There has been a lot of emails I’ve received regarding the National Latino Museum and the advocacy around supporting the creation of such a space in Washington, DC. The proposed National Latino Museum would be on the National Mall where many Smithsonian museums are located.

I have to admit that I am torn about this museum for various reasons. Not because of the folks who are advocating for the space (Eva Longoria-Parker and Emilio Estefan, Jr. are some of the celebrity pull), yet because I grew up going to Smithsonian museums as a child. Growing up in Maryland, and for those of you unaware the metro system in the area connects DC, Maryland, and Virginia, my father is an artist and many weekends we would go as a family into the city and hang out on the Mall.

My parents were also big hippies and support(ed) the independence of Puerto Rico throughout my childhood, (they still do to an extent, but right now they are focusing on staying alive as older adults with various health issues they didn’t imagine). As a result, my parents made it clear to us that the Smithsonian museums, although free, open to the public, entertaining, and something we were taking advantage of because of those three things; it was a government (especially federal) building.

One of the reasons they shared this with us was because they wanted us to understand what it means that we are consuming art that is considered by the US government worthy of exhibition. There are a lot of problems and privileges that come with having art supported by a government that continues to cut funding for the arts in public schools. It’s actually something that I find ironic, especially when the museums began to implement the alarm/censors that go off when you get too close to a piece of art. Additional irony: officers as security in the museum. I understand protecting and making sure the pieces are not harmed/altered/bothered but having visitors under surveillance was a jarring experience and remains one to this day for me.

Yet, there is still a desire among many artists to occupy space in the Smithsonian museums. My parents still visit and take advantage of the free experiences and exhibits they offer several times a year. There is a connection to finding art valuable and validating it once it enters the Smithsonian and is on display regardless of the amount of time.

I witnessed what my father had to go through, endure, and survive trying to get his art recognized, seen, sold, and exhibited. Parts of my rememory of this time is watching how some folks at the Museums asked my father to alter some of his pieces. This is his story to tell so I won’t do that, but watching him go through that process, to alter his creation or not, was something I won’t ever forget. Those asking may have considered the request minor, but it really impacted my father and our family. The experience has given me a new insight into what artists and media makers of various spaces encounter.

As a result, I have to say I’m torn with whether or not I am going to support the attempt to create a National Latino Museum by the National Museum of the American Latino Commission. It is not because I support the perspective of Jim Moran (Rep. Virginia (Democrat) who stated to the New York Times that he doesn’t “ want a situation where whites go to the original museum, African-Americans go to the African-American museum, Indians go to the Indian museum, Hispanics go to the Latino American museum. That’s not America.”

Instead I struggle with what it may mean for Latinos when we encourage our artists to find validation in our government supporting their artwork and media making. There are many ways to have museums that center our work, don’t have armed police officers present, and that continue to share our experiences and perspectives. I fear that some stories will not be valued, shared, or featured in a National Latino Museum based on whatever political climate may be at a certain time in Washington, DC. For those VL readers who are in DC, you know how often the political climate changes!

Part of what the National Museum of the American Latino Commission is made up of 23 members and envisions:

The 23-member National Museum of the American Latino Commission (the commission) is tasked by Congress to provide a report on the creation of a potential Museum of the American Latino, which would focus on American Latino life, art, history and culture.

The commission members were selected by the president and bi-partisan congressional leaders in 2008 and 2009. The commission will report on possible sites for the museum, potential content, suggested structure/governance and fund-raising strategies.

The commission also seeks input and feedback from the public on the development and design of the museum; American Latino art, history and culture; potential impact on regional Latino museums; and general interest in the creation of a potential Museum of the American Latino.

The Commission made gathering public input a high priority while exploring the potential creation of the National Museum of the American Latino. From the beginning, every decision has been tied to the perspective of the United States public. Since September of 2009, the Commission has carried out an extensive process to receive the input, ideas and sentiments of Americans throughout the nation, regarding the feasibility of the potential creation of an American Latino museum in Washington, D.C. Traveling across the United States and its territories, the Commission held public forums in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Miami, Austin and San Juan Puerto Rico. The Commission heard from thousands of people throughout the entire country. The community spoke, and the Commission listened. One primary theme resonated clearly throughout the forums — Latinos are part of the fabric of this nation, and there is an urgency, desire, and need for a museum to highlight and preserve this great heritage for the benefit of all Americans. Americans throughout the nation, regarding the feasibility of the potential creation of an American Latino museum in Washington, D.C. Traveling across the United States and its territories, the Commission held public forums in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Miami, Austin and San Juan Puerto Rico. The Commission heard from thousands of people throughout the entire country. The community spoke, and the Commission listened. One primary theme resonated clearly throughout the forums — Latinos are part of the fabric of this nation, and there is an urgency, desire, and need for a museum to highlight and preserve this great heritage for the benefit of all Americans.

The New York Times reported that the commission has identified a few parameters for the physical space it seeks to occupy:

The Latino museum commission envisions a 310,000-square-foot building, roughly the same size as the African-American museum. As of last summer it had narrowed its list of desired sites to four, all of them on the National Mall.

Three of the options would entail additions to existing buildings — including, in one case, the vacant Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building.

The commission is scheduled to release a document to Congress in the beginning of May of their 2-year findings asking Latinos if they want such a museum. I don’t remember being asked any such questions regarding a National Latino Museum, but I do want to know what are some of the opinions and ideas of our VL readers on this topic. Are you torn like I am, or are you clear about where you stand on this museum?