Authored By seanphippster

Beginning Friday, guests will have an opportunity to view “Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art,” the newest exhibit at the Hunter Museum of American Art.

The exhibit features artwork from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and will include media from nearly 70 leading modern and contemporary artists from Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican descent. Art from Latin-American groups in the United States will also be represented.

“We are so excited to be hosting this major exhibition from the Smithsonian American Art Museum,” Hunter Executive Director Virginia Ann Sharber said. “We look forward to welcoming people from across the region as they come to view the artwork and are eager to engage with all our guests.”

According to a museum release, the exhibition “presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-20th century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.”

The exhibit will have something for everyone. Guests can expect a variety of artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism, performance art, and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture and scenes from everyday life.

But the collection also tells a much larger story of culture building during a turbulent era in American history:

Latino artists across the United States were galvanized by the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. They created new images of their communities and examined bicultural experiences. Many critically probed American history and popular culture, revealing the possibilities and tension of expansionism, migration and settlement. Other Latino artists in the exhibition devoted themselves to experimentation, pushing the limits of their chosen medium. “Our America” presents a picture of an evolving national culture that challenges expectation of what is meant by “American” and “Latino.”

“Our America” will be on view through June 4. The museum will also host a variety of in-depth programs exploring the themes of the exhibit in the coming weeks.

On Feb. 25, Hunter curators will offer a program for educators. The program is available to all educators teaching in schools within a 50-mile radius of the museum. Teachers may bring students to the museum for free. Reservations are required. Click here for more information.

The next Throwback Thursday at the museum will be March 2 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy the permanent collection free of charge, with “Our America” open for $5. At 6 p.m., UTC history professor Ryan Edwards and literature professor Nicholas Mansito will discuss themes and ideas behind some of the images.

More events are available here.

“Our America” is presented in Chattanooga by SunTrust. The Hunter Museum of American Art is open every day. Admission is $15 for adults.

Click here for museum hours and special rates.