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The Interpretationand Representation ofLatinoResearch and Museumsand contemporary Latino culture is rarely explained within museums and educational programs. Inaddition, there are relatively few opportunities for Latino scholars and professionals at museums toexchange information and work collectively to produce new, exciting exhibitions and programs thatdig deep into historic collections and revive a sense of a profound, ever-changing heritage.As U.S. Hispanics and Latinos grow in numbers and significance, it is increasingly important for thenation to know and understand what Hispanics and Latinos have contributed to the United Statesfor more than 400 years and what Hispanics and Latinos contribute to U.S. culture and society today.The challenge for scholars, including those at the Smithsonian Institution, is to advance knowledgeand understanding of Hispanics and Latinos within the United States.The Inter-University Program for Latino ResearchIn 1983, leading scholars founded the Inter-University Program for Latino Research. The purposewas to effect change through expanding the body of knowledge about Latinos at the local, state,regional, national, and international levels. IUPLR's mission is to share resources and advance scholarship,thus illuminating conditions and providing information to meet challenges that face Latinosin the United States. IUPLR-sponsored research also serves to inform public policy on these issues.As a consortium of 16 Latino research centers at major universities across the United States, IUPLRis the only nationwide university-based research organization that brings together scholars from awide variety of disciplines to conduct policy-relevant research on Latinos. The primary objectives ofIUPLR are to expand the pool of scholars and leaders, strengthen the capacity of Latino research centers,and facilitate the availability of policy-relevant, Latino-focused research. IUPLR offers trainingprograms, sponsors interdisciplinary research pertinent to Latinos and the nation as a whole, and createslinks among scholars, policy experts, public officials, and community advocates.The Smithsonian Center for Latino InitiativesIn May 1997, the Smithsonian Institution’s governing body—the Board of Regents—formally establishedthe Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives. The Center's mission is to advance knowledgeand understanding of Latino contributions to U.S. history, culture, and society. As the SmithsonianBoard of Regents stated, “The Latino presence in the Americas is centuries old, culturally rich anddemographically vast and growing…. The Center is dedicated to the generation of new knowledge…tothe end that American history and culture may be understood and displayed in all its diversity.”To accomplish the Center’s mission, staff focus on generating knowledge through research and scholarship;interpreting and communicating knowledge through exhibitions, public programs, and onlineand electronic capabilities; and building dialog and relationships among U.S. Latino communities,the Smithsonian Institution, and other educational and research organizations, foundations, corporations,and government agencies.The Center is now part of the proud Smithsonian tradition as the world's largest museum andresearch complex. To achieve its purpose as “an Establishment for the increase and diffusion ofknowledge,” the Smithsonian maintains 16 museums in Washington, D.C. and New York City, theNational Zoological Park, and seven research facilities in the United States and overseas.6 Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives
Latino Graduate Training Seminarin Qualitative MethodologyInterpreting Latino Cultures:Research and MuseumsA Seven-Year ReportThis seminar is designed to bring Latina and Latino graduate students from across the country towork together with distinguished Latina and Latino faculty, Smithsonian professionals, and curatorsand archivists from other national collections. The purpose is to support the career developmentof Latina and Latino graduate students and expose them to research career opportunities inmuseums and other public-oriented humanities institutions. The program seeks ultimately toincrease the number of professional Latinas and Latinos in museums and institutions of highereducation.Each year, 15 students from graduate programs in U.S. colleges and universities are selected on acompetitive basis. An advisory board of scholars and Smithsonian staff make the selections.The seminar is sponsored by the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives and Inter-UniversityProgram for Latino Research.Participants’ Fields of Study, 1994-2001•Visual Arts•Art and Art History• Latin American Art History•Mid-Nineteenth Century BorderlandsHistory• Mexican and Chicano Literary Art• Mexican and Mexican Americans in El Paso(Twentieth Century)• Outreach Education• Inter-Cultural Communication• Chicano Art and Art History• Religious Studies (Chicano and Mexican)•Representations of Latino Identity/Ethnic Studies• Post-Colonial Studies• Chicano Cultural Production:Art, Literature, and Drama• Immigration, Race, and Ethnic Relations• Pictorial Arts, Painting, Murals, and PublicAdministration• Folklore/History, Music, and Identity• Education, Educational Policies• Cultural AnthropologyThe Interpretation and Representation of Latino Cultures: Research and Museums– A National Conference at the Smithsonian Institution 7
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