Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at the DAM

National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15 to October 15 and honors the achievements and contributions of people with roots in Spanish-speaking countries. At the DAM, you will have the opportunity to join the celebration by experiencing works of art that were created by artists from Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean, alongside works inspired by the landscapes and the cultures of these regions.

Visit the following exhibitions and let your imagination transport you to the times and places that gave birth to extraordinary works of art. Everything on view during National Hispanic Heritage Month is included with general admission, which is Free for Kids, including everyone 18 and under.

A Century of Art in Latin America, on Level 4 of the Martin Building, presents a comprehensive survey of Latin American art throughout the past 100 years featuring a variety of works that includes sculptures, paintings, textiles, prints, and mixed media. During your visit to the gallery, you may be pleasantly surprised to see iconic works of art made by masters of Mexican art. Most notably, visitors can admire paintings by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, and Rufino Tamayo, sharing the same wall! The show features other significant Latin American artists like Leonora Carrington, Carlos Mérida, Mathias Goeritz, Roberto Matta, Alexander Apóstol, Olga de Amaral, Tessa Mars, Carlos Cruz-Diez, and Jesús Rafael Soto.

The works presented in this exhibition are on loan from the John and Sandy Fox Collection.

Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton, on Level 6 of the Martin Building, features 12 textile wall sculptures and five works on paper by Nancy Hemenway Barton (1920–2008). She was a multidisciplinary artist who found inspiration in faraway places and cultures of the world as well as in the tranquility of her studio in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Hemenway Barton travelled throughout countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe with extensive stays in México, Perú, and Bolivia. Her textile sculptures are of exquisite beauty and a celebration of nature. Her art has been internationally recognized and has been on display at several museums around the world.

Take advantage of this opportunity to visit this extraordinary exhibition before it closes November 30.

Ink & Thread: Codices and the Art of Storytelling, on Level 4 of the Martin Building, offers a compelling showcase of art produced in the ancient Americas near a gallery housing codices created by contemporary Mexican American artist Enrique Chagoya. His codices, printed on amate (a traditional type of paper made from tree bark), feature superheroes and present histories of conquest and survival through an ironic vision that is inspired by ancient codices of pre-Hispanic times. Also on view in this gallery is the Tillett Tapestry of the Conquest of Mexico by British American textile designer, Leslie Tillett. This 106-foot-long silk on cotton cloth was hand embroidered by hundreds of people from small towns in Mexico and Haiti between 1965 and 1977. The embroidered vignettes, along with the annotated bilingual captions recount the main events that took place in 1519 that led to the conquest of Mexico.

Painting in the Andes, 1680–1780, on Level 4 of the Martin Building, will capture your imagination as you contemplate wonderous works of art—on canvas, silver, gold, and alabaster, among other materials—created in the main Andean centers of artistic production during colonial times: Bogotá, Quito, Lima, Cuzco, and Potosí. The art produced in this region incorporated European images and techniques with native painting traditions and stylistic renderings of native flora and fauna. This fusion produced a unique style that, in turn, influenced European artists as works from Andean schools reached Europe, representing a cross-cultural visual exchange.

The exhibition includes art from the DAM’s permanent collections along with works on loan from the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation collection.

Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the DAM’s galleries throughout the month to discover works of art that represent the pride and beauty of Hispanidad.

COMING SOON

On October 26 you can visit us again to see The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro’s Impressionism, which highlights the story of the "father" of Impressionism. In this show, you can learn about his roots in the Caribbean and discover some surprising details about how he was influenced by Venezuela’s landscape and culture! This is a ticketed exhibition. Thanks to the Free for Kids program, kids can see this show for only $5.