Conference explores Latino art

The Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a UIC-based national Latino research consortium, and the Smithsonian Latino Center will host the fifth biennial Latino Art Now!, a conference examining issues related to contemporary Latino art in the U.S. and cultural influences from around the world.

The three-day event, from April 7 to 9, will bring together an international mix of artists, scholars, museum professionals, collectors, critics and students for sessions exploring Latino art production in the U.S. and its relationship to contemporary art and visual culture.

Conference highlights include:

• The Chicago Conversation Series, supported by a grant from the Chicago Community Trust, presenting specific sessions centered on the city’s Latino art and its local and global impact.

• A free panel discussion featuring artists Antonio Martorell (San Juan), Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle (Chicago), Tania Bruguera (New York/Havana), Scherezade García (New York), and María Gaspar (Chicago).

• Plenary lunch sessions exploring art as a catalyst for economic and social change and new meanings of U.S. Latino art and Latin American art.

• Spring of Latino Art, a conference-affiliated cultural series with an estimated 200 artists and more than 60 community-based exhibitions and events highlighting Latino art in Chicago.

• Visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and UIC’s Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center.

• Presentation of the Tomás Ybarra-Frausto Award to Carlos Tortolero, founder and president of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

The Inter-University Program for Latino Research consists of 25 university-based Latino research centers that aim to promote policy-focused research and advance the Latino intellectual presence in the U.S. Founded in 1983, the group supports research and programs that foster greater understanding of U.S. Latinos in politics, economics, culture, art, history and immigration.