National Museum of the American Latino
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The National Museum of the American Latino is a future
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
museum dedicated to highlighting the contributions of
American Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...
in U.S. history and culture.Abbady, Tal. "A Museum of Their Own." ''Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.'' July 22, 2008. It will be situated in a "signature location on the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
" in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in the United States. A commission to study the idea of the museum was originally created in 2008, and its May 2011 report called for federal legislation to establish a museum. Legislation was subsequently introduced in Congress and the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 () is a $2.3trillion spending bill that combines $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States with a $1.4trillion omnibus spending bill for the 2021 federal fiscal yea ...
established the museum.


History


Background and beginnings

The idea for a national Smithsonian museum dedicated to the artistic, musical, literary, political, economic, and other socio-economic contributions of Americans with Cuban, Mexican, South American, and Spanish backgrounds (among others) was first broached in the mid-1990s. In April 1993,
Robert McCormick Adams, Jr. Robert McCormick Adams Jr. (July 23, 1926 – January 27, 2018) was an American anthropologist and secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1984–94). He worked in both the Near East and Mesoamerica. A long time professor of the University of ...
, Secretary of the Smithsonian, and Under Secretary
Constance Berry Newman Constance Ernestine Berry Newman (born July 8, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American attorney and diplomat who served as the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from July 2004 to April 2005. Early life and educati ...
appointed a 15-member task force to study the role of and focus on Latinos in Smithsonian Institution budget, collections and exhibits, governance, personnel policies, and programs. In 1994, it issued a report, titled ''Willful Neglect'', which concluded that the Smithsonian had ignored the contributions of Hispanics and Latinos in its exhibits and that a new national museum might help to correct the problem. In 2003,
Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...
Xavier Becerra introduced legislation to establish a commission to study such a museum. It became law on May 8, 2008, creating the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino, with 23 members appointed by the president and congressional leadership. The commission was authorized to spend $3.2 million over two years, and charged with studying the need for a museum, the museum's vision and purpose, possible governance structure, potential sites, construction costs, and how funds for the museum might be raised. The commission held its inaugural meeting on September 18–19, 2009. Henry Munoz III, a San Antonio architect, was chosen as the commission's chairman.Yanez, Luisa. "Panel Discusses Museum That Will Honor Latinos." ''Miami Herald.'' February 26, 2010. In February 2010, the commission gave a preliminary estimate of $250 million to $500 million for construction alone. The commission hired contractors to help with its feasibility studies. A series of public meetings were held to judge public interest in a museum, and provide input and feedback on the issues under discussion by the commission. In May 2010, commission staff said that the commission was considering a traveling or virtual museum, as well as locating the museum in a city other than
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The commission also heard testimony voicing concern over the use of the word "Latino" in the museum's name.


Report

On April 21, 2011, the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' reported that the commission had already settled on a building about in size, which would be approximately the same size as the $250 million
National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
. The commission was said to have selected four sites on the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
for the proposed museum. The commission issued its report on May 4, 2011.Taylor, Kate. "Commission Asks Congress to Support a Smithsonian American Latino Museum." ''New York Times.'' May 5, 2011.
Accessed 2012-08-07.
Nine sites were considered for the potential museum, including one on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. But this site, although preferred by the commission, was ultimately rejected due to security concerns and because the land would continue to be owned by the United States Senate and not the Smithsonian. Instead, it recommended that an underground museum be built on the National Mall next to and below the Arts and Industries Building, with an entrance and introductory displays within a portion of that historic structure.Alvardo, Monsy. "Menendez Among Backers of Bill to Create Smithsonian American Latinos Museum." ''Bergen Record.'' November 16, 2011. The commission said it would cost $600 million to build and endow the museum, and said that half of this money should be raised from private donors. Congress would not need to provide funding until at least 2017. Fundraising for both construction and the endowment would take 10 years.Boehm, Mike. "La Plaza Stumbles as Push for National Museum Gains Foothold." ''Los Angeles Times.'' December 19, 2011.


Legislative attempts to establish a museum

In November 2011, nine members of the Senate and two members of the House of Representatives introduced legislation (H.R. 3459) in Congress to authorize the Smithsonian to establish the new museum and to proceed with planning and fund-raising. On December 8, the grou
Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino
(FRIENDS) announced that actress
Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytim ...
and music producer
Emilio Estefan Emilio Estefan Gómez (born March 4, 1953) is a Cuban-born American musician and producer. Estefan has won 19 Grammy Awards. He first came to prominence as a member of the Miami Sound Machine. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan, father ...
would lead a campaign to build support for the museum. The museum proposal drew criticism for encouraging cultural isolationism, for seeking space on the already-crowded National Mall, and for its cost. The 2011 legislation was not acted on.Boehm, Mike. "Backers of American Latino National Museum Push Bill in Congress." ''Los Angeles Times.'' March 18, 2013.
Accessed 2013-07-31.
On March 15, 2013, new legislation (H.R. 1217/S. 568) was introduced to designate the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building as the site of the museum. The bills, co-sponsored by Senators Bob Menendez,
Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
, and Marco Rubio and Representatives Xavier Becerra and
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (; born Ileana Carmen Ros y Adato, July 15, 1952) is a politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior U.S. Representative from Florida. She ...
, would also require the Smithsonian to establish a formal panel to study how to fund the museum and what a construction timeline should be. The bills would not commit the government to build the museum, however. Museum backers already had a design for the proposed museum and began a formal push to win passage of the legislation that year, but Fox News Latino called the museum effort "in indefinite limbo" and the bills did not move forward. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in both houses reintroduced legislation in June 2017. They were joined on the Capitol grounds by actress and activist Diane Guerrero and FRIENDS, a coalition of corporations, nonprofits and trade associations, to formally introduce the legislation, the National Museum of the American Latino Act (H.R. 2911), to secure a location on the National Mall. The legislation followed the funding model of the newly opened and highly acclaimed National Museum of African American History and Culture with a 50/50 split of public and private dollars. It also authorizes the Smithsonian Institution to conduct a feasibility study over an 18-month period. The museum was established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 in December 2020, along with the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. The bill provides half of the funding for the museum's construction, with the other half expected to come from private donations, as with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It created a board of trustees that acquire artifacts for the museum, develop content of exhibits, and coordinate fundraising. Sites under consideration in the bill are the Arts and Industries Building, the
Jamie L. Whitten Building The U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building, also known as the Jamie L. Whitten Building, houses the administrative offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. The Administration Building projects into th ...
, the site across the mall from the African American Museum, and the site east of the National Gallery of Art.


First exhibit and future opening

In June 2022, the
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...
started hosting ''¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States'', which is classified as the first exhibit of the new museum. The exhibit serves as a "101 on American Latino presence in the United States and how it fits into the larger American history narrative" according to Jorge Zamanillo, the director of the National Museum of the American Latino. The full museum as an exclusive building is planned to open in 2024 at the earliest.


References


External links


National Museum of the American Latino official websiteCommission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino official Web site
{{authority control United States federal boards, commissions, and committees Proposed museums in the United States Smithsonian Institution museums Latino museums in the United States