As the curator of Latino art and history at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Taína Caragol has been shining a spotlight on the contributions of U.S. Latinos in American history and links the historical interactions between Latin America and the U.S. through the 19th Century to the present.
The portrait of the first governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marin, made its Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery (NPG) debut on Thursday. Painted by Francisco Rodón, the oil-on-canvas portrait could play a major role in establishing a dialogue between U.S. and Puerto Rican history.
The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery launched its latest exhibition, and it features civil and human rights icon Dolores Huerta. The "One Life: Dolores Huerta" exhibition opened on July 3 in Washington, D.C.,
Smithsonian's Exhibit: American Sabor explores the influences of Latinos in popular American music, across a number of genres. The dynamic display and exhibition captures the presence and contribution of Latinos in punk rock, rock n' roll, hip hop, jazz, and rhythm and blues. And, it showcases how Carlos Sanata, Selena, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and many others motivated a Latin quality in music that isn't generally inclusive of Hispanics. Distinctive musical styles, such as salsa, rumba and mambo, penetrated the American music scene and helped to make Latinos visible.
