Email this page  Print this page  del.icio.us  digg

Museum milestone

In San Antonio, new Alameda showcases Latino history and culture

Laura Esparza has learned from hard experience that creating a Latino cultural center is more science than art.

Esparza - who resides part-time in Glendale - is the museum director of the Museo Alameda, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, which held its grand opening April 12-15 in San Antonio, Texas.

The opening of the 35,000 square-feet museum's doors was done with plenty of flourish and Hispanic flavor. The debut included a concert by Linda Ronstadt and a city-wide installation of large photo panels of an outstretched hand by the late artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The building created an early buzz with its dramatic pink façade.

Inside, there are displays with Emperor Maximilian's emerald ring, whose gemstone is thought to have belonged to Cuahtemoc, the last Aztec king. Planned future exhibits include one on conjunto music, and "Azucar: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz," a review of the late Cuban singer's career and influence.

The Alameda's premiere is not only a defining moment for Latinos locally and nationally, but also another historic milestone for Esparza. The Alameda is one of several Latino cultural complexes in which she was involved from original concept to grand opening. One was the 6.2-acre Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, Calif. She also created the building program plan for a new Latino Cultural Center in Redwood City, Calif.

Esparza has invested a quarter century of her life in developing Hispanic cultural facilities and programs in Washington, California and Texas.

"It takes years of commitment and the efforts of many people and organizations to create a Latino cultural center," she says.

Esparza worked with the Alameda's founders to make the museum a reality. She coordinated with architects and city officials. She helped forge partnerships with local school districts and civic organizations. Most important, she knew from past experience that a cultural center's biggest obstacle is usually a lack of revenues - and so ensured that the museum was rooted in firm business ground. An economic feasibility study predicts attendance at 400,000 in the first year, which would make it the one of the most visited Latino cultural centers in the country.

The museum's location is key to its success, says Esparza. The Alameda is near the city's Market Square, a 100-year-old mercado that historically has been a crossroads of cultures in southern Texas.

In addition, the Museo is within walking distance from the Alamo, and only four blocks from San Antonio's famed River Walk entertainment corridor, a favorite tourist destination. Esparza says she sees the Alameda becoming a destination for tourists.

"The opening of the Alameda is the vindication of the Latino cultural predominance in San Antonio," she says.

"Latinos have always played a major role in San Antonio. They have always been the majority culture here. But they've not always enjoyed the economic benefits the other groups have. It also illustrates the importance of the Latino culture to the identity of San Antonio."

The Alameda's founders kicked off their building campaign by announcing its affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution. However, despite that boost, it took a decade for the facility to open.

Esparza points out that a decade is less time than it normally takes to create a Latino cultural center. "The average is 12 years," she says.

Pilar O'Leary, director of the Smithsonian Institute for Latino Initiatives, says the new Museo Alameda in San Antonio and the Washington, D.C.-based, Smithsonian's missions meld into a natural partnership.

"Our initiative and the Alameda both preserve and promote Latino history and traditions as well as the modern Latino experience," she says.

Esparza hopes that the Museo will create momentum at the Smithsonian for the creation of a Latino museum at the nation's Capitol.

"Senator Xavier Becerra has proposed it, and there is a study now to look at a new Smithsonian museum devoted to Latino cultures," she says.