[Source: Jahna Berry, Arizona Republic] — When Elizabeth Gauna closed the Museo Chicano in January, it wasn’t just the end of a small Phoenix museum. It left a city of 1.5 million people, 40 percent of them of Hispanic descent, without a Latino art museum. While major Latino museums have sprung up in big cities, including Long Beach, Calif.; Albuquerque; and San Antonio, Phoenix has lagged behind. An alliance of 12 Arizona arts groups has an ambitious plan to change that.
The demise of Museo Chicano has fueled an effort to create a major Latino museum and cultural center in downtown Phoenix, said Martín Moreno, a local resident and nationally known muralist. Advocates for Latin@ Arts & Culture plan to begin efforts this month to raise $200,000 to open and operate a small Phoenix cultural center later this year. Five years down the road, the group envisions a $10 million facility. “It’s kind of embarrassing,” said Moreno, who sits on the consortium’s board of directors. He said Phoenix needs a center that preserves and nurtures Latino, Chicano and indigenous contributions to the arts. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
Downtown Voices Coalition 