Curator of Latin American Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Director, International Center for the Arts of the Americas
I truly believe that Houston is the prototype of the city of the 21st century. It boasts truly groundbreaking institutions—the Medical Center and NASA, in particular—which were the result of visionary initiatives of thirty years ago. Today, it is a vibrant, fast-growing city that exudes entrepreneurship, creativity, and a forward-looking perspective. As a relatively young city it does not suffer from the social and moral excesses of the traditional cosmopolitan centers of the West. Nor has it exhausted its cultural and symbolic potential. On the contrary, ideas backed by actions and supported by even minimal resources go a long way in our city. Everything and anything are still possible in this emerging global metropolis.
Houston’s arts scene is edgy, multicultural and aesthetically diverse. Unlike other mega-centers in this country, it is very strong in its commitment towards community values. Artists who come here frequently stay since the city offers a laid-back yet very welcoming and amiable atmosphere that lends itself to creative production. Galleries and museums are very committed to their artists and to the community as well. Collectors are open-minded and not afraid to take risks. All of these factors have supported and stimulated an increasingly thriving art scene in recent years.
Vision, entrepreneurship, innovation—these are the same qualities that attracted me to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston seven years ago. The fifth largest museum in the United States, the MFAH offers outstanding encyclopedic collections and programs and a first rate staff who—believe it or not—are redefining the notion of the universal museum not only for Houston but for the rest of the country.
As an increasingly Latino and Spanish-speaking city, Houston’s Latin American community is not only the cornerstone of my work at the MFAH, it is the visible face of my work. Each of the twenty-some countries that make up Latin America are represented in the city. The museum houses the first research center in the world dedicated to Latin American and Latino art. Yet, the important point is that for the first time in a major art museum, Latin American artists are being collected, studied and displayed on equal terms with their U.S., European, and Asian counterparts. Plans are underway to house the Latin American art collection together with other 20th century collections in new museum building. All of this makes the museum and the city a major cultural force not only for Texas but for the Americas as a whole.
