success,” might just ignite a spark for education, culture and community pride in potential students, Ferrier believes. Sometimes opening the doors can open a world of opportunity.

“So not just for our students, but for our community – this very underserved area of San Antonio – to have had the great works of Picasso,

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but never did I think I could see a painting by Picasso.’”

Perhaps it was the family with four young children the day the exhibit opened. “There was this commotion and then rounding the corner of the staircase came one of the little boys. He was so excited, yelling, ‘Where’s the art, Daddy? Where’s the art?’ And I thought, it’s going to work. They’re going to know great art, and they’ll see there’s a lot more out there.”

Sometimes a person’s situation is just a matter of circumstance, she explains, but there can be pride, nonetheless.

“I think about what these students will say 30 years from now,” says Sutton. “My university had Picasso hanging in the hallways. And people are going to say, ‘You’re crazy.’ But here Picasso was. Hopefully, my people can see this community is valuable. They are valuable.”

THE ARTS/INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Latino Cultural Centers

More

by Michelle Adam than 500 years of Latino culture in numerous U.S. states would be reason enough to inspire the creation of Latino cultural centers throughout this country. Yet despite tremendous contributions made by Latinos here, current economics and the challenges of maintaining these types of centers have made for fewer of them than one would expect.

Latino cultural centers currently exist in Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Illinois, Idaho, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, California and beyond. Some are younger organizations struggling with tough economic times; others are more established. A select number are connected to universities and provide comprehensive cultural programming beyond recruitment and retention services. A larger percentage mentioned in this article are stand-alone places that remind the larger American culture of the important role Latinos have played in the history, arts and customs of this nation.

ebrated. In 2009, the city transferred the lease of a 6,500-square-foot building to ALAC that earlier belonged to a poorly managed cultural museum.

“Hundreds of people came to our first reception. Everyone was curious and proud of what we had done. Some thought it would never happen, and we proved them wrong,” said Rubén Hernández, ALAC marketing coordi-

Latino cultural centers

currently exist in Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Illinois, Idaho, Minnesota,

Ohio, Florida, California and beyond.

ALAC in Arizona One of the younger centers, Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center (ALAC), was established in 2009 during the inception of this country’s economic downturn. Despite the challenges faced during its formation, “it was definitely time” to open such a place, said Francisco X. Gutiérrez, chairman of ALAC’s board of directors. “We are the only Latino cultural center in Arizona, even though we will be the majority in this state within a decade. When the economy tanked, a lot of foundations cut back on grants, so it’s a tough environment, but we’re optimistic.”

ALAC began pushing for its center in 2007, when a group of Latino artists and leaders formed a consortium and convinced the mayor of Phoenix and the state governor to establish a place for Latino culture and history to be cel-

nator. “We had a gift shop in the beginning, but the city gave us no budget.

We had individual Latino artists contribute a painting worth $1,000 each.

About 50 artists did this. We auctioned these off and made about $50,000 for our first year – another organization give us another $50,000, so we

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had about $100,000 the first year.”

When ALAC took over the space, the lights had been ripped out and the electricity wasn’t on. Today “it’s one of the best-looking cultural centers in the county,” with Latino art exhibits in three galleries, theater performances, staged readings, distinguished speaker series (including Dolores Huerta and Raúl Yzaguirre) and musical performances.

“We celebrate all the cultural holidays and share these with the mainstream population. We also have a lot of Latino artists who have shown work here and have not exhibited in other galleries. We help professional Latino artists and then they can go out into the general community with their work,” said Hernández. “We have also been a focal point for the political engagement of young Latinos. Since we don’t get funding from the

state or city, we can do things like political theater. Young Latinos since 2010 have been organizing here, and in doing so have helped oust one of the anti-immigrant representatives in Arizona.”

Although ALAC has “faced harsh realities since its beginning, we’ve done it, we’ve done it, we’ve done it,” said Hernández. “There has been a century of frustration for the disregard of Latino history and culture here.

We’ve been through a lot to create a cultural legacy in this state.”

NHCC in New Mexico While ALAC provides Arizona a location for Latino cultural expression to take form, other places throughout the country are doing the same. Its neighbor state, New Mexico, has been a proud home to the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) in Albuquerque. NHCC was established nine years prior to ALAC on a two-acre campus with 280,000 square feet of buildings, and was fortunate to receive state funding for its mission.

With almost half of New Mexico’s population made up of Latinos – many of whom trace their roots back to 500 years of original Spanish settlement – the center provides a place for this heritage to be celebrated and maintained. Despite a substantial decrease in funds in the past few years, especially from private foundations that support most programming, the center continues to attract artists and audiences from across the nation and world.

Since its grand opening in 2000, NHCC has staged more than 25 art

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exhibitions and 500 programs in the visual, performing and literary arts.

The center has drawn to it more than 375,000 local, national and international visitors since its inception. They come to witness dance, music and theater performances; to see visual art in its galleries; to attend educational programs, workshops and conferences; to visit its comprehensive library; and to partake of many more events that educate visitors and share in the celebration of Latino culture.

“We are probably one of the few state-funded centers in the country, and from what I understand, the only Hispanic center that has three major disciplines – a library and genealogy program, visual arts and a museum, and the performing arts,” said Gary Romero, interim executive director and head of marketing.

Asked to share some of the highlights of the center, Romero mentioned the National Latino Writers Conference, the Latin Diva Series, an immense museum exhibit from Cuba, educational programs that attract children and local artists, and Globalquerque.

“At the Latino Writers Conference in May, we pair 60 up-and-coming writers with 15 faculty members who have been published or who work in the publishing industry. And with the Latin Diva Series that takes place in October, up-and-coming Latino artists who have been through the circuits in their countries come here to perform. They are world-class,” said Romero. “We also had a museum show back in 2010 that presented the works of about 45 Cuban artists. It was the first time that many Cuban artists have been presented in the U.S. since the 1940s. It gave our museum the recognition of being among the top nine destinations in the world that year. The exhibit went from here to Lisbon, Portugal.”

NHCC is also well known for its annual Globalquerque event, a concert that draws musicians from across the globe to a three-day event in September. In addition, the campus is home to Spain’s Cervantes Institute, which teaches Spanish language and culture, and the Torreón Fresco, painted by the artist Federico Vigil over nearly a decade. This monumental 4,000-square-foot work, considered the largest concave fresco in North America, depicts more than 3,000 years of Hispanic history, from Europe to Mesoamerica and into the American Southwest, illustrating the complexities and diversity of the Hispanic experience.

CLAC at Rutgers Far away from New Mexico, in New Jersey, another center also celebrates the riches of Latino culture. Established in 1992, the Center for Latino Arts and Culture (CLAC) at Rutgers University is dedicated to exploring what it means to be Latino/a in the United States in a comprehensive manner similar to that of NHCC. “The idea was to build a center that would serve as a nexus for a lot of the faculty, research and scholarship interests, and linking them with a growing Latino population in the state,” explained CLAC director Carlos Fernández.

“Our programs and services use the arts and culture as the impetus for educational change. Every year, we work with students in ways that enhance student leadership and organizational capacity, raise awareness about Latino arts

and culture, and build bridges of understanding across difference.”

Rutgers uniquely takes advantage of its many academic departments on its 35,000-studentstrong New Brunswick campus, and creates partnerships with them to explore Latinidad.

According to Fernández, the center is comprised of three areas of emphasis: cultural and academic programs, student development and leadership, and public service programs.

Under cultural and academic programs, the center collaborates with Rutgers’ departments, developing programming that complements course offerings. For example, CLAC has created programs that focus on the Dominican Republic and transnational issues in collaboration with Caribbean Studies, and has taught courses on festivals in Latin America and the Caribbean through the school’s language institute.

Other events within cultural and academic programs include visual artists featured in the center’s gallery and performing artists that give musical concerts, master classes, dance performances, and tie this in with educational departments. “We do courses, trips, and invite artists here to bring relevant courses alive. We also screen films that tie into classes,” said Fernández.

As part of the center’s development of student leadership, CLAC aims to provide students with opportunities to develop skills professionally, as well as support them in their psychological, organizational and social skills.

“We focus on helping students grow individually and figure things out.

We have café con leches and career series where students meet with career people to get help with résumés, internships, and how to perform in interviews,” explained Fernández. “We do a leadership retreat in the summer and engage with students who are elected on boards of Latino groups (there are 25 on campus). We also have a leadership conference in the spring.”

Public service programs of CLAC include a 16-year-old summer camp for at-risk kids where artists mentor against racism, drugs and violence.

Students learn mural painting, visual arts, digital photography, music and dance. In addition, the center runs tutoring programs in local schools.

“There are university centers that may bring attention to issues of psychological health, tutoring support and student retention. My bigger interest here is in how to engage artists and cultural producers and bring them to the community. How do we engage them successfully to increase students’ understanding of our Latino heritage?” said Fernández. “How do we use that cultural capital and knowledge to help shape the dialogue within the university with the students, faculty and community to improve the lives of Latinos in the state? It is about bringing attention to issues of social justice, creating an appreciation of diversity, and building an understanding of issues related to race, gender and politics.”

NMMA in Chicago Although CLAC is one of the older centers of Latino culture in the country, its history doesn’t compare to the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) in Chicago, Ill. This museum was founded in 1982 and is probably the biggest among all cultural centers in the country, although its focus is more narrowly confined to the Mexican landscape. Its mission is to stimulate and

preserve knowledge and appreciation of Mexican culture by presenting events and exhibitions that exemplify the rich variety of visual and performing arts in the Mexican culture. In addition, it aims to preserve Mexican art in its collection; encourage the professional development of Mexican artists; and to offer arts education programs.

NMMA is comprised of five key areas: a permanent collection of more than 7,000 objects of Mexican art; the visual arts with seven exhibitions annually; an arts education that serves 70,000 students, teachers, children and families annually; a Latino-owned radio station, “Radio Arte”; and its performing arts, including Sor Juana, del Corazon and the Divinas Concert.

Every year, NMMA also hosts the Día del Niño Family Festival, which attracts 10,000 individuals annually.

Beyond NMMA, other centers throughout the country include the Latino Cultural Center of the City of Dallas, the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho, the Latino Cultural Center of Minnesota, and the Hispanic Cultural of Cleveland. It appears the New Latino Cultural Center in Los Angeles struggled to open its doors earlier this year, but another budding center, the Miami Hispanic Art Center, just joined the ranks of centers nationwide last month.

MHCAC in Miami The Miami Hispanic Cultural Art Center (MHCAC) is now home to three of the most recognized and prestigious arts organizations in Miami: The Miami Hispanic Ballet, the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami (CCBM), and the Creation Art Center. Its mission is to bring the passion, excitement and joy of artistic excellence through dance, vocals and fine art exhibitions and to present great theater and literature in Spanish. The center offers performances and instruction, including master classes.

While centers like CCBM have opened during tough economic times, and more established ones are holding true to their unique voices, the multiple Latino cultural centers around the country are a reminder of the important role Latinos have played in this continent – and continue to play.

From Cinco de Mayo festivals, Ballet Folklorico, and Latin music to visual arts, murals, history and literature, the Latino experience has become an American one shared by millions at cultural centers across the country.

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THE ARTS

It

by Jeff Simmons

A Portrait of Success

was only four years ago that El Museo del Barrio began to welcome legions of new visitors into its elegant space on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Museum-goers could cast their eyes upon a new glass façade, step into a redesigned courtyard and enjoy modernized galleries. A new gift shop and café, which also served as a programming space, provides welcome respites.

It was such a pivotal moment that the Empire State Building was lit up in mango yellow – the color of El Museo’s trademark logo – on opening weekend.

That inaugural moment in 2009 – four decades after El Museo first opened its doors and 17 months after it began extensive renovations – cracked open a new chapter in the history of the institution, the north star along Manhattan’s “Museum Mile” on Fifth Avenue.

As a result of the reinvigorated atmosphere, El Museo’s attendance began to swell, and reach heretofore unattainable levels. Prior to the reno-

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vations, in fiscal year 2008, 114,312 people visited the museum.

Afterward, in fiscal year 2010, visits more than doubled to 249,526. And that level has held steady.

“It was transformative,” said Tony Bechara, who has chaired El Museo’s Board of Trustees for 12 years. “For the first time, we had a museum that faced Fifth Avenue, and we looked like a museum. We no longer were just an addendum in a conglomerate of social service buildings that were slightly dilapidated. The entrance now is the entrance to a great cultural institution in New York City.”

“We were able to accomplish this without ever closing the museum down,” he added. “This is not only a great presence for us but a great doorway to El Barrio on the whole. You say you are a museum, and people have a certain visualization about what a museum is. So for the first time, because of the renovation, we were able to satisfy that expectation.”

“The actual space looks welcoming. It really opens up the building. You have a wonderful façade that says ‘museum’ and ‘bienvenidos’ all over it,” added its executive director, Margarita Aguilar. “We are in a building that was originally built as an orphanage. We opened up the entire plaza into a symbolic space. It’s a very visual experience for anybody coming into this wonderful esplanade.”

Renovations amounted to more than $35 million and took place after six years of planning. While the renovations spanned a year and a half, the museum did not cease its operations. In fact, it continued to unveil programming and host events in its theater, as well as produce traveling exhibitions across the city and country. Such programming and educational services were true to El Museo’s core mission.

El Museo began as a small museum, envisioned by artist and educator Raphael Montañez Ortiz and a group of parents, educators, artists and activists. The venue was primarily designed to showcase the artistic endeavors of Puerto Ricans whose achievements they felt were largely ignored by mainstream museums. At first, the museum started out in a classroom, outgrew that space, and later settled into its current home, in 1977.

El Museo is now New York’s leading Latino cultural institution and cele- phy and other contemporary, mixed-media and three-dimensional and timebrates the artistic landscape of Latino, Caribbean and Latin American cul- based forms, such as video, primarily created by New York-based Latino artists. tures through wide-ranging exhibitions and collections, public and educaGraphics include a representation of Puerto Rican, Nuyorican, Mexican tion programs and cultural celebrations. and Chicano fine prints through the 20th and 21st centuries. The third sec“We have really become the dream that the founders envisioned,” tion includes Taíno/Pre-Columbian, pan-Caribbean archeological objects, Aguilar said. “The artist who founded the institution in 1969 [Montañez as well as fine photographs, graphics and contemporary works that have Ortiz] was a 26-year-old visionary with big dreams. The role of this muse- been influenced by the Taíno legacy. um has become international. We are not only a New York City museum; Finally, there are Popular Traditions, including Santos de palo and we are a museum with a great international stage. I like to boast we are other devotional arts from the Santería, Candomblé and Orisha-worship global.” traditions, masks and objects related to the celebration of Día de los Coupled with its literal growth Muertos, or Day of the Dead. was an evolution of the museum’s Many of the works are displayed mission, one that evolved dramatiin the well-received exhibitions that cally beyond an exclusive celebraEl Museo either hosts at home or tion of Puerto Rican art and culture provides through traveling exhibito an opportunity to broaden awaretions. El Museo’s exhibitions continness of other Latino cultures. ue to draw old and new visitors, who “From our beginning, the foundare about 56 percent non-Latino. ing director was very inclusive in his “Clearly, we have been known programming, and the museum from the beginning for our exhibialways included other Latino tions,” said Cullen, who joined the American and Latino artists. The museum’s curatorial staff in 1997. mission did broaden to include all The 2009 opening was marked Puerto Ricans and all Latinos and with two new exhibitions, including Americans in the United States. I “Nexus New York: Latin/American think that was a natural evolution,” Artists in the Modern Metropolis,” said Deborah Cullen, El Museo’s which focused on the Latin director of curatorial programs.

American impact on art in the first “To the community, it was particuhalf of the 20th century. larly representative at a time when The museum has hosted there was very little representation of “Retro/Active: The Work of Rafael Latinos and Puerto Ricans in general.

Ferrer,” the first museum retrospecHopefully that has changed,” said tive of the renowned Puerto Rican Cullen, who has been with El Museo artist, as well as the internationally for 15 years. “It has many more meantraveling “Arte No Es Vida: Actions ings to the broader community, and is

by Artists of the Americas.” serving a wide audience that is local, Earlier this year, it unveiled national and even international.”

“Testimonios: 100 Years of Popular The renovations, she said, “gave Expression,” an uplifting exhibition us a moment to pause, to get ahead that utilized its permanent collection in our thinking and planning, and and drew on rarely seen works by open with a big splash and remind nontraditionally trained makers. The people that we are here and going exhibition bore witness to even stronger.” mankind’s artistic manifestations The institution has a permanent created under difficult circumcollection of more than 6,500 stances or for spiritual or commuobjects spanning 800 years, and nal celebrations.

Margarita Aguilar, executive director, brings together pre-Columbian Taino The exhibition featured works El Museo del Barrio artifacts, traditional arts, 20th-centuand artist projects by well-known ry drawings, paintings, sculptures and beloved self-taught artists such and installations, as well as prints, as Puerto Rican sculptor Gregorio photography, documentary films and video, principally by Puerto Rican, Marzán and Mexican draftsman Martín Ramírez. It also showcased proCaribbean, Latino and Latin American artists. jects undertaken by professional artists working with broader creative Holdings fall into four main areas, beginning with Modern and communities, such as photographer Ejlat Feuer’s documentation of the Contemporary art. These involve postwar works, including paintings, photogra- casitas, the small structures built in community gardens in New York City’s

“The artist who founded the institution in 1969 [Raphael

Montañez Ortiz] was a 26-yearold visionary with big dreams.”

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Puerto Rican neighborhoods.

Lila Downs, a Latin Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American singer, who “We make a special effort to focus on popular works from our performed in El Museo’s theater.

Permanent Collection in our rotating exhibitions every few years, which “There were a thousand people in our theater that afternoon. It was a comprise one-tenth of our holdings,” Cullen said. “It really was a wide- huge success,” Bechara said. “The content I am most excited about is the ranging body of holdings that we brought together to show how people are content of our programming, not only in the visual arts but in our public always trying to tell their story, whether they are traditionally trained artists programs series such as Super Sabados.” or not, and it met with great appeal.”

The free event series attracts famThe most recent exhibition was ilies, including many children, from unprecedented for El Museo. across the region, and gives them a Opened in June and supported by a chance to witness El Museo’s other major grant from MetLife offerings once they step inside to see Foundation, “Caribbean: Crossroads theatrical and musical presentations. of the World” is a collaborative ven“If there is a way to get to our ture between El Museo and the communities which is the most Studio Museum of Harlem and the direct and rapid, it is through Queens Museum of Art. music,” he said. “Excellence in proThe exhibition highlights more gramming is what is going to make than two centuries of rarely seen us and drive us and make us grow works from the Haitian Revolution to as a real institution.” the present, featuring more than 500 Activities spill out onto the streets works, including painting, sculpture, as well, providing a visual tableau prints, books, photography, film, celebrating Three Kings Day. El video and historic artifacts from varMuseo has hosted a parade for three ious Caribbean nations, Europe and and a half decades, creating a holithe United States. day procession that includes The exhibition, which has six Honorary Kings, Madrinas, Padrinos, themes, two at each venue, examines thousands of schoolchildren, live the exchange of people, goods, ideas camels, and gigantic handmade pupand information between the pets. This year’s parade was themed Caribbean basin, Europe and North “Cultura de Compartir” to emphaAmerica and explores the impact of size the importance of sharing. these relationships on the Caribbean Every two years, he said, El and how it is imagined.

Museo hosts the quintessential exhib“We love collaborations like this it of young Latinos from the northeast because we learn so much and are United States, and encompasses work able to draw on other museums’ colfrom artists from Puerto Rico, or lections and their contacts and their Ecuador, or Central America. ways of thinking,” Cullen said. “This “El Museo’s Bienal: The (S) Files” is the first time that El Museo has provides a showcase for countless turned away from the stronger emerging artists. The sixth annual Latino American paradigm and biennial was held from mid-2011 looked toward the broader until January of this year, and includCaribbean, including the Dutch, ed innovative, cutting-edge art created French and English.”

by Latino, Caribbean and Latin El Museo further strives to American artists currently working in expose Latino cultures to a larger the greater New York area. audience, and hosts a number of Since its first edition in 1999, the events each year – on the street and Tony Bechara, board chair, of a recent “(S) Files” has been a successful in its space. launching platform for a variety of Super Sabado! Showcase “There is tremendous amount of talented Latino artists. And in addicuriosity among the rest of New York tion to its overall focus on New and America about this new majority of minorities,” Bechara said. “There York-based artists, every edition of the biennial includes a sidebar. “The is great curiosity about the music, food, art and history.”

(S) Files 2011” celebrated the Biennial of the Central American Isthmus Once a month, El Museo holds Super Sabado! Showcases, which (Bienal del Istmo Centroamericano) by highlighting artists from Costa include free concerts, exhibitions, gallery tours, art-making workshops, Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, calling film screenings and spoken word recitals. Recent programming included attention to Central America’s burgeoning contemporary art scene, which

“There were a thousand people in our theater that afternoon. It was a huge success.”

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remains under-recognized despite its artists’ participation in global art movements.

“The ‘Bienal’ is for any artist that is not really established, that has not had a major gallery show, has not been able to find a museum to represent them,” Bechara said. “This gives them their first break. It’s cutting edge, can be very controversial, and some of it quite aggressive. It’s a major show among mainstream biennials and one of the few platforms for emerging Latino artists. It’s become one of the major shows among many young Latino artists in the city.”

El Museo continues to embrace change, and is looking at the global reach that the Internet can provide to raise awareness of its collection and its mission.

As it forges ahead, the museum is looking to develop its holdings of postwar art, with a sustained focus on artists, groups and schools connected with New York, complement this with select Modernist and Contemporary works by artists whose contributions are resonant with the collection, and continue to strengthen its Graphics and Taíno holdings.

But its walls can literally only contain so many objects – so El Museo is looking to expand its reach through the Internet.

“The largest weakness of our institution is a lack of space,” Bechara conceded. “We cannot physically exhibit even a small percentage of the 6,000 objects in our collection. Short of building another building and finding ways of expanding within that building we need to be able to become contemporary.”

That has prompted El Museo to begin digitizing its permanent collection to place online, with entries in Spanish and English. El Museo officials note that cultural institutions across the globe are realizing the importance of providing digital access.

“We don’t want to be left behind,” Bechara said. “It is also a way of maintaining a correct record of our collection, creating access to it for scholars and people who are curious but not necessarily able to come to the museum. So they can do it from Berlin or Santiago or Havana.”

Transitioning its materials online is providing other benefits to the institution. El Museo has embarked on an initiative, utilizing funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to create lesson plans for students in kindergarten through 12th grade around objects in its permanent collection.

The project includes employing digital photography to capture images of its permanent collection, uploading those images onto its website, creating descriptive content to accompany the images, and crafting lesson plans for various ages.

“Since I’ve been here, and even before, we’ve been asked for more information. People are hungry for this material,” Cullen said. “There are not a lot of institutions that make this kind of material available.”

“We are now beginning to leverage our website to provide free digital downloadable content that is not available anywhere else. We will work with teachers and schools to help them take advantage of and use those offerings. El Museo is poised to be a leader internationally.”

The impact its leaders hope to achieve is a broader awareness not just of El Museo’s existence but an understanding and acceptance of the diversity in art and culture. At present, El Museo plans to formally unveil the project this fall.

“Communities from across the nation are hungry for this material. We are one of the few institutions that offer a range from pre-Columbian to Latino works,” Cullen said. “We also will offer educational material from around the world so that people can learn about other cultures and traditions.”

While putting its content online to reach people from across the globe, the institution continues to help schools close to home, working with students to provide after-school programming in neighborhoods in New York City.

Aguilar recounted one recent encounter with a charter school. “We noticed that students were talking about the objects, and this became part of the lesson plan on how to write a great text,” she said. “What we have done is make the words alive for the students. We have made learning fun.”

Visitorship has remained steadily high since the reopening, she said.

And as El Museo headed into summer, the new Caribbean exhibition is expected to draw a new legion of attendees.

“I believe the number of visitors is going to go through the roof,” she said. “I think the New York City community sees the museum as an important culturally specific institution, and views us with great esteem and admiration. People come to us to do great things.”

It also has raised the profile of the surrounding neighborhood, as visitors step outside to explore the history and culture resonating on the streets. While its impact on the neighborhood is hard to quantify, Bechara has witnessed nearby businesses expanding due to the increased patronage.

“We’ve had tours that take people into the community and show them what El Barrio was like and what it is like today,” he said. “El Museo has been a tremendous source of pride and information to the community.”

“The future of El Museo is the future of New York, the future of Latino communities anywhere,” he said. “As long as the city is curious about that and as long as we are as Latinos and Latin Americans cognizant of the importance of our heritage and history, the museum will have a role, and a growing role.”

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THE ARTS

Tony Award-Winner Priscilla López Still Entertaining Audiences

A

by Diana Saenger ctress, singer, dancer and choreographer Priscilla López has been a continuing force in the entertainment world. And had her family not moved from Puerto Rico to New York in the 1940s, she might never have garnered her illustrious career.

In 1980, López received a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Harpo Marx in Broadway’s A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine.

In 2011, López starred in San Diego’s Old Globe production of Somewhere. And before that, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights. She also was in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Nilo Cruz, Anna in the Tropics.

First of her family to be born in the U.S, she recalls the story she was told about her birth in February 1948. “We were living with my grandmother, but they waited too long to take my mother to the hospital. I was born in a huge Hollywood bed with a satin tufted headboard while my father was in the streets trying to get a cab.”

López, who started dance lessons at age 7, was introduced to the arts by her mother who, when growing up in Puerto Rico, would watch movies and hear the music that came from the United States. “She used to type the scripts for a radio show there called Escuela del aire, the school of the air,” López said. “She would instill some of these things she learned in her children. I remember the weekly magazine The Hit Parade she got and how we would all sing the lyrics of the popular songs.”

Her family, including two brothers and a sister, moved to the Fort Green projects in Brooklyn. “At first, it was a fabulous place to live and beautifully integrated with all sorts of families from different backgrounds,” López said. “But then they started segregating the projects, and it became difficult to live there, so we bought a house in East New York.”

By age 11, López was commuting alone to Manhattan to take dance lessons. She admitted being frightened but said it made her stronger. Her father was a houseman at the Manhattan Hotel (now the Milford Plaza), setting up banquets and parties. Then he went to work at the New Yorker on 34th St., and then the New York Hilton. López would hang out there

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between lessons and said it became her second home.

When buzz began around their neighborhood that scenes were being shot on location in Manhattan for the 1961 film West Side Story, opportunity knocked on the López door. “My mother sent my brother and me to see if we could be in the movie,” López said. “They pooled all the extras in a holding area and then gathered kids together to pick some extras from.

My little brother and I were picked, and you can see him in a scene. But you can’t see me. I was just a little speck in the background.”

When the passion is there, it doesn’t take much to ignite determination.

From that moment on, López continued to land bigger and better roles in the theatrical world. She was a dancer in the musical Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1966); had roles in Henry, Sweet Henry, Egyptian, What’s a Nice Country Like You Doing in a Place Like This, and Fastrada. In 1975, she had a lead role as Diana Morales in the musical A Chorus Line.

The show ultimately became her favorite and garnered her a 1976 Obie Award and Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

“You love them all as you’re doing them,” López said. “A Chorus Line gave me the most visibility and opportunity as it was such a different musical. It changed the theater, which made the unions fear they would lose their jobs. It was the first musical that didn’t have an overture or scenery or address the audience and was about the theater. It was jam-packed – and I got to tell my true story in it. So it was very special to me, and many of my dearest friends came from that show because we shared something very special and wonderful.”

Part of López’s story includes connecting to her heritage. Although her

Family Ties “It was like the stars were aligned,” López said. “I had come to Los Angeles after A Chorus Line for a few months and stayed a few years. I didn’t like the way business operated in Los Angeles, eight shows a week or sit around and wait. I went back to New York, and the second I landed, my husband said Tommy Tune called and wanted me to audition for the show about the Marx Brothers.”

That summer, López and her husband Vincent Fanuele, whom she married in 1972, had bought their first VHS and taped every Marx Brothers film on TV. “I had a lot of information fresh in my mind about the Marx Brothers, so when I went in and sang, they asked me back. Then I came in dressed in complete Harpo attire: pants, tie, shirt and raincoat, shoes, and I borrowed a horn. At one point, I jumped out into the audience and sat on someone’s lap. It happened to be the writer, so it was perfect. The show was beautifully written by Dick Vosburgh and ran one and a half years. It was a jewel.”

López had another kind of wonderful experience when she starred as Inez Candelaria in the Globe’s Somewhere. The show was written by her nephew Matthew López, whose play The Whipping Man received critical praise both in New York and San Diego. His idea for Somewhere came from hearing his family’s stories about the time his father took his younger siblings (including Priscilla) into the city to be extras in West Side Story.

In Somewhere, the Candelaria’s neighborhood is being demolished as the filming of West Side Story will take place on its streets.

“I was 4 years old,” said Matthew López, “when in the same week my

parents took me to see Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan and my aunt’s portrayal as Harpo Marx in Broadway’s A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine. I grew up idolizing her.”

“It was wonderful to work with Matthew, and I’m so happy for him,” López said. “He was brought up in a home that heard a lot of musicals.

He went to college and majored in theater, and he is also a history buff and a great writer.”

López said she feels fortunate that she could embrace her culture throughout her career in the work itself. “Latinos have only recently been acknowledged in Spanish films by composers and writers, mostly because of the increase in the numbers of Latin people in the U.S,” she said. “I hadn’t played Latino roles until I landed the role of Diana Morales. She inspired an entire generation of Latino kids, and learning that was my greatest gift from A Chorus Line. To get to know this girl, who was really

Photo © Henry DiRocco

grandparents, the Candelarias, lived close to her family in Brooklyn, López said her mother didn’t communicate much with other relatives.

“When I heard music from my father’s generation on records, I didn’t know what Puerto Rican was because I didn’t grow up in a barrio,” she said. “I knew we were different, ate different food and spoke another language.”

It wasn’t until López was 15 and went to Puerto Rico for the first time that she understood her culture. “I became Puerto Rican in my heart and mind,” she said. “I saw cousins who all looked like me and cooked the same as us. It took me many years to totally embrace it and feel it, and even though I always understood Spanish, I couldn’t speak it because I wouldn’t speak it. I was embarrassed – but finally got over that when I realized everyone in New York City has an accent.”

Even though her family wanted her to get a good education, López knew at 13 that performing was her dream. She graduated from Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts at age 17 and got a role in her first Broadway show at 18. She said that during the four years that she would have spent in college, she had completed four Broadway shows.

From the ’70s to the current year, she has a long list of prominent productions throughout the country. López was an assistant on the musical Nine. She performed in Night of One Hundred Stars at Radio City Music Hall.

Her nearly 40 film and TV credits include Maid in Manhattan as Jennifer López’s mother, Center Stage, Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, The Miracle of Spanish Harlem, The Good Wife, and Blue Bloods.

Priscilla López & Jon Rua in Somewhere

myself, was eye-opening. Just like me, she didn’t speak with an accent. She was who she was.”

It took some 25 years for López to realize the value of that experience.

“Now I’m playing kids’ mothers, and I truly embraced the language starting with my three years in In the Heights. The other actors became my family because by then my parents were gone. It was very emotionally nourishing for me.”

López and her husband Vincent have two children, Alex and Gabriella.

Vincent is a trombonist and assistant conductor on Broadway.

What’s next? López expects to do a revised production of Somewhere this winter for TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, Calif.

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THE ARTS

Texas Is Home to Renown Latino Arts Organizations

by Marilyn Gilroy

Mexican American Cultural Center

Two

arts organizations located in Texas are providing leadership in cultivating support and appreciation for Latino arts. The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC), headquartered in San Antonio, and the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), located in Austin, are bringing Latino arts to the forefront of the cultural scene.

NALAC has played a critical role in stepping up efforts to get more funding for Latino arts from both public and private sectors. The need is clear, especially after looking at the numbers from one of the nation’s largest grants organizations, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In 2011, the NEA received 4,450 applications for grants. Of those, only 96 were from Latino organizations. Of the 96 Latino organization applications received, 46 were supported with NEA funding.

That’s a very small number considering there are more than 700 Latino cultural organizations and 5,000 Latino artists in the U.S., according to the database maintained by NALAC. As María López De León, executive director of NALAC, has pointed out, federal funding for the arts needs to be more inclusive.

“The decision not to fund minority organizations carries social and economic repercussions on Latino organizations,” she said in an interview appearing on the New American Media website. “Without funding, some of these organizations will be forced to close their doors, doing

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away with venues for cultural expression.”

But De León and the members of NALAC are determined to do something about it. NALAC has embarked on several strategic initiatives to strengthen support for Latino arts at local, state and national levels.

One of the most important endeavors is a new partnership between NALAC and the NEA in which both groups are working together on new strategies to increase funding for Latino organizations. NALAC has been advocating for more Latino panelists on all NEA peer-review panels, an increase in NEA outreach and technical assistance to Latino organizations, as well as an increased number of Latinos in NEA senior administrative positions.

President Obama has taken the first step in responding to those requests by naming De León to the National Council on the Arts, in May 2012.

The council advises the chairman of the NEA and reviews and recommends applications for grants, funding guidelines and leadership initiatives. The council also recommends individuals and organizations to receive the National Medal of Arts in recognition of outstanding contributions to the arts in America.

De León, NALAC’s executive director for 10 years, is taking the organization to a new level of prominence. NALAC was founded in 1989 by a group of Latino artists, activists and administrators. Over the years, its services have expanded to include a grant program, regional and national conferences, technical assistance programs

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for artists and arts organizations, a leadership institute and various publications. The NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA), established in 2005, is the only national funding source solely dedicated to supporting Latino artists/ensembles and small and mid-size Latino arts and cultural organizations.

“For many of these organizations, the NFA is their first grant and becomes a benchmark of their capacity, thus enabling them to attract funding from other sources,” said De León, who was instrumental in launching the fund.

Two years ago, NALAC launched one of its most ambitious projects, a series of conversations concerning Latino arts and their role in the American cultural landscape. Conversations have been held in San Antonio, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago. The conversations have drawn hundreds of Latino artists and arts leaders to the daylong discussions on major trends and issues for Latino arts.

As its role in advocating for Latino arts has grown, NALAC has increased its staff through several recent appointments. Adriana Gallego recently was hired as NALAC’s new deputy director. Her appointment followed the addition of a prominent digital media creator, TJ Gonzales, as NALAC’s marketing and outreach associate. De León said the additional personnel are an important means of strengthening NALAC’s “infrastructure” and increasing its capacity to address the challenges facing the Latino arts community and the larger arts industry.

Those challenges include not only economic issues, but also those that arise out of the impact of social media on Latino art and fallout from various political controversies. For example, when Arizona enacted policies that restrict ethnic studies in schools, it published a list of books banned from the curriculum, including several by important Latino authors. NALAC characterized this and other anti-immigration measures in the state as an “abuse of power and part of institutional aggression against Latinos.”

Another controversy erupted when the group

that organizes the Grammy Awards decided to eliminate more than one-third of the award categories. The changes affected many musicians and producers associated with various genres of Latin music, including banda, norteno, Tejano and regional Mexican, which were merged into two categories while the award for Latin jazz was eliminated altogether. Subsequently, a group of Latin jazz musicians filed a class-action lawsuit against the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; however, a New York State Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.

Latino artists continue to express frustration that their role is marginalized. Octavio Solís, a keynote speaker at the last NALAC conference, said he is tired of hearing that he is “the first Latino playwright to perform at any institution.”

However, leaders at NALAC are optimistic that the voices of Latino artists are getting stronger.

The next national conference, which will take place in Philadelphia in October, carries the theme “Seizing the Moment Now,” reflecting a belief that the Latino arts movement will continue to flourish and succeed in gaining an established place on the national cultural scene.

A Jewel in Austin The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) is a striking building that is the focal point for an array of exhibits and performances including visual arts, theater, dance, literature, music, multimedia and even an occasional foray into culinary arts. Not only does the center offer displays of Latino paintings, sculpture and printmaking, it is also a place in which adults can learn salsa and zumba or take lessons on still-life drawing. For kids, there are classes on lucha mania, the wrestling phenomena in Mexico, as well as guitar playing, or how to make arte verde (green art).

“It’s a very popular place,” says Paloma Mayorga, a member of the center’s administrative staff. “We attract quite a few people and many school groups.”

Mayorga says the center is a tremendous resource for the community, giving visitors a chance to learn and participate in programs that foster an understanding and appreciation of Mexican-American and Native American art plus various other Latino arts and cultures.

When MACC opened it 2007, it was a project that had been in the making since the 1970s.

Back then, a group of artists, students and community activists approached the Austin City Council with the idea of building a center dedi-

cated to the preservation, presentation and promotion of Mexican-American arts and heritage.

After a feasibility study was completed, it took several bond elections to win funding for the center. It appeared that the project would finally move forward when plans by architect Teodoro González de León were selected as the winning design. But economic downturns delayed the project until it finally broke ground in 2005. The current phase of construction was completed in 2007.

In 2009, the complex was named after the late Emma Barrientos, called a “champion of the arts” in Austin and one of the early advocates for the center. Those who have paid tribute to her say she fought to ensure the talents of Latinos would be acknowledged and celebrated. Part of

María López De León, executive director, NALAC

her core belief was that the arts have the ability to bridge communities.

The center, which includes a cylinder structure and several triangular prisms, is very contemporary. It houses administration offices, classrooms, a black box theater, rehearsal lab, auditorium, main gallery, community gallery, library and conference room. And it is a work in progress.

“The MACC is still growing, and eventually there will be a larger theater, more classrooms, another gallery, administrative offices and a parking garage,” said Mayorga.

The building itself is inspired by traditional ancient Mexican architecture. As Mayorga points out when she is giving guided tours of the space, González de León used materials, light and tex-

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tures to express a “monumentality that imposes on the building both an urban and natural sense.”

One section of the building has a circular shape, a reference to the Mayan calendar. It is positioned very specifically according to the movement of the sun and can create visually interesting shadows, depending on the light.

The white rock building material was imported from Mexico and was entirely hand-chiseled

by Mexican craftsmen and other Hispanic construction workers. This means that no one mark is the same.

“We think that De León attempted to achieve the handcrafted look that is found in ancient Mexican architecture,” said Mayorga.

The MACC Zocalo makes reference to El Zocalo in the center of Mexico City, after which many Mexican city plazas have been named. As Mayorga explains, El Zocalo has been a meeting place for the people for political, religious and cultural ceremonies and festivals since Aztec times.

“It is where we hold ‘El Grito de la Independencia’ on Sept. 16 for Mexico’s Independence Day, which is one of our many cultural events,” she said.

The plaza and the grounds have several works of art commissioned as part of the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places program. They offer a historical, cultural and geographical link to the area’s Mexico roots. Visitors can walk on multicolored pavers that make up the “Snake Path”

by Benito Huerta. The milk snake is a species found on the border of Texas and Mexico, and it lives on both sides. A work titled As de Oro was donated by José Guerra, an artist from Saltillo, Mexico, a sister city of Austin for the purpose of cultural exchanges. A large sculpture of musicians, “Una Cancion de Fe y Familia” (A Song of Faith and Family) by Connie Arismendi, honors the deep musical traditions and cultural contributions of the Pérez and Ramos families. It is part of the Trail of Tejano Music Legends of the Austin community in the 1940s and 50s.

When the center opened, it was heralded as part of “Austin’s cultural makeover,” but as one critic noted, “it has become a force for bringing Latino art and culture back to life.”

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THE ARTS/INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Proposed National Museum of the American Latino Needs Bipartisan Action In

by Rosie Carbo

his last will and testament, Englishman James Smithson bequeathed all his property to the U.S. government. The stated intent was to establish an institution to “increase and diffuse knowledge” to mankind. In 1846, Congress honored his wishes by establishing the Smithsonian Institution.

Since then, the Smithsonian Institution has grown from one to 19 museums, nine research centers and a national zoo. In fact, it is the largest museum complex in the world. And it receives 75 percent of its more than $450 million annual budget from tax dollars.

Now, if the National Museum of the American Latino becomes a reality, it would bring to 20 the number of museums under the auspices of the Smithsonian.

The cost of the new museum is estimated at more than $400 million.

Part of that cost would be covered by a decade of fundraising.

But the historic proposal faces some obstacles. First, both houses of Congress must pass the Smithsonian American Latino Act (House Bill 3459 and Senate Bill 1868) authorizing creation of the new museum. The second challenge is authorization to designate the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as the site of the new museum.

“In terms of the museum, we’re all of the same opinion, and that is that we have a duty and a mission to represent our country’s history,” said

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Richard Kurin, undersecretary for history, art and culture and overseer of half a dozen of the Smithsonian’s museums.

“How can you teach American history without teaching about Spanish conquistadors and the contributions of Latinos? This is part of the heritage of all of us, not only Latinos. So if Congress indeed passes a law, then the museum would be very proud and honored to have that charge,” said Kurin, who also heads the Smithsonian Latino Center.

The vacant Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, a red brick structure measuring more than 300,000 square feet, would be spacious enough to house the proposed National Museum of the American Latino, which would reflect contributions by Latinos to history, art, science, music and culture, dating to the pre-founding of the United States.

“The Latino community is a patriotic community of Americans who have served this nation since its inception and is more than 50 million strong today, according to the latest 2010 Census figures. Despite this strength, the story of Latinos’ contributions to the U.S. has yet to be fully told in a museum in the nation’s capital,” said Congressman Xavier Becerra, Democrat from California, in a statement reiterating his support.

Becerra first introduced bipartisan legislation calling for the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Commission to explore the Latino museum idea in 2003. In 2008, legislation was passed and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush.

The 23-member bipartisan NMAL commission was chaired by Henry Muñoz and represented bipartisan leadership from across the nation. During a two-year period, commissioners crisscrossed the country asking Latinos what they would like to see in a museum that chronicles contributions by Latinos.

“We had the most comprehensive conversation in the history of this country with the American people.

And there’s a very strong feeling on the part of the people that the history of this country will never be fully told until the history and heritage of Latinos is told. So the need for the museum was validated by the commission’s work,” said Muñoz, a San Antonio architect.

Another conclusion reached by the Muñoz-led commission is that this country will experience a dramatic spike in the Latino population in the future. Therefore, a major presence in the nation’s capital is not only imperative, but justified.

“The most important task the commission had was to connect with

Latinos and inspire them. The future of this country is increasingly Latino. of the U.S. population remains largely invisible. Latinos are virtually absent That said, there is a consensus among commissioners and Latinos that the from English-language television, radio, print ads, broadcast ads, National American Latino Museum belongs in the heart of the National Hollywood films, corporations and nonprofit boards.

Mall,” said Muñoz.

Moreover, the Smithsonian Latino Center, founded in 1997, would not The NMAL commission, which have happened but for a revealing submitted its official report to 1994 report by a 15-member task Congress in May 2011, is not alone force led by Raúl Yzaguirre, then in its assessment of the ethnic and president of the National Council of racial future of the United States.

La Raza, a noted Hispanic civil According to an article in the May rights and advocacy group.

2012 issue of The Wall Street The report found the Smithsonian Journal, “Hispanics are the secondInstitution guilty of “willful neglect” largest population group after in hiring Latinos. In addition, the Whites of European descent, reprereport said, the Smithsonian senting the country’s “first majorityInstitution had willfully excluded minority population.”

Latinos from its museum, exhibitions Further, the 2010 U.S. Census and presentations. revealed that the Latino population Although the 1994 report also had surged 43 percent since the last suggested the injustice might be U.S. Census. New growth occurred in remedied by creation of a Latino states such as Iowa, Nebraska, museum, the Smithsonian Latino Alabama and Georgia, which until Center was established instead. recently did not have significant Undaunted, Becerra introduced legLatino/Hispanic populations. islation to establish a commission to “In its report to Congress, the study the creation of a Latino musecommission also recommended that um in 2003. In 2007, Congress the proposed Latino museum be enacted the National Museum of the treated in an equitable fashion, in American Latino Act. the same manner as the American The National Museum of the Indian and African-American museAmerican Latino Commission, with ums,” said Muñoz. support from Interior Secretary Ken Over two years, the commission Salazar and celebrities such as traveled to at least 10 major maractress Eva Longoria and record kets, including New York, Los producer Emilio Estefan, sprang Angeles, Chicago, Houston and other into action in September 2009. cities, to interact with and document From 2009 to 2011 the commisresponses from Latino residents. sion worked on the project, at a cost Additionally, social media played and of $3.9 million. Now the fate of the still play an important role in dismuseum is in the hands of Congress, seminating news of the proposed awaiting approval by bipartisan legmuseum. islation. House and Senate members “The push for a National Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Marco Museum of the American Latino has Rubio are among the Republicans really grown. In fact, it’s taken off who support it. largely because of social media,” If and when the National said Estuardo V. Rodríguez, Museum of the American Latino spokesman for a nonprofit support Richard Kurin, undersecretary for history, becomes a reality, it would take its group, Friends of the National rightful place alongside art and culture, Smithsonian Institution Museum of the American Latino.

Smithsonian’s National Museum of “On Facebook, initially we got the American Indian (NMAI) and over 100,000, and now it’s grown to 250,000, points of contact. So we National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). have a huge presence online and huge support for the museum,” said Like the Smithsonian Latino Center, the NMAI was created after the Rodríguez, a Washington, D.C., attorney and lobbyist who has also worked Smithsonian Institution was accused of neglecting artifacts of Native Americans. pro bono on the proposal.

In the 1980s, native tribal leaders discovered the Smithsonian had warehoused Despite support for a Latino museum, news stories about a booming nearly 20,000 American Indian remains instead of displaying them.

Latino population have not led to inclusion in mainstream America.

The embarrassing revelation resulted in passage of the National Museum Indeed, this diverse ethnic group that accounts for more than 16 percent of the American Indian Act in 1989. The federal government funded two-

“How can you teach American history without teaching about

Spanish conquistadors and the contributions of Latinos?”

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thirds of the 250,000-square-foot NMAI. But the museum did not open on Washington’s National Mall until 2004, at a cost of $219 million.

The National Museum of the American Latino, to be situated near the NMAAHC, is scheduled to open in 2015. The federal government will build the more than 300,000-square-foot museum on the National Mall, partly with tax dollars.

But passage of the Smithsonian American Latino Act is not the only challenge Latino museum supporters face. Budget constraints loom larger than ever. That’s why Becerra followed up the May 2011 NMAL commission report with an appeal to congressional skeptics.

“We ask that you consider the importance of creating the Smithsonian American Latino Museum not only as a monument for Latinos but as a 21stcentury learning laboratory rooted in the mission that every American

should have access to the stories of all Americans. Some might ask in these very difficult economic times how we can afford such an endeavor. The real question is how can we afford not to,” said Becerra in a written statement.

Most Latinos agree that as an American ethnic group, Latinos are not reflected in a positive light across America. The negative reports on immigrants and immigration have further denigrated the image of a people whose heritage is rooted in the Spanish language and culture.

To bolster support for the Latino museum, bipartisan legislators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat from Nevada; Robert Menéndez, Democrat from New Jersey; and Florida’s Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen, recently introduced legislation to authorize the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building as the designated site for the future Latino museum.

“Once the Smithsonian is authorized [to build the museum], it will put together a board to begin raising the needed $300 million. So I anticipate that legislation on the museum proposal will be introduced again in the fall of 2012,” said Muñoz.

Regardless of the naysayers, Muñoz said there DEAN is a groundswell of support for a Latino museum.

COLLEGE OF LITERATURE, Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and other SCIENCE, AND THE ARTS forms of communication have been instrumental in raising awareness of the proposed museum.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN Kurin said the commission completed its work.

The University of Michigan invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the College So if Congress passes a law to construct a new of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LS&A). The core liberal arts college in one of the nation’s premier public research universities, the College offers a vast array of opportunities for learning and research museum, funds must then be allocated. There has both within the traditional disciplines and in interdisciplinary programs, along with a range of resources to be some level of support, and the support does that perennially attract the strongest students and faculty. The College combines the richness and not depend on which party is in power. diversity of its academic programs with personalized student advising and research opportunities that are “George Bush signed legislation in 2003 for unique in a school of its scope and size. the creation of the African-American museum, The Dean is the chief academic and administrative officer of the College of Literature, Science, and the and George Bush Sr. signed legislation for creArts. He or she will provide leadership in defining and articulating the College’s strategic priorities; recruiting and maintaining an excellent faculty; creating and supporting educational programs of the ation of the American Indian Museum. So it’s not highest quality; attracting excellent students; creating collaborative opportunities with other schools and necessarily true that passage of the law depends departments within the University; and enhancing productive relationships with alumni, donors, and on which party is in power,” he said. local, national, and international communities. The Dean of LS&A plays a major leadership role in the If Congress passes both bills, Latino children broader University, stimulating and facilitating synergistic collaboration with other schools and colleges may be inspired to learn that there are a number as well as interdisciplinary institutes, centers and programs. As the chief academic, administrative, and financial officer of LS&A, the Dean reports directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President for of “notable” American Latinos. For example, in Academic Affairs.

1959, Spanish-American biochemist Severo The successful candidate will be tenurable at the full professor level in the College of Literature, Ochoa shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology for Science, and the Arts. He or she will provide intellectual leadership to the College community, and Medicine with a colleague. Mexican-American should be a nationally recognized scholar with the desire, ability, and vision to sustain a leadership role Raúl “Roy” Benavides was awarded the Purple within a University that is in the forefront of research and scholarship, graduate education, Heart, Medal of Honor and several awards for undergraduate education, and institutional, professional, and public service. The Dean will need to distinguished service and bravery in Vietnam. employ a high level of administrative acumen in leading this premier liberal arts college, and must possess a fundamental commitment to diversity in all its forms.

Meanwhile, Rodríguez is optimistic about the future of the Latino museum, based on much of Nominations and applications will be held in the strictest of confidence, and will be reviewed immediately. The University’s dedication to excellence is complemented by its commitment to building the feedback gathered from the Friends of the a culturally diverse academic community. Individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to National Museum of the American Latino support apply. Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be submitted, preferably in electronic form, to: group website.

Paul N. Courant “There are Latinos living everywhere. And 98 if Chair, LSA Dean Search Advisory Committee not 99 percent of them have been very, very supUniversity of Michigan portive. So I can’t say we have arrived. But I can 3074 Fleming Administration Building say we’ve turned a corner,” Rodríguez quipped.

503 Thompson Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1340 For information or to support efforts to build Electronic submissions preferred: lsa.dean.search.chair@umich.edu the National Museum of the American Latino, go The University has retained the services of Spencer Stuart to assist the search advisory committee and to www.americanlatinomuseum.org or send an inquiries, as well as nominations, may also be directed to MichiganLSAdean@spencerstuart.com. e-mail to info@americanlatinomuseum.org.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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UNCENSORED

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

OBAMA’S “DREAM” MIGHT BE A DUD – Just days after President Obama announced his new deportation deferment policy for DREAMers, the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Crystal Williams, warned DREAM hopefuls to do nothing until qualifications were made clearer. She worried that many youthful illegal immigrants might not qualify if they could not prove they came into the country before age 16, or if they had committed numerous misdemeanors and felonies (such as knowingly using fraudulent documents – a felony – to get driver’s licenses, social benefits and even enter the military). Rejected applicants could be targeted for eventual deportation.

It will take months before USCIS and ICE are ready for applications. Only a few DREAMers then may apply this year for the two-year temporary deferment from deportation and a work visa. So far, only 600 DREAMers received prosecutorial discretion in last year’s program.

UN

TITLE IX IS ALSO ABOUT STEM AND LEARNING TO LOSE – Thirty-seven words written 40 years ago by Sen. Patsy Mink (now deceased) of Hawaii and Birch Bayh of Indiana, in an education bill known as Title IX, changed the life of millions. On June 20, tennis icon Billie Jean King, U.S. Olympic track medalist and engineer Benita Fitzgerald-Moseley, dozens of Girl Scouts, women coaches and athletes and others gathered at the White House with Bayh and White House Domestic Policy Director Cecilia Muñoz to celebrate Title IX’s anniversary. While most people think that the legislation mainly gave women equal access to athletics in college, there is actually almost no mention of sports in the entire legislation. Title IX actually “prohibits exclusion on the basis of gender from any educational activity.” “Title IX is about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education as well as sports educational opportunities. It benefits men too,” Bayh said. “It’s also about losing,” said King. Learning to compete also means learning to lose, and losing, for King, is her “most valuable feedback,” she stated.

CE

NS

OR

$6 BILLION SUBSIDY WOULD SAVE GRADS ONLY $7 A MONTH? – Sometimes after the dust has settled on a long-disputed and emotional political issue, one steps back and suddenly wonders what all the fuss was really about. Such is the case with the student loan bill that struggled its way through the House and the Senate all spring towards its dreaded July 1 deadline. Significant members of both parties seemed to agree that they absolutely couldn’t let the student loan rate double by July 1. Double! The urgency and tension built. But wait! Turns out that that doubled rate was really the original rate of 6.8 percent – not exactly a usury rate. But it had been halved temporarily in 2008 by Democrats in the heady first 100 days of Obama’s presidential term as an early so-called college access victory for his new administration. In 2008, it was agreed that the rate would return to the original rate in 2012, that the taxpayer subsidy of $6 billion could not be sustained. But that was then. In 2012, the issue suddenly became a “doubling of student costs in a recession.” Few did the math. By some accounts, the cost to future graduates of the new “doubled” rate would be $1,000 over the life of the loan. That computes to $7 (seven dollars!) a month more per graduate. The cost of two lattes.

ED

WHAT HAPPENED TO BILINGUAL ED? DONE IN BY NCLB? – The steady disappearance of Spanish/English immersion bilingual programs in U.S. public schools – and the growth of limited English-language courses instead – was questioned by a passionate group of Latino educators and activists this June in Virginia at a Hispanic Community Action Summit sponsored by the White House. It’s a concern across the country, according to Gabriel Sandoval, a White House Hispanic educational advisor. But even among advocates, there is no broad agreement as to what bilingual education is. Half-and-half day programs? Heritage-language submersion until fifth grade through junior high school? How can bilingual programs be implemented in school systems where students claim dozens of different native languages? One point on which participants agreed: bilingual ed (as with so many other specialty programs) has been done-in by the priority throughout the country on preparing children to meet the No Child Left Behind math and English requirements.

GEEKS ARE THE NEW IN! GRIDIRON HEROES ARE FADING – Guess it was inevitable. As college students move from spending a major part of their time on the playing field to using mobile devices, those who envision the new technology, study it, develop and obsess about it would certainly rise in the ranks of the more admired. Now as even the most venerable senior professor turns to the geek in the room for advice, techies also are finding themselves becoming more socially popular. Movies like The Social Network humanized them. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that many have the potential to become gazillionaires (and not punch-drunk and even demented former athletes after 40, as is the sad fate of increasing numbers of former school football heroes).

Margaret (Peggy Sands) Orchowski was a reporter for AP South America and for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. She earned a doctorate in international educational administration from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She lives in Washington, D.C., where she was an editor at Congressional Quarterly and now is a freelance journalist and columnist covering Congress and higher education.

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THE ARTS

Prodigy, Pianist, Educator

and Emissary

to the World

M

by Thomas G. Dolan

usic is said to be the universal language.

Washington García, Ph.D., speaks that language in more ways than one: as an internationally renowned classical concert pianist; as chair of the piano department and associate professor of piano at Texas State University School of Music in San Marcos; and through his passionate development of and commitment to programs designed to provide young music students from all over the world with the moral and financial support to help them achieve their educations and professional careers.

García has been active in music for the past 30 years, which in itself is not remarkable, except for the fact that he was born in 1977, which means he began playing the piano when he was 4. To date, he’s performed in about half the states and some 20 countries, including Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Hungary, Canada, Israel, Chile, Mexico, Japan, China, Indonesia and Singapore.

To start at the beginning, he was born in Quito, Ecuador. His father, also named Washington García, is a leading neurosurgeon; and mother, Myriam Eljuri de García, a CPA. On his mother’s side were many musicians, though they played popular and folk music, not classical. He recalls that his grandmother Pola Zambrano, though she had not pursued a musical career, was a very accomplished pianist. “I inherited my musical gifts from my family,” García says. “My grandmother taught me to play when I was 4. She played by ear, and I did too. I have perfect pitch.”

When García was 6, his mother took him to the conservatory with his older sister, who was taking lessons there. He was too young to be

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officially enrolled, but took part in some of the activities. At the end of the year, a teacher requested a conference with García’s mother and told her she had a son with extraordinary talent. His mother thought the teacher must be mistaken, or was just being nice, for the only child she had enrolled in the conservatory was her daughter. But the teacher told her that García was so far above average he did not have to complete the first level, and he was registered on the second level when he was 7.

García performed in public for the first time when he was 7.

“I remember it clearly because it was a benefit concert for disabled children in a small town in Ecuador,” he says. “It felt quite wonderful to take part in something that I knew was making a difference. And for the first time there was a hint for me of my purpose in life.”

Doors started opening for García when, at age 11, he won a prestigious national competition in Quito.

“When I was 14, I was invited to play for the president of Chile,” he says. “I traveled to Santiago, performed for President Patricio Aylwin Azocar and took part in an international piano seminar.” A turning point came at age 15, when he had his debut with the National Symphony of Ecuador. “That was when I knew that I wanted to be a pianist, knew I wanted to come to the U.S., knew I wanted to be a professor,” he says. “Before 15, I liked piano, and my parents always encouraged me to be a musician, but also to be an engineer or a doctor or something else.”

Performing with his country’s national orchestra brought García invitations to perform

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around the world. “Little by little, my career blossomed, like a flower.”

He fast-tracked at the conservatory, crediting his teachers, notably his first, Genoveva Granja, then Toshko Stoyanov, and, during summers, Ann Schein and Yoheved Kaplinsky. He graduated from the National Conservatory of Music with both a high school degree and a Bachelor of Music at age 18.

Success after success after success. Was it as easy at it sounds?

“There is not an easy answer,” he replies. “I had my family and friends to support me. But the field of classical music is very challenging. There are many demands and sacrifices you have to make. You have to be extremely organized, and there are long hours of practice.” García, in fact, practiced seven to eight hours a day, every day.

“I did not have a normal childhood,” he says.

“Even in high school, I never had time to do the things other kids my age did. I’ve never been to a rock concert. The one big thing I looked forward to was the family vacations with my brother and sister and my parents, who always found time for us.”

Traveling was an adventure, but in some ways, it was also lonely. “Most of the times, I traveled by myself because my family could not afford to pay for their own way. Financially speaking, it was very challenging.”

The financial difficulties came to a head after he graduated from the conservatory at age 18.

“For a little country, the resources Ecuador had to offer were very limited, and all of the forms and applications and other expenses involved were very challenging. My parents always found a way. But I wanted to come to the U.S., and my

parents could not have afforded that.”

But then, says García, “a miracle happened.”

García was one of two students from 33 countries chosen by a panel of experts to receive a $25,000 grant from the Kennedy Center through the Fellowship of the Americas Program. This would allow him to attend the first year of a master’s program at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

“The other recipient was a pianist from Peru,” García says, “which is interesting, because Ecuador and Peru were at war at the time.”

So, the miracle occurred. At 18, García arrived at the Peabody Institute to study under Julian Martin. But financial anxieties remained.

He had enough money for the first year, but then what? This obstacle was overcome when Peabody then picked up his tuition and gave him a full scholarship until he graduated.

But the social isolation continued. He spent his first birthday in the U.S. alone. He was in a different culture, and had the same grueling work schedule. But, says García, “I have no regrets. All those years of solitude and hard work helped me develop my concert abilities, to stand firm.”

García received his master’s at 20 and started his doctorate at age 21. He could have received his Ph.D. at age 24 but was advised by the faculty to take a year longer for seasoning. Still, he received his doctorate at age 25, making him the youngest Latin American to receive a doctoral degree in piano performance from Johns Hopkins University.

On the day of his graduation, García recalls approaching Steve Baxter, dean of Peabody, and saying “There is no way I can express what Peabody has done for me. No way I could ever repay. ... But he took me by the shoulders, looked me in the eye and said, ‘You can pay back by making things happen to support young artists, just the way you’ve been helped.’ This helped crystallize my goal to help create opportunities for other young musicians.”

Part of this goal is fulfilled by teaching.

García taught for three years at Peabody before moving on to Texas State. “I find tremendous satisfaction in teaching,” García says. “When a student tells me, ‘You’ve inspired me,’ it really brings tears to my eyes because this is my purpose.”

“Washington García is an exceptional musical artist,” says Dr. Thomas Clark, director of the School of Music, Texas State University. “His playing is powerful and elegant. He has per-

formed all over the world, and he brings back to Texas State a vital international perspective for our students. He has also shown great enterprise in establishing our highly successful International Piano Festival.”

Having attended numerous piano festivals himself, García wanted to create one for Texas State as another way of reaching out to students all over the world. The university’s first International Piano Festival debuted in 2012.

“We choose by audition – live audition or DVD – 29 students, age 11 to 19, from all over the world,” García says. “In 2011, we had students from Indonesia, Singapore, China, Ecuador, Canada, Argentina and the United States. They come for a week of master classes, recitals, presentations, private lessons, and they also have some extracurricular activities. In addition to that, they perform for the San Marcos community.”

One outstanding feature of the festival is the opportunity for students to interact with faculty from top conservatories in the United States as well as Texas State faculty. “The festival creates opportunities for some of the most talented students around the world who do not necessarily have the financial means to be able to take lessons from faculty at Juilliard or Peabody or Texas State,” García says. “For example, a professor from Juilliard charges $400 per hour. And for a student to be able to come here and be with us for the festival opens up doors they have never dreamed of.”

García also teaches at the Austin Chamber Music Festival and Peabody Piano Week. He is especially looking forward to Texas State’s new performing arts center, scheduled to open in 2014.

“The new performing arts center is a crucial part of the developing art community here,” he says. “Every major city of the world has a cultural signature, and that means a performing arts center or a cultural hall. Our performing arts center will be a gateway for us to expand culturally.”

García has continued to gain international recognition. In addition to awards granted by the Peabody Institute and the Ecuadorian government, which include the Monseñor Leonidas Proaño and Al Merito Laboral, García has been sponsored by Continental Airlines since 1997.

He was also named a Presser Scholar and grant recipient by the Presser Music Foundation. Most recently, he was awarded the Friends of Fine Arts Award for Scholarly/Creative Activities and

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Services. And there have been scholarships from the Lloyds Bank, the Zaldumbide Resales Foundation and the British Embassy in Ecuador.

Meanwhile, García continues to perform. He plays the full range of the classical repertoire, including traditional, romantic, baroque and contemporary. He also tries to include Latin American composers in his programs, two of his favorites being Luis Humberto Salgaeo from Ecuador and Alberto Ginastera from Argentina.

García’s already strenuous work life has, in fact, tripled to include three different careers, that of concert pianist, teaching and administrative, including running the piano department and the piano festival. Asked whether he still practices seven to eight hours a day, he acknowledges he’s had to cut back to “only” three to four hours a day, seven days a week.

His travels all over the world have been a great adventure for him, García says. “I’ve been involved with so many people from so many different cultures. It’s been an enriching experience.” But there is always a cost. Asked if he has his own family, García replies, “Finding the right person who is willing and able to understand what I am doing and to share that life is challenging. It’s a very difficult path I have chosen.”

Still, he has no regrets. And he is, after all, at age 34, still a very young and most eligible bachelor.

Meanwhile, García continues with his first love, playing the piano, for which he receives many rave reviews.

García has performed in Israel with maestro Sam Zebba and the Orchestra of the City of TelAviv as well as the Cuenca Orchestra under the baton of maestro Medardo Caisabanda. And at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the San Ildefonso Museum in Mexico City, the Hong Kong Baptist University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Green Valley Chamber Music Festival in Las Vegas, and at the Myra Hess Series in Chicago, which was broadcast live on radio and television. Most recently, García toured Italy with the Texas State University Chamber Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto.

Among his coming concerts, perhaps the most notable will be on Oct. 19 and 20, 2012, at the Long Center for Performing Arts, with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Peter Bay. García will perform Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto in a performance that he says “will be among the most important of my career.”

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

www.hispanicoutlook.com

Education Department Releases Proposal to Help Thousands of Disadvantaged Students Access College Through Savings Accounts WASHINGTON, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it will help thousands of disadvantaged students access higher education through investing in college savings accounts. The College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project will commit $8.7 million of federal GEAR UP funds to support college savings accounts for students participating in the GEAR UP program, which is designed to increase the college readiness of low-income middle school and high school students.

NASFAA Supports Improved College Cost Disclosures WASHINGTON, D.C.

Rising college costs and increasing student loan debt make it vital for students and families to have clear and accurate information about their financial aid packages and what they will pay for a postsecondary degree.

When students and families make critical decisions about which college to attend, they often rely on the information colleges and universities send them in a financial aid award letter. These letters outline students’ estimated cost of attendance and student aid package, including grant and loan eligibility.

However, a lack of consistency between schools’ award letters can cause confusion and make it difficult for students and families to make comparisons.

This confusion has led Congress, the U.S. 28

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The project will provide about 10,000 high school students with savings accounts as well as counseling to develop smart financial habits. In addition, the project will research the impact of savings accounts on college access and success by comparing the outcomes of students receiving savings accounts with a control group, which will allow the project to inform strategies at the federal, state and local level.

“We believe that savings accounts play a key role in helping all students – especially those from low-income families – access and succeed in college,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Empowering disadvantaged students with financial resources and skills will enable them to make smart investments in higher education – and we’ll gain valuable knowledge about how to best

serve these students in the future.”

Because many GEAR UP grantees may be more readily able to establish and manage savings accounts for GEAR UP students, the department is proposing that state GEAR UP grantees that received new awards in FY 2011 or FY 2012 and that are participating in the cohort model would be eligible to apply for the project. Each student will receive $200 in seed funding to start the account, which the state will open automatically. Students will have a chance to earn an extra $10 per month in a dollar-for-dollar savings match program over the next four years, ultimately giving them the opportunity to save more than $1,000 for college.

Savings will be available for students to use for educational expenses upon enrolling in an institution of higher education.

Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to explore ways to improve award letters. To help this effort, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has issued recommendations to ensure award letters provide students and families with information that is clear, concise and consistent.

The recommendations were developed by a NASFAA task force of working financial aid professionals representing every sector of higher education (private, public, forprofit, two-year, four-year and graduate/professional). The task force reviewed proposals from the Obama administration, evaluated sample award letters from various colleges and universities and surveyed financial aid offices for feedback. They also consulted with consumer groups, other higher education associations and student aid experts.

This information was used to develop

recommendations to help standardize award letter terminology and elements while maintaining flexibility for colleges and universities to customize award letters to meet the specific needs of their unique student populations. The recommendations are detailed in a report by the task force that includes: • specific elements award letters should incorporate • a glossary to standardize award letter terminology • additional consumer information that should accompany award letters The report also urges the U.S. Department of Education to develop a student loan database or aggregator to help students and colleges track federal and private student loan borrowing.

For more information on those recommendations, go to www.nasfaa.org/advocacy/award-letter/Improving_Award_Letters _and_Consumer_Information.aspx.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

Up to 1.4 Million Unauthorized Immigrants Could Benefit from New Deportation Policy WASHINGTON, D.C.

Up to 1.4 million children and young adults who are in the United States illegally could potentially benefit from the recent changes in deportation policies, according to an estimate from the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

The 1.4 million estimate includes 700,000 unauthorized immigrants who are ages 18 to 30 but arrived in the U.S. as children and are currently enrolled in school or have graduated from high school; and an additional 700,000 who are under the age of

UGA Study Finds that Education Plays Mitigating Role in Escaping Roots of Adversity ATHENS, Ga.

Decades of research show people born into poverty are likely to continue to live that way as adults. But one University of Georgia (UGA) researcher has found a way out – education.

Children reared in disadvantaged communities and poor families earn less money and experience more health problems as adults than do children raised without adversity, according to Kandauda Wickrama, a professor of human development and life science in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“Early adverse life experiences, such as community or family poverty, have a detrimental effect on young adults’ social economy attainment – income, assets and job

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18 and are enrolled in school. This includes 150,000 who are currently enrolled in high school.

Overall, the 1.4 million estimate represents about 12 percent of the 11.2 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. as of 2010, according to an estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center. Among the 1.4 million potential beneficiaries of the new policy, some 70 percent are from Mexico. For details on the numbers and characteristics of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., see the Pew Hispanic Center report Unauthorized Immigrant Population: National and State Trends, 2010.

A Pew Hispanic Center survey taken late last year found that by a margin of 59 percent to 27 percent, Latinos opposed the deportation policies of the Obama administration. Among

Latinos, some 41 percent were aware that the number of deportations of unauthorized immigrants annually had been higher during the Obama administration than during the George W. Bush administration, while 36 percent said the two administrations had deported the same number of unauthorized immigrants, and 10 percent said fewer had been deported under the Obama administration.

Nearly 400,000 unauthorized immigrants were deported annually during the first two years of the Obama administration – about 30 percent more than the annual average during the second term of the Bush administration. Among those deported in 2010, nearly all (97 percent) were Hispanic. By comparison, among all unauthorized immigrants, 81 percent are Hispanic.

quality,” said Wickrama. “Living in an adverse environment during childhood has a persistent, long-term affect on young adults. Although you can change the place where you live, clearly early adverse experiences are under your skin.”

Wickrama’s research, published in the April issue of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, found the level of educational achievement moderates the persistent influences of earlier life experiences on young adults’ socioeconomic attainment.

According to the research, community poverty, African-American and MexicanAmerican ethnic status and being female negatively influenced the level of young adults’ assets significantly, while Asian- and Cuban-American ethnic status, family income, consistently married parents and self-esteem positively influenced the level of young adults’ earnings significantly.

Results show Asian and Cuban youth

achieve higher levels of income, assets and job quality in young adulthood than Caucasian youth regardless of their community and family characteristics.

“Our results show that not all racial/ethnic minority groups are disadvantaged when compared to Caucasians,” he said.

Using the proportion of families living below the poverty line as a measurement for community poverty, the research showed less than a $10,000 decrease in asset value for each doubling in percentage of people living below the poverty line. But, this negative effect for lower-educated younger adults is large, a $141,000 reduction in asset value. Similar results were found in relation to income and job quality.

Historically, research shows that poverty in a person’s community and family causes irreversible early developmental damages that affect social attainment for young adults.

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HI S PAN I C S O N T H E MO VE

CSU Appoints Morales to Head San Bernardino Campus

Gonzales Becomes New VP for University Advancement at UTPA

The California State University Board of Trustees has named Tomás D. Morales, president of the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY), as president of California State University-San Bernardino (CSUSB).

He is expected to begin his new position as CSUSB president later this summer. Morales became the third president of the College of Staten Island in 2007. He is one of the few higher education administrators in the United States who has held senior administrative positions at the three largest public university systems in the nation: California State University, the State University of New York (SUNY), and CUNY. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from SUNY-New Paltz, and a master’s and Ph.D. in educational administration and policy studies from SUNY-Albany.

For eight years, Verónica Gonzales has represented the Rio Grande Valley in the Texas State Legislature. Now she is representing the valley’s largest university, the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA), as its new vice president for university advancement.

Gonzales, a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2004, started at her position at UTPA July 1 and will oversee the Office of Development, responsible for fundraising for the university, and the Department of Marketing and Communications, which comprises the offices of Alumni Relations, Public Affairs and Studio Twelve01, the university’s marketing office.

She has a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from Southwest Texas State and a law

Fresno State Hosts California Poet Laureate Herrera

degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

Echeverría Wins Top Teaching Award at Camden County College Associate Professor Pablo Echeverría, known for his passion for mathematics and teaching, has won the 2012 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, the top instructional award available to Camden County College (N.J.) faculty members.

Instructors are nominated based largely on their concern and sensitivity to the needs of their students and their ability to demonstrate positive learning outcomes. Echeverría has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, both in mathematics, from the University of Puerto Rico. He also has a master’s in mathematical statistics from the University of Maryland.

DIRECTOR, BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY

A “soulful cilantro fest” at California State University-Fresno in April showcased the return to campus of Juan Felipe Herrera, sworn in March 26 by California Gov. Jerry Brown as the state’s first Latino poet laureate. Herrera, who chaired Fresno State’s Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies from 1990 to 2004 before joining the faculty at the University of CaliforniaRiverside, where he holds the Tomás Rivera Chair in Creative Writing, read from new works and unveiled his poet laureate project, “Primavera California.” Herrera has published more than two dozen volumes of prose, poetry, plays, childrens books and young adult novels.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN The University of Michigan seeks nominations and invites applications for the position of Director, Bentley Historical Library, an internationally renowned collection of archives related to the history of the State of Michigan and the University of Michigan.

THE BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY: The library was established in 1935 by the University of Michigan to serve as the official archives of the University and to document the history of the state of Michigan and the activities of its people, organizations and voluntary associations. The director is responsible for the continued development of the library's rich collections and applying innovative approaches to teaching, research, and scholarly communication enabled by new information technologies.

S/he oversees all aspects of the Bentley's support of the University's instruction, research and service missions. The director reports to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and works closely with an Executive Committee appointed by the Board of Regents.

THE CANDIDATE: The successful candidate will be an intellectual leader with a strong background in a discipline relevant to the Bentley collections, such as American history or archives. S/he will have: 1) a deep understanding of how to facilitate the work of scholars, faculty and students in their use of historical research materials; 2) a record of progressively responsible institutional and financial management and the capacity to lead and support a professional staff of diverse backgrounds; 3) an appreciation of the fundamental role of archives in the work of the University and the ability to work with constituencies within the University and among a wide variety of external constituencies; 4) the interest and ability to provide leadership in digital archiving, access, and publication.

Nominations and applications will be reviewed beginning August 1, 2012, and will be accepted until the position is filled. Individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be treated in a confidential manner. Materials and inquiries should be submitted electronically to: Vice Provost Janet A. Weiss Chair, Bentley Library Search Advisory Committee University of Michigan Email: bentley.director.search@umich.edu More can be learned about the mission and resources of the Bentley Historical Library at http://bentley.umich.edu/.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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Interesting Reads

Confronting Equity Issues on Campus Edited by Estela Mara Bensimon and Lindsey Malcom This book explores the gap between people of color and White students in terms of participation in and successful completion of higher education – 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The book looks at the issue through use of the Equity Scorecard model of organizational change.

It shifts institutions’ focus from what students do (or fail to do) to what institutions can do – through their practices and structures, as well as the actions of their leaders and faculty – to produce equity in outcomes for racially marginalized populations. For college leaders, instructors and support staff who want to help close the racial equity gap that their institutions produce year after year, this book might provide the structure, knowledge and tools to do so. It is also of value to scholars and students of higher education with an interest in the study of organizational change.

2012. 290 pages. ISBN: 978-1-57922-708-1. $35.00 paper. Stylus Publishing, (703) 661-1504. www.Styluspub.com.

Ready Willing and Able

By Mandy Savitz-Romer and Suzanne M. Bouffard The authors focus on the developmental tasks and competencies that young people need to develop to plan for and succeed in higher education. These include identity development, articulating aspirations and expectations, forming and maintaining strong peer and adult relationships, motivation and goal-setting, and self-regulatory skills such as planning. It calls for a new approach: one that emphasizes the key tasks and processes of adolescence and integrates them into existing collegeaccess practices in meaningful ways. Rather than treating young people as passive recipients of services, they argue, adults can engage them as active agents in the construction of their own futures.

2012. 242 pages. ISBN: 978-1-61250-132-1. $26.95 paper. Harvard Education Press, (617) 495-3432. www.hepg.org.

School Turnarounds

By Heather Zavadsky The inspiration for this book was the observation that if the school turnaround movement is to have widespread and lasting consequences, it will need to incorporate meaningful district involvement in its efforts. At the heart of the book are case studies of districts that have developed system-wide policies and programs for instituting turnaround reforms in their member schools. These cases and the book as a whole bring district-based initiatives and options into the larger discussion of the turnaround movement and its potential for improving chronically low-performing schools.

2012. 250 pages. ISBN: 978-1-61250-134-5. $29.95 paper. Harvard Education Press, (617) 495-3432. www.hepg.org.

Latino U.S.A.: A Cartoon History 15th Anniversary Edition

by Ilan Stavans 2012. 218 pages. ISBN: 978-0-465-08250-6; $18.00. Basic Books, www.basicbooks.com . (800) 810 4145.

It

could be said that Ilan Stavans chose an untraditional route to express his own view of Latino history in the United States. But untraditional as it might be, Stavans argues that it’s a much better barometer of the Hispanic culture in America than other scholarly evaluations might suggest. Latino USA represents the culmination of Ilan Stavans’ lifelong determination to capture the joys, nuances and multiple dimensions of Latino culture within the context of the English language. In this cartoon history of Latinos, Stavans also seeks to combine the solemnity of so-called “serious literature” and history with the inherently theatrical and humorous nature of the comics.

To understand his art, you have to understand where Stavans is coming from – literally and figuratively. He says he “came of age” in Mexico in the 1970s, where he describes his life as being surrounded by fast food, American TV sitcoms, cartoons and Muzak. He was not impressed by intellectuals who advocated that Latinos look to Mexico’s rich history for cultural inspiration. They cited Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Carlos Chávez and Alfonso Reyes as artists, musicians and writers to imitate. But as Stavans notes in the foreword to this book, “Nothing in this argument made sense to me. I loved Indiana Jones, ate burritos at Taco Bell, watched episode after episode of Simplemente Maria [a Hispanic soap opera], listened to Juan Gabriel, and voraciously read the strips El Payo, Kaliman and Los Supermachos. ... Pop culture, my instinct told me, was much closer to the nation’s collective psyche than anything by Kahlo or Reyes.”

It was particularly his love of comic strips and cartoons that inspired Stavans’ dream of becoming a graphic artist and eventually a filmmaker.

And after a lifelong love affair with that form of art, Stavans created his Latino USA cartoon history.

Stavans represents Hispanic civilization as a fiesta of types, archetypes and stereotypes. He designed the book so that it combines sometimes stodgy and serious literature with the zanyness and ultra-theatrical nature of comics. Topics illustrated in his book of cartoons include Columbus, Manifest Destiny, the Alamo, William Carlos Williams, Desi Arnaz, West Side Story, Castro, Guevera, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Neruda, García Márquez, the Mariel Boatlift and Selena. Stavans explains, “History, of course, is a kaleidoscope where nothing is absolute.”

For Stavans, working in cartoons and comic strips is liberating and exhilarating. He says he sometimes feels handcuffed by using just words to express himself and make a persuasive argument. Cartoons and comic strips, he says, allow him to blend words with images. He says that not only better engages the reader, but also punctuates his words with imagination and a clarity that words alone can’t suggest.

In this book, Stavans uses a cast of recurring players – including Maestra, Calavera and Toucan – as tour guides through a carnivalesque parade of Latino history.

At its best, it provides a better understanding of Hispanic culture in the United States.

Reviewed by Mary Ann Cooper

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University of Massachusetts Amherst

FOUNDATION The Isenberg School of Management is on the rise, seeking two professionals to join a dynamic fundraising environment with a Dean committed to building a national reputation for academic excellence.

Major Gift Officer Reporting to the Director of Major Gifts for the Isenberg School of Management, this position is responsible for the cultivation and solicitation of an upper tier portfolio of Isenberg alumni on a national scale. The ideal candidate will have at least five years of experience with a demonstrable track record of success in closing five- and six-figure gift proposals in a higher education setting. Individuals with corporate sales and marketing experience will be considered.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree; three to five years of experience in a development environment; major gifts fundraising in a development program, preferably with an educational institution (equivalent experience in business or industry will be considered). The incumbent must have a proven track record of cultivating, soliciting and closing major gifts of $5K or more; excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills; excellent administrative skills; ability and willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends.

Preferred Qualifications: Advanced degree; experience working with senior-level executives; knowledge of prospect management systems; knowledge of database fundraising software CS Advance; web fundraising experience.

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Assistant Director of Development Reporting to the Director of Major Gifts, this is a new position for the Isenberg Development Office, focusing on the discovery and qualification of alumni for inclusion into a cultivation strategy and building a new portfolio of 150 individuals. Performance metrics will center on the initiation of meaningful engagement with the school and a path to near term future philanthropy. The ideal candidate will have three years of fundraising experience or a success record in corporate sales and territory management.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree; three years of development experience; excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills; excellent administrative skills; ability to work with minimal supervision; ability and willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends; ability to relate well with alumni.

Preferred Qualifications: Previous experience conducting face to face, personal solicitations.

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

To be considered for these positions: please submit a cover letter, resume and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to Ed Brozman by email at brozman@isenberg.umass.edu or by post to 365 Isenberg, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

The University of Massachusetts Foundation is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.

Director, School of Journalism Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism University of Southern California Shaping the future of journalism and public relations The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California seeks a director to lead its accredited School of Journalism beginning July 2013. The timing of this opening presents a rare opportunity to re-imagine the role of a journalism and public relations school during a period of intense transformation of the news and publicrelations industries.

Annenberg is preparing to expand into a new building that will house a state-of-the-art integrated news room for the school’s broadcast, digital and radio news outlets, as well as its student-led public-relations firm.

The new director will be in charge of organizing these resources so that the work of students has an impact throughout Los Angeles and beyond.

The ideal candidate is passionate about the missions of journalism and public relations, and recognizes that the changing media and societal landscape calls for forward-thinking, innovative, ethics-based education in both fields.

The candidate should have a distinguished professional background as well as a familiarity with the academic community. Managerial experience is highly desirable.

He or she should be a national leader among journalism and/or strategic communication professionals and educators, eager to take advantage of recent technological developments to build innovative, cutting-edge curricula.

Working with the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the director of USC Annenberg’s School of Communication, the candidate should be a team player able to engage colleagues throughout the university, successfully operating at the highest interdisciplinary and international levels.

Education and Compensation: An advanced degree is preferred. Salary and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with qualification and experience.

Relocation assistance may be available FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION GO TO http://www.annenberg.usc.edu/AboutUs/~/media/PDFs /JOURSchoolDirector.ashx

Application or Nomination: Application Review begins August 15, 2012

Please submit curriculum vitae or resume and a letter of interest to: Professor Larry Gross, Vice Dean, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, 3502 Watt Way, Suite 305, Los Angeles, California 90089-0281, E-mail: lpgross@usc.edu.

USC values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. Women and men, and members of all racial and ethnic groups, are encouraged to apply.

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We now have Web Packages Available?

For complete information on web advertising packages that suit your needs contact us at

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E-Mail us your text to: outlook@sprintmail.com Fax us at: (201) 587-9105 And Visit us on the web www.HispanicOutlook.com

Serving the Hispanic Academic Community for 22 years 08/06/2012

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Vice President for Research The University of Cincinnati (UC) invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice President for Research.

VICE PROVOST FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Loyola Marymount University, founded in 1911, is a comprehensive university in the mainstream of American Catholic higher education. Located on the west side of Los Angeles overlooking the Pacific Ocean, LMU is one of the nation’s 28 Jesuit colleges and universities and four Marymount institutions. It serves over 5600 undergraduates and nearly 2000 graduate students in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, the Seaver College of Science and Engineering, the College of Business Administration, the College of Communication and Fine Arts, the School of Film and Television and the School of Education. LMU also has a law school in downtown Los Angeles.

LMU just finished celebrating its centennial year and closed its comprehensive campaign at over $410 million under the leadership of David Burcham, the university’s first lay President. It is well poised for success with the adoption of a new strategic plan, in which the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management will play an integral role in enhancing recruitment and retention gains in the context of LMU’s goals for affordability, accessibility and diversity. Therefore, LMU seeks an academic leader with significant administrative experience in enrollment management in a complex and comprehensive institution with demonstrated success in formulating strategies in a competitive and volatile economic environment. Particularly appealing will be professionally talented candidates who value LMU’s mission and share its commitment to academic excellence, the education of the whole person, and the building of a just society.

LMU is an equal opportunity employer actively working to promote an intercultural learning community.

The Vice Provost for Enrollment Management will provide executive leadership in the development and delivery of a student-centered enrollment management plan that combines effective recruitment, retention, and financial aid programs to attract a large, diverse and highly qualified pool of first year and transfer applicants. Reporting to the Provost, the successful candidate will work collaboratively with the Deans, the Provost’s staff and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. Direct reports include the Directors of Undergraduate Admissions, International Outreach, Orientation and Transfer Services, Financial Aid and the University Registrar.

Ideal applicants will have a minimum of three years progressive leadership experience in a relevant higher education environment. A graduate degree in a management-related discipline or comparable is required and a terminal degree is highly preferred. The successful candidate will be an innovator with superb communication, collaborative and strategic planning skills. Demonstrated knowledge is required in the areas of admission and financial aid trends; socioeconomic and demographic factors influencing enrollment; rules and regulations governing admissions, financial aid, and records and registration; and familiarity with international outreach and ‘best practices’ for enrollment management in the recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented populations.

The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae or resume, along with a cover letter/statement of interest that addresses his/her qualifications and indicates how he/she anticipates contributing to LMU’s mission. Electronic submissions are encouraged. Documents can be submitted to: Carol Gilbert Executive Recruiter Loyola Marymount University 1 LMU Drive University Hall 4800 Los Angeles, CA 90045 cgilbert@lmu.edu (310-338-1796)

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UC ranks among the nation’s top public research universities, educating over 42,000 students annually on an operating budget of $1.1 billion. As the originator of co-operative education, UC has a long tradition of putting theory into practice while standing among an elite group of universities with “very high research activity” as defined by the Carnegie Commission.

Among the University’s strengths are its highly regarded professional schools including medicine, design, engineering, business, nursing, law, and pharmacy.

The University of Cincinnati considers research as a primary mission in addition to education and service to the community. UC and its affiliates topped $418 million in research funding in 2011. U.S. News and World Report placed the University on its “up and coming university” and Best National Universities lists. The Chronicle of Higher Education called UC a “research heavyweight.” Forbes magazine named UC one of the world’s most beautiful campuses, and the Princeton Review acknowledged UC as the only public institution in Ohio with “green university” standing.

The Vice President for Research will play an essential role in the central leadership to the University’s research, scholarly and creative programs.

Working collaboratively with the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, university administrators, faculty, staff, and students, the Vice President for Research will facilitate and direct the University’s research and discovery initiatives for both funded as well as unfunded efforts. This individual will also identify and develop innovative research strategies to create a research-enriched learning experience for the University’s students, faculty, and partners. Cultivating relationships between the University and its private, public, and community-based partners will be a priority for the Vice President for Research.

The University of Cincinnati seeks an inspiring leader with intellectual breadth, strong interpersonal skills, demonstrated expertise in researchdriven programs and policies, and experience leading complex teams and/or organizations. The successful candidate must have significant leadership experience in developing and executing a strategic vision, demonstrate innovation and creativity in his/her approach to leadership, and must be a persuasive and sophisticated communicator who can anchor and grow upon the University’s reputation as a premiere research institution. Candidates must hold a terminal degree, with scholarly, research, or creative accomplishments commensurate with the rank of full professor in his or her home tenure department.

The University of Cincinnati is being assisted by Ellen Brown Landers and Tracie Smith at the firm of Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. Screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Ohio law provides that certain search materials, including nominations and applications, may be subject to public records requests.

Nominations and applications should be directed to: Heidrick & Struggles, Inc. University of Cincinnati Vice President for Research Search 303 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 4300 Atlanta, GA 30308 Phone: (404) 682-7316 Email: uc-vpresearch@heidrick.com The University of Cincinnati is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Ohio law provides that public records, which would include certain search materials such as nominations and applications, be open to the public and the press.

Ohio Revised Code Sec. 149.43.

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Texas State University-San Marcos is a member of The Texas State University System.

Dean, Graduate College Texas State University invites applicants and nominations for the position of Dean of the Graduate College. Texas State University-San Marcos is a doctoral-granting Emerging Research University located in the burgeoning Austin-San Antonio corridor, the largest campus in The Texas State University System, and among the largest in the state. Texas State’s 34,000 students choose from 97 undergraduate and 87 master’s and 12 doctoral programs offered by ten colleges (Applied Arts, The Emmett and Miriam McCoy College of Business Administration, Education, Fine Arts and Communication, Health Professions, Honors, Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, the Graduate College, and the University College). With a diverse campus community including 37% of the student body from ethnic minorities, Texas State is one of the top 15 producers of Hispanic baccalaureate graduates in the nation. In the fall of 2011, there were over 1,100 full-time faculty and nearly 2,000 full-time staff. Research and creative activities have led to growing success in attracting external support. For FY 2011, Texas State had an annual operating budget of $436 million and research expenditures of more than $33 million.

The Alkek Library has more than 1.5 million titles in its collection. Additional information about Texas State and its nationally recognized academic programs is available at http://www.txstate.edu.

The Graduate College supports almost 100 graduate programs in a variety of disciplines including those in the following colleges: Applied Arts, Education, Fine Arts and Communication, Health Professions, Liberal Arts, McCoy College of Business Administration, and Science and Engineering. These programs include 87 master’s and 12 doctoral programs.

The Dean serves as the chief academic administrative and fiscal officer of the College and reports to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He/she is responsible for implementing and governing the policies of the Graduate College, assisting departments and schools in the recruitment of graduate students, developing appropriate degree plans for matriculating students, certifying the successful completion of graduation requirements, and monitoring the credentials of the graduate faculty. In addition, the Dean takes a leading role in the development and approval process for new graduate programs. He/she manages a sizeable budget, engages in strategic planning, and provides various student support services. He/she also assists with fund raising to support student initiatives.

Required Qualifications: Applicants or nominees will hold an earned doctoral degree and possess a distinguished record of intellectual/creative and academic accomplishments that qualify her or him for appointment at the rank of Professor.

Preferred Qualifications: Include success in administering, promoting, and developing graduate academic programs, success as a department chair or school director, experience with current Student Information Systems, a commitment to diversity and internationalization in the recruitment of students and faculty, experience as a graduate advisor, and interpersonal and problem-solving skills.

Application Procedures: The confidential review of credentials will continue until the position is filled. To assure full consideration, please submit the following before November 1, 2012: Faculty application (http://facultyrecords.provost.txstate.edu/ faculty-employment/application.html) and accompanying materials that should include a letter of intent addressing how the applicant meets specified qualifications, a vita, a list of three references and transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable) to: Dr. Cynthia Opheim, Associate Provost, c/o Lyndi Wittekiend, e-mail: lg40@txstate.edu.

Texas State University-San Marcos will not discriminate against any person in employment or exclude any person from participating in or receiving the benefits of any of its activities or programs on any basis prohibited by law, including race, color, age, national origin, religion, sex, disability, veterans’ status, or on the basis of sexual orientation.

Texas State University-San Marcos is a tobacco-free campus. Smoking and the use of any tobacco product will not be allowed anywhere on Texas State property or in university owned or leased vehicles.

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The Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania is seeking to ll up to three tenured or tenure track faculty positions (open rank) in the area of digital media to begin fall semester 2013.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. (in Communication or a related discipline) and have a strong record of teaching and research.

Responsibilities include conducting a program of research and publication, teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels including supervising doctoral dissertations, and contributing service to the school and university.

Submit letter of interest, curriculum vitae, three names of references, and up to three articles, chapters or other research to Professor Michael X. Delli Carpini, Dean, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6220.

For more information on the positions and/or to apply, please visit facultysearches.provost.upenn.edu/applicants/ Central?quickFind=51067.

To receive full consideration, applications should be received by September 15, 2012.

The University of Pennsylvania is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Minorities, females, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Department of Political Science at the University of North Carolina Asheville invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position for an appointment beginning August 2013. Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in political science by the time of appointment and show evidence of commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching as well as potential for scholarly growth. The department seeks applicants who are prepared to teach a broad array of classes in Comparative Politics and International Relations. Expertise in government and politics in one or more of the following areas is particularly desirable: China, India, Japan, the Middle East, and Russia. Consideration will be given to candidates with additional academic preparation, teaching, and/or research in one or more of the following areas of specialization: ethnicity and international relations, human rights, politics of the developing world, or related fields.

Candidates should also be prepared to teach in the Integrated Liberal Studies program — UNC Asheville’s interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum, required of all our undergraduates-including introductory (freshman) colloquia, writing and diversity intensives, the Humanities, and other interdisciplinary courses. The expected teaching load is twelve hours per semester, typically in three, 4-credit courses per semester, with a favorable student-instructor ratio.

Applications should be submitted electronically to the Political Science Department, CPO 1940, UNC Asheville, Asheville, NC 28804, and must include a letter of interest, specifically addressing the applicant’s qualifications for this position; a curriculum vitae; copies of graduate transcripts; evidence of teaching excellence; and three recent letters of recommendation The department will begin reviewing applications September 10. Members of the search committee will be available to interview candidates at the APSA meeting in New Orleans.

UNC Asheville, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina, is a studentoriented, public liberal arts institution committed to being an inclusive campus community.

We encourage applications from women and traditionally underrepresented minorities. UNC Asheville is committed to increasing and sustaining the diversity of its faculty, staff, and student body as part of its liberal arts mission. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, UNC Ashville does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, family, veteran or marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND College Park, Maryland

DEPUTY DIRECTOR Office of University Diversity The University of Maryland, College Park, one of the nation’s top public research universities, embraces diversity and inclusion as core values and has recently begun implementation of a Strategic Plan for Diversity.

The Office of University Diversity seeks a full-time Deputy Director to support the Chief Diversity Officer and to provide leadership on campus with respect to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The Deputy Director will work with faculty, staff, administrators, and students, serving as a key resource, consultant, and collaborator in considering policies and developing and evaluating initiatives to advance the Plan.

QUALIFICATIONS: A Master’s degree, preferably a doctorate. A track record of leadership, consensus-building, and successful implementation of diversity programs. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Quantitative data analysis and grant-writing skills are desirable.

APPLICATIONS: Please visit https://jobs.umd.edu for full details and to apply. Search for position number 102331. For best consideration, apply by September 4, 2012. Position will remain open until it is filled.

Please direct all questions to: Dr. Colleen “Coke” Farmer, Search Committee Chair, at cfarmer@umd.edu or (301) 405-2473.

The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity employer.

Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business wishes to hire tenure-track faculty in the area of organizations and strategy. We will consider candidates who are completing their PhD as well as more experienced candidates. Candidates must have earned a PhD (or equivalent) or expect to receive a doctorate in the near future. Typically, candidates are intellectually grounded in organizational theory, social psychology, sociology, and strategy. However, we regularly consider applications from other related intellectual traditions. More critical is whether the candidate has clear promise of research productivity and talent for bringing empirical data to bear on theoretical questions.

The organizations and markets group (O&M) develops theory and research on organizations and markets, the ways in which actors organize to manage their variable interdependence within a social structure, and the attitude and behavior implications of the resulting social organization. We are especially interested in people skilled in network analysis, however our taste in substantive applications is broad, including how organizations operate, why they differ, leadership and labor mobility within and between organizations, competitive advantage as a function of leader and organization networks, as well as processes by which leaders and organizations emerge, evolve, and change.

Appointments would begin in the 2013-14 academic year. We will begin formally reviewing applications on November 1, 2012 and strongly encourage you to complete your application by then. We will continue to accept applications until December 1, 2012. Please submit an application online, including a cover letter briefly describing your plans for future work, a vita, a written sample of your present work, and the names of two references at http://facultyapply.chicagobooth.edu.

The University of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

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P.O. Box 68 Paramus, NJ 07652-0068 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

P ri min g the Pump. ..

HEALTHY USE OF ELECTRONICS

L

Miquela Rivera, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with years of clinical, early childhood and consultative experience. She lives in Albuquerque, N.M.

atino parents raising children now face a new challenge: determining the role electronics will play in their family’s life. Like too much of any good thing, electronics – cell phones, iPods, iPads, computers and gaming systems – can become a source of family stress. Intentional decisions can help Hispanic families manage the expense, competition, jealousy and obsession that often result from increased use of e-gadgets.

Typically, parents start out buying electronics to help their children learn and to have fun. Children from Latino families of modest means want the latest cell phones, e-toys and games just like other children do, so parents might find themselves wanting to please their children yet unable to comfortably afford it. This presents a good opportunity to teach children and adolescents lessons about money. Instead of just caving in to their children’s demands for more e-gadgets, parents are wise to include the children in distinguishing their electronics needs and wants (yes, Papá wants an Xbox for the latest racing games, but Junior needs a laptop for school). From there, parents should develop a plan for such expenditures and determine the conditions under which electronics will be used.

For Latino parents with multiple demands and busy relatives who provide child care for grandchildren, TV and video games are often the fastest way to occupy a noisy brood. In the long run, though, no one benefits from that quick solution.

After more than two hours a day of “screen time” (viewing or interacting with any device with a screen), young children often have difficulty paying attention, obeying adults or following directions. For many, extended screen time diminishes their desire and tolerance for people and activities away from the screen. For other children, excessive screen time results in aggression and defiance. The quickest way to get a rapt child’s attention (whether the child is 6 or 60) is to turn the gadget or machine off.

Ironically, some electronic tools that purportedly enhance a person’s learning can actually serve to limit it. With children, passive viewing does not engage the child with other people directly, yet it is that active interpersonal engagement through which children learn the most, intellectually and socially. Even though video games might be “interactive” or

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“educational,” the child is receiving feedback from a machine. Limited time relating to others, in turn, diminishes family connections, interpersonal skills and the vocabulary that go with socializing. Though software might be designed for young children, nothing beats a skilled, sensitive human teaching the same things. Besides, children who lack exercise and rest are often too cranky to interact well with others anyway!

Issues of e-time are the same for adolescents. While teens are sometimes resistant to what adults say, too much e-time simply helps them tune out more.

Latino parents, schools and other responsible adults can help children and adolescents modulate the use of electronics. Think twice before buying or agreeing to e-toys and gadgets. Most important: determine its purpose. Is it for education? Communication? Entertainment?

Health and fitness? Children under age 13 don’t need a cell phone – but if parents agree to provide one, they should limit its capability. Calling home is necessary; an array of video games is not.

Limit times when electronics can be used. None should be allowed during meals. Why should parents compete with a buzzing gizmo? No cell phones, iPods or iPads should be taken to bed, especially with chronically sleep-deprived teens. If you want to see your children and know what they are doing, avoid televisions and computers in their bedrooms. For teens that have trouble turning off the e-juice, decrease the battle by assigning a time and place at home where everyone turns in their electronics, powered off, until the next day. While tweens and teens might object, monitor the content they view online and use parental controls for websites, social networking and games.

The long-term benefit should always be the essential question with electronics: is this going to build knowledge, skills and abilities that advance a child’s success? With awareness and intentional decisions, Hispanic parents can lessen the gap between themselves and their techsavvy children. Latino families can enjoy the many benefits that electronics provide, as long as they – not the machines – are in charge.

This article appeared online only in the 08/06/12 Issue

TARGETING HIGHER EDUCATION

Pablo Casals and His Musical Legacy for Puerto Rico

by Gustavo A. Mellander

uerto Rico is a vacation paradise for many – but it offers a lot more PLathan that.

Isla del Encanto was first settled by the Ortoiroid people between

3000 and 2000 B.C. Other tribes came later, and by the time Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493, the Taínos were the dominant indigenous culture.

Columbus landed on his second trip and named the island San Juan de Bautista in honor of John the Baptist. The natural harbor on the northern eastern part of the island was dubbed Puerto Rico, Rich Port. For reasons lost in history, the names were eventually switched.

Puerto Rico became a classic Spanish colony; it existed and was exploited for the mother country. The Spanish enslaved the Taínos, worked them harshly both on plantations and in the gold mines. Within a few decades, they were exterminated. To replenish that labor force, the Spanish began importing slaves from Africa. Although denied by revisionists nowadays, racism was alive and well for hundreds of years in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico was intensely patriotic and royalist. Those sentiments only increased after the 1820s when so many Spanish colonies declared their independence from Spain. Many loyalists fled to Puerto Rico where they waited and plotted their return to their colonial homelands; an eventuality that would never came to pass.

Puerto Rico remained a loyal Spanish colony for 400 years. In the mid1800s, segments of the population advocated independence from Spain.

Several uprisings failed. Diplomatic negotiations sputtered on and on.

Finally, in 1898 Spain granted Puerto Rico a degree of autonomy that many believed would lead to independence down the road.

But other global events were percolating that would affect Puerto Rico.

In that same year, 1898, and for many reasons, some noble and some merely selfish and imperialistic, the United States went to war with Spain.

The main battleground was Cuba. But one day during that very short war, American troops suddenly landed in Puerto Rico and, with rapid dispatch, conquered the island. It was relatively gentle but a conquest nonetheless.

The 20th Century Matters developed quickly. It was agreed early on to grant Cuba her independence, but the United States held on to Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

In 1900, the U.S. Congress passed the Foraker Act, which established civilian government on the island. The Jones Act in 1917 granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. Thousands would volunteer and fight in the first World War. A series of men born in the U.S. were appointed governors of the island. Finally, in the 1940s, a native Puerto Rican was appointed, and in 1952, commonwealth status was achieved for Puerto Rico wherein it became self-governing – electing a governor, a legislature and other customary elective positions as they deemed fit.

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The Arts Puerto Rico is a very small island, only 35 miles wide and 100 long. Yet it has long contributed to the worldwide arts scene. Music, drama and literature have all flourished, first among the privileged classes, but by the 20th century, all classes participated robustly.

There is a palatable joy of living among the four million Puerto Ricans on the island – as there is among the four million who live in the United States. They take great pride in their artistic accomplishments, including the fact that their tiny island has produced five Miss Universe winners.

Pablo Casals Every year, Puerto Rico hosts a series of classical music performances with artists from around the world. They honor Pablo Casals, who founded the Casals Festival in 1956.

Born in Catalonia, Spain, in 1876, Pau, later known as Pablo, spent many years in self-exile in Puerto Rico, his mother’s birthplace. He lived to be nearly 97.

He was a world-renowned cellist and performed throughout Europe from a very early age. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time. Throughout his career, he recorded solo, chamber and orchestral music. He is particularly honored for the Bach Cello Suites recorded from 1936 to 1939.

Childhood Casals’ father, Carlos Casals, a parish organist and choirmaster, tutored Pablo in piano, song, violin and organ. At the tender age of 4, he played the violin, piano and flute; by age 6, he played the violin well enough to perform a solo in public.

His first encounter with a cello-like instrument was hearing a traveling Catalan musician, who played a cello-strung broom handle. Upon request, Casals’ father built him a crude cello using a gourd as the sound-box.

When Casals was 11, he heard his first real cello; he dedicated himself to that instrument.

In 1888, his mother, Pilar Defilló, born in Puerto Rico of Catalonian ancestry, took him to Barcelona, to the Escola Municipal de Música, to

study cello and piano.

In 1890, when he was 13, he discovered in a Barcelona secondhand sheet music store a tattered copy of Bach’s six cello suites. He spent the next 13 years practicing every day before he would perform them in public. Casals would later create his own personal version of the six suites.

In 1893, he was introduced to María Cristina, Spain’s Queen Regent.

Casals played concerts at the palace and was granted a royal stipend to study composition at the Conservatorio de Música y Declamación in Madrid.

In 1895, he went to Paris and played cello in the Folies Marigny. In 1896, he returned to Barcelona as a faculty member of the Escola Municipal de Música. In 1897, he appeared as soloist with the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and was awarded the Order of Carlos III by the Queen.

By 1899, Casals performed at the Crystal Palace in London, and later for Queen Victoria. He also appeared as a soloist at Lamoureux Concerts in Paris, to tremendous public and critical acclaim. In 1901-02, he made his first tour of the United States and in 1903 toured South America.

On Jan. 15, 1904, Casals performed at the White House for President Theodore Roosevelt. Later he debuted at Carnegie Hall, playing Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote.

Casals organized his Orquesta Pau Casals and conducted its first concert in October 1920. In 1936, with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, an event that would change his life, the Orquesta Pau Casals ceased its activities.

Casals, an ardent supporter of the Spanish Republican government, vowed not to return to Spain until democracy was restored. He never did.

He settled in a French village on the Spanish frontier; between 1939 and 1942, he made sporadic appearances as a cellist in the unoccupied zone of southern France.

Prades Festivals In 1950, he resumed his career as conductor and cellist at the Prades Festival organized in commemoration of the bicentenary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. Casals agreed to participate on condition that all proceeds be donated to a refugee hospital.

In 1952, Casals met Marta Angélica Montañez, a 17-year-old Puerto Rican student who participated in the festival. Casals was very impressed with her and encouraged her to return to New York to continue her studies.

Years in Puerto Rico Casals went to Puerto Rico in 1955 and inaugurated the annual Casals Festival the following year. In 1957, at 80, Casals married 20-year-old Marta Montañez.

Casals made significant and lasting contributions to the Puerto Rican classical music scenario. Among many achievements, he founded the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in 1958 and the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in 1959. Both are still flourishing.

The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra The Puerto Rico Symphony, Puerto Rico’s foremost musical ensemble, is sponsored by the island’s government. It has 80 musicians from around the world performing a 48-week season that includes symphonic concerts, operas, ballets, pops and other activities.

The symphony has hosted internationally renowned artists, including Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Alicia de Larrocha, among others, and has performed in many Latin American countries and the United States.

In addition to its regular season, the symphony organizes concerts and activities to fulfill Casals’ dream of fostering classical music in Puerto Rico.

These activities include: Conoce tu Orquesta (“Know Your Orchestra”), La Sinfónica en tu Pueblo (“The Orchestra in Your Town”), La Sinfónica en las Universidades (“The Orchestra in Universities”), and La Sinfónica en los Residenciales (“The Orchestra in the Projects”).

The Conservatory of Music The Conservatory of Music, originally envisioned as a school to prepare musicians for the symphony and music teachers for the public education system, is sponsored by the government as well. It has become a musical landmark in the Caribbean, providing advanced academic studies in various music arenas to local as well as international students.

Its focus is on “the harmonious development of musicians in the fields of music interpretation and composition, jazz and teaching.” It hosts internationally renowned musicians as faculty and has a longstanding relationship with the classical music movement in Puerto Rico.

The conservatory offers postsecondary degrees in music, including bachelor’s degrees in musical composition, music education, voice, classical guitar, symphony instruments, jazz, Caribbean music and piano.

Further, a master’s degree in music education as well as continuing education programs and teacher certifications are offered.

Later Years Casals consistently refused to perform in countries that recognized Franco’s government. But he made a notable exception when he performed at the White House in November 1961, at the invitation of President John F. Kennedy.

The performance was recorded and released as an album for aficionados worldwide. In 1963, Casals was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Casals was also a composer. His oratorio “El Pessebre” was performed for the first time in Mexico, in December 1960. He also presented it at the United Nations during its 1963 anniversary.

One of his last compositions was the “Hymn of the United Nations.”

He conducted its first performance in a special concert at the United Nations in October 1971, two months before his 95th birthday. He was awarded the U.N. Peace Medal in recognition of his stance for peace, justice and freedom.

Casals accepted the medal and made his famous “I am a Catalan” speech, where he noted that Catalonia had the first democratic parliament, long before England did.

Casals died in 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the age of 96 and is buried at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.

Continuing Influences In Puerto Rico, the Casals Festival is the highlight of the artistic season.

Every year, renowned artists from around the world compete to perform.

Thousands from throughout the world flock to attend. The next festival is scheduled for late February 2013.

The symphony and the conservatory continue true to his ideals.

Tributes keep raining on this 50 percent Puerto Rican who adopted his mother’s homeland and made so many contributions. A museum dedicated to his life, located in Old San Juan, chronicles his successes.

In 2009, Sala Sinfonica Pablo Casals, a symphony hall named in Casals’ honor, was inaugurated in San Juan. The $34 million building is the latest addition to the Centro de Bellas Artes complex. It is also the new home of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.

American comedian George Carlin, in an interview, cited Casals when discussing the nature of an artist’s persona. As Carlin noted, when Casals was asked at age 93 why he continued to practice the cello three hours a day, Casals replied, “I’m beginning to notice some improvement.”

Pablo Casals: a talented life well lived.

In the late 1960s, Dr. Mellander was dean of academic affairs at Inter American University of Purto Rico and interviewed Pablo Casals several times.

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