Tesoros features Hispanic artwork

IU boasts a rich history of Hispanic culture, and the Latino Studies Program is showing that history off with artwork and live music.

Tesoros Latinos, created to showcase the variety of Hispanic art on display, is sponsored by the IU Art Museum and the Latino Studies Program.

The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the museum. 

The program will begin with live music from Brazilian trio BRAMUS, followed by a tour led by the museum’s curators. This tour will present pieces from the pre-Columbian era and the works of Cuban-American artist Emilio Sanchez and others.

A reception with more live music will close the evening.   
   
Ann Fields, coordinator of curatorial and educational programs at the museum, said the goal of this program is to feature works created by people of Hispanic heritage.

She said the program can serve as an educational outlet for the public.

“The museum’s collection has terrific breadth, which lends itself nicely to creating programs like this,” she said.

John Nieto-Phillips, director of the Latino Studies Program, said Tesoros Latinos is the first of hopefully many events that will bring attention to the vast collection of Hispanic materials and artifacts available to the community.

“There are a lot of Hispanic treasures, and we just want to highlight them,” he said.

Jenny McComas, a curator at the museum and leader of the Sanchez artwork section of the tour, said this event offers the opportunity to zone in on one culture.

“Even though we do not have large holdings of Latin American art, it is important to feature it when possible in order to draw attention to the significant artistic production of this part of the world,” she said.

McComas said the artwork in the tour is a sampling of the holdings at the museum, and they are rotated frequently.

Tesoros Latinos is part of an all-day event sponsored by the Latino Studies Program, as a symposium about the politics of language precedes the event, Nieto-Phillips said.

When it comes to the museum’s program, he said he hopes it will cause people to foster a sense of unity.  

“I’m excited about creating a multicultural event that brings people together and that allows people to appreciate great art,” Nieto-Phillips said. “It’s a moment when we can all come together.”  
 
Fields said the event should remind the community the arts are not an exclusive endeavor.  

“We are trying to help everyone remember that art belongs to the public and that these treasures are here for everyone to see,” Fields said.

Follow reporter Kourtney Liepelt on Twitter @KourtneyLiepelt.