Representing the Nation Latino Art at the Smithsonian Institution

As the institutions charged with preserving and purveying our collective history and identity came under close scrutiny in the 1990s, the Smithsonian Institution was accused of having ignored Latino culture for decades, and it responded with a number of initiatives to right more than a century of wrongs. "Arte Latino," one of a series of traveling exhibits launched in 1999, presented a sampling of the Latino artworks in the institution's collection. Visits to two installations of the exhibit, one with a predominantly Latino audience and one with a predominantly non-Latino one, showed how context and reception ascribe meaning and how an emphasis on authenticity can reinforce dualities. Ethnically organized exhibits run the risk of merely placating underrepresented artists and showcasing the exotic. While cultural specificity can heighten awareness, instill pride, and redress neglect, it can also impede communication, emphasize difference and divisiveness, and undermine its own goals.