Recognition of Latinx Heritage Month at the MFA to Include Boston Latino International Film Festival and Concert Series Co-Presented with IBA Boston

BOSTON (August 28, 2019)—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), will recognize Latinx Heritage Month with a new addition to its popular series of community celebrations: Latinx Heritage Night, presented in partnership with Amplify Latinx, whose mission is to advance Latinx leadership and civic engagement. During the free event on the evening of September 18, visitors can enjoy spoken word, live music, dance performances, a fashion show/designer meet-up, a photography exhibition and more. Tours of the galleries will explore works of art from North, Central and South America from all time periods, which can be found throughout the Art of the Americas Wing. This new annual event signals a renewed focus on community as the Museum prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2020—a yearlong celebration focused on enhancing the power of art and artists, honoring the past and reimagining the future.

“The opportunity to co-create a celebration of Latinx heritage and culture with local Latinx artists and arts organizations in partnership with the MFA is groundbreaking for us,” said Rosario Ubiera-Minaya, executive director of Amplify Latinx. “As the Latinx community in Greater Boston and Massachusetts continues to grow, it is vital for our arts institutions to recognize the important contributions that Latinos have made in the arts for centuries, and to curate programming and opportunities for engagement that reflect our diversity and that are relevant to the community. We are thrilled to showcase our community partners and their incredible arts offerings in this truly special event.”

The Museum’s diverse holdings of American art are among the most significant in the nation and feature masterpieces ranging from gold of the ancient Americas to Mayan ceramics, as well as more recent acquisitions of colonial Latin American art and works by 20th-century artists such as Frida Kahlo. Latinx Heritage Night is supported by Leigh Braude-Borowski and Marek Borowski, Lorraine Bressler and Family, Darwin Cordoba, Gamaliel Herrera, Andrea and Antonio Porres, and Jim and Rachel Solomon.

Musical acts taking place throughout the evening include performances by the Sociedad Latina Youth Artistry Band; Los Sugar Kings, a Boston-based group specializing in Cuban rock and reggae fusion; and Franco Leon, a Peruvian-born, Boston-based classical pianist. Visitors are invited to experience a multi-media performance by Yo Soy LOLA (Latinas Orgullosas de Las Artes), a group that reclaims the Latina narrative through spoken word, acting, dance, music and film. Additionally, Boston’s first all-female Latin band, 3nity, will team up with SambaViva for a performance blending the sounds of Latin, American and African cultures with bold choreographies.

Throughout the evening, visitors are invited to join a City Talk discussion on themes in MFA exhibitions that affect the Latinx community in Boston, culturally, socially and politically; listen to José Luis Falconi, curator, poet and Brandeis professor, as he reads a selection of poems by Latinx authors; drop in on tours highlighting art by Latin American and Latinx artists on view throughout the Museum; and stop by Drawing in the Galleries to sketch from a live model. Presented in partnership with WBUR, Estelas de Maria, a special photography exhibition on view for the evening in the Druker Family Pavilion, chronicles the devastation in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria. Visitors are welcome to explore the exhibition and engage with the photographers, Jesse Costa and Simón Ríos.

Latinx Heritage Night is part of a series of annual community celebrations that take place at the MFA throughout the year, which also include Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lunar New Year, Nowruz, Memorial Day, Highland Street Foundation Free Fun Friday, ASL Night, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Diwali and Hanukkah. All of these events are co-created with valued community partners, artists and performers, highlighting external perspectives and local expertise.

Boston Latino International Film Festival

As part of Latinx Heritage Month, the MFA will present the opening night of the Boston Latino International Film Festival on the evening of September 25 with a screening of The Infiltrators (2019), a docu-thriller that tells the true story of young immigrants arrested by U.S. Border Patrol and placed in a detention center. Since its inception in 2001, the Boston Latino International Film Festival has been committed to using the power of film to break stereotypes, bring cultures and communities together and reveal the complex issues that affect the Latinx community in the U.S. and other Spanish-speaking countries. The film, co-presented with The Docyard, will be followed by a discussion with directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra. The screening begins at 7:30 pm in the Barbara and Theodore Alford Auditorium and features English subtitles.

Patricia Zárate-Pérez Concert

Presented in partnership with IBA – Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, Boston’s Latino arts hub, Patricia Zárate-Pérez will celebrate the release of her new album Violetas with a performance at the MFA on November 8. The concert will be the first in a series of co-productions with IBA throughout the winter and spring of 2020. The album explores the songs that the jazz alto saxophonist has been writing for the past decade alongside her band. Zárate-Pérez has performed at venues across the world, including the Lincoln Center, Conservatory of Paris and the Havana Jazz Festival.

Schedule of Latinx Heritage Night Events

Free admission to the Museum begins at 4 pm

Welcome

6:30 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Welcome remarks from Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA; and Rosario Ubiera-Minaya, executive director, Amplify Latinx.

Pop-up Tours

5:50 pm, Levels LG, 1, and 3, Art of the Americas Wing

Join ongoing tours highlighting art by Latin American and Latinx artists whose work is on view throughout the Museum.

Art Making: Weaving with Gold

5:30–7 pm, Education Center in the Druker Family Pavilion, Room 160

Discover Colombian artist Olga de Amaral’s Strata II, on view in Women Take the Floor, Gallery 328. Learn about her techniques and inspirations and make your own glittering wall hanging to take home.

Drawing in the Galleries

6–8:45 pm, Gallery 268

Stop by and sketch from a live model while learning drawing tips and techniques.

Highlights of the Museum Collections

6:15 pm, Meet at Sharf Visitor Center

Sociedad Latina Youth Artistry Band

6:45–7:15 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Enjoy a performance by the Youth Artistry Band from Sociedad Latina, a Boston organization that aims to create a world where Latinx youth see themselves as change makers through arts and culture combined with education and leadership.

The City Talks

7–8 pm, Gallery 168

Join Boston-area thinkers, entrepreneurs, activists and artists for a discussion on themes in MFA exhibitions that affect the Latinx community in Boston, culturally, socially and politically.

Fashion Show and Designer Meet-up

8–9 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

See the newest trends in dress at a fashion show curated by Jay Calderin, founder of Boston Fashion Week, highlighting local Latinx and student designers. Afterwards, meet with the designers.

Franco Leon

7–8:15 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Listen as Peruvian-born, Boston-based pianist Franco Leon performs short classical pieces by Latinx composers.

Yo Soy LOLA

8 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Experience a one-of-a-kind performance from Yo Soy LOLA (Latinas Orgullosas de Las Artes), reclaiming the Latina narrative through spoken word, acting, dance, music, film and more.

Dominican Carnaval: “Diablos Cojuelos”

8–9 pm, Calderwood Courtyard

Experience the vibrancy and diversity of the Dominican Republic through dance, history and folklore.

Photography Exhibition: Estelas de Maria

8–10 pm, Education Center in the Druker Family Pavilion, Room 159

See Estelas de Maria, a photo montage by photographers Jesse Costa and Simón Ríos chronicling the devastation in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria, and engage with the photographers. Presented in partnership with WBUR. 

José Luis Falconi Latinx Poetry

8:15–9:15 pm, Galleries LG32 and LG33

Join José Luis Falconi, curator, poet and professor at Brandeis University, as he reads a selection of poems by Latinx authors.

3nity and SambaViva

8:30 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Hear blended sounds of Latin, American and African cultures from 3nity, Boston’s first all-female Latin band. Experience the color, movement and energy of SambaViva’s bold choreographies and contagious rhythms.

Los Sugar Kings

9 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Catch a performance from Los Sugar Kings, a Boston-based group specializing in Cuban rock and reggae fusion.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Education, access and community programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), connect visitors from Boston’s neighborhoods, New England and around the world with art. The MFA welcomes more than one million visitors annually, serving many through its learning and community engagement programs. Opportunities for free and discounted admission for students, teachers, children, EBT card holders and military personnel and veterans can be found at mfa.org/visit, including free access for college students through the MFA’s University Membership and Pozen Community College Access program. Visitors can also learn about access programming for visitors with disabilities online, which includes free entry for personal care attendants. Additionally, the MFA Citizens program offers free one-year family memberships to newly naturalized U.S. citizens living in Massachusetts. The Museum is free for all after 4 pm every Wednesday and offers 11 free community celebrations annually. Each year, the Museum welcomes approximately 55,000 students and teachers—kindergarten through high school—for school group visits. Additional educational programming includes gallery talks, lectures, artist demonstrations, studio art classes and art-making workshops for hospital patients. In 2020, the MFA is marking its 150th anniversary with a yearlong celebration of generosity, community and inclusion through a series of special events and initiatives.

The MFA is located on the Avenue of the Arts at 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. For more information, call 617.267.9300, visit mfa.org or follow the MFA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.