The Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center (ALAC), located in the heart of downtown Phoenix at Adams and Second streets, serves as an outlet for local Latinos, as well as a place where others can learn about Hispanic culture.
The Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center is currently hosting the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit, “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.”
The interactive exhibit explores the musical history of artists including Ritchie Valens, Carlos Santana and Selena Quintanilla-Perez. The exhibit is broken down into five major regional hubs of music: San Francisco, San Antonio, Texas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City.
Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns, director of special projects and development for ALAC, said he hopes that when people visit the 2,800 square-foot exhibit, they can see the melting pot of influences that have contributed to popular music.
“Musicians and music do not have borders,” Lazos-Ferns said. “It’s a really exciting exhibit to visit.”
The center was founded in 2009 because while most major metropolitan areas had a Latino cultural center or museum, Phoenix was void of one, Lazos-Ferns said.
“There was need to bring a center and a space for Latinos and also to act as a bridge in community for other community groups to understand Latino arts and culture,” Lazos-Ferns said.
A coalition of 13 different Latino community groups came together to found the center. Their aim was to illuminate, celebrate and promote Latinos in Arizona through education, advocacy and collaboration, Lazos-Ferns said.
One of the center’s priorities is to establish a network for artists and art organizations. They also provide a platform for emerging artists to feature their paintings, sculptures and other works of art by offering gallery and studio spaces.
Ramon Aguirre, a local artist who also works for the center, said it’s important that Latino culture is preserved in Phoenix.
“We help promote local artists, but also the people that like to join us,” Aguirre said. “You can find culture here.”
Stacy Espinoza, communications and administrative coordinator for the center, said that engaging with the artists and helping them thrive is important to the center.
She said the center acts to educate those who may not understand the Latino and Hispanic culture.
“I enjoy helping the community and meeting the diverse pool of individuals in the community,” Espinoza said.
Lazos-Ferns said that because indigenous people have inhabited Arizona for so long, it is important that there is a space and a footprint of the culture and diversity of not just the Latino groups.
“It is important that there is equal representation,” Lazos-Ferns said. “Having the city behind it is a statement to the important contributions that Latinos have made over the course of Arizona history to the city of Phoenix.”
The Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center’s main exhibition space, Galeria 147, houses a vast range of paintings, sculptures and works of art from across Arizona.
The center has also started working with undocumented children in schools through an outreach program. Lazos-Ferns said that advocacy is a major part of the center.
“My favorite part about being involved with the center is being able to expand the awareness and contributions of Arizona Hispanics and Latinos to the wider community,” Lazos-Ferns said. “To advocate for young emerging artists and Latinos in the public as well. To contribute more highly as engaged citizens through the arts.”
““American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music” is in the final leg of its 12-city nationwide tour, and will run until July 5.
Contact the reporter at Hope.Flores@asu.edu
