Mi Museo es tu Museo: A look at the Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

as an Institution improving its outreach to the Latino Community

Elizabeth Antonellis

A Capstone in the Field of Museum Studies

for the degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies

Harvard University

Extension School

May 2017

ii

Table of Contents

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv

The Case for Improving Outreach to the Latino Community in the Museum ................................ 1

Why Should Museums Care About the Latino Community? ......................................................... 3

The Relevance of the Latino Demographics ............................................................................... 3

Latinos in U.S. History ............................................................................................................... 7

We didn’t Cross the Border, the Border Crossed Us .............................................................. 7

Fighting on Two Fronts .......................................................................................................... 8

Latinos in Contemporary U.S. .................................................................................................... 9

But, who is Latino/Hispanic? – Establishing Identities ................................................................ 10

Let’s Talk about Museums............................................................................................................ 13

The Museum as a Public Space for (Almost) All ..................................................................... 13

The Museum as a Borderline .................................................................................................... 14

Are Museums Accidental Racists? ........................................................................................... 16

Latino Museum Professionals, Where Art Thou? ..................................................................... 20

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks ................................................................................................ 23

The Harvard Peabody Museum – A Case Study ...................................................................... 23

The Moment of Recognition ................................................................................................. 25

The Latino Voice .................................................................................................................. 29

From a Latino Point of View ................................................................................................ 38

Mi Museo es tu Museo .............................................................................................................. 39

Why is it Important for the PMAE to Open the Door to the Latino Community? ............... 39

iii

A Beacon in the Dark ............................................................................................................ 41

Para Español Marque Dos (For Spanish Press Two) ............................................................ 44

Representing vs. Integration ................................................................................................. 46

Conclusion - The Case for Improving Outreach to the Latino Community in the Museum ........ 48

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 50

Survey Given to Focus Groups Participants – English Version ............................................... 50

Survey Given to Focus Groups Participants – Spanish Version ............................................... 52

Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 54

iv

List of Figures

Figure 1: Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060. Sandra

L. Colby and Jennifer M. Ortman, 2015. ........................................................................................ 4

Figure 2: Equality vs. Equity in the Museum Space ..................................................................... 17

Figure 3: Focus Group Data, Visitor Heritage .............................................................................. 29

Figure 4: Focus Group Data, Visitor Gender ................................................................................ 30

Figure 5: Focus Group Data, Visitor Parental Status .................................................................... 30

Figure 6: Focus Group Data, Visitor Immigration Level ............................................................. 30

Figure 7: Focus Group Data, Visitor Language ............................................................................ 31

Figure 8: Focus Group Data, Previous Visits to the PMAE in the Past 12 Months ..................... 32

Figure 9: Focus Group Data, Main Obstacles for Visiting the PMAE ......................................... 32

Figure 10: Focus Group Data, Previous Knowledge Regarding Collections ............................... 33

Figure 11: Focus Group Data, Previous Knowledge Regarding Latino-Themed Events ............. 34

Figure 12: Focus Group Data, Future Communications ............................................................... 34

Figure 13: Focus Group Data, Future Events ............................................................................... 35

Figure 14: Focus Group Data, Bilingual Labels ........................................................................... 36

1

The Case for Improving Outreach to the Latino Community in the Museum

There is room for improvement when it comes to how museums consider and engage

Latino audiences. This project aims to provide a set of recommendations on how museums can

work to build the field of Latino visitor studies through co-creation, shared learning and social

action. These recommendations are derived from work published by industry researchers and

museum evaluators; interviews with museum visitors and staff, and the exhibition and

programing history at the Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (PMAE).

Keeping this in mind, the first and most important step in building a relationship with Latino

audiences is for museums to start by understanding the relevance of the Latino community, not

only in the museum space, but also in U.S. history.

The Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (PMAE) is the ideal

institution to use as a case study to help articulate the importance of studying the experiences,

and perceptions of Latino visitors to museums. Not only because it is one of the oldest

anthropology museums in the world, or because it houses the “most extensive and varied

collection of Mesoamerican artifacts and sculptures outside of Mexico” (“About the Peabody

Museum”), but also because it is an institution beginning to employ culturally responsive visitor

studies in its ongoing efforts to include Latinos among its visitors (Hubbard).

According to the 2012 National Endowment for the Arts’ Survey of Public Participation

in the Arts (SPPA), non-white and Latino groups upheld their arts participation rates from 2008

to 2012, and even showed an increase in some activities. However, when referring to museum

visits, the report showed that the number of adults who visited a museum and identified

themselves as Latinos, decreased from 14.5% in 2008 to 14.3% in 2012. These numbers show

that although the Latino population is the fastest growing group in the United States, it is still one

2

of the least represented groups in the museum world (“How A Nation Engages with Art” 20).

These numbers reveal that while the demographics of the United States of America are changing,

the demographics of museum attendance remain static. Museum visitors are predominantly

white, non-Latino, middle-class to affluent, and not fully representative of the American

population. These statistics leave museums with the challenging task of trying to include diverse

visitors in order to stay relevant and serve their communities.

Nina Simon, executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, defines

relevance on her blog post as the “extent to which a thing is connected to something that

matters” (Meditations on Relevance). In relation to museums, Simon refers to relevance as a

“key” that can unlock the door of a “room”, or a space that “holds something powerful” (Simon

29). According to Simon, when talking about museums “there are two kinds of people in the

world of relevance: outsiders and insiders” (47). She believes that for every institution to remain

or become relevant, insiders need to realize that while they are the ones inside the room, a room

that they know, love, and protect, outsiders will never come in, be interested or feel welcome,

unless a door is created for them (47). Therefore, in order for museums to stay or become

relevant, they need to open new “doors” or establish deeper connections, to welcome the

communities that normally do not show up. These new doors need to make visitors feel

welcome, and know that their voices are being heard, that they are part of the "us", and that they

are being represented correctly (51).

3

Why Should Museums Care About the Latino Community?

The Relevance of the Latino Demographics

According to the report titled Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population:

2014 to 2060 by Sandra L. Colby and Jennifer M. Ortman from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S.

population is “projected to become more diverse, as seen in the projected increase in the

percentage of the population that is a minority—groups other than non-Hispanic White alone. By

2044, the United States is projected to become a plurality nation” (13). In relation to the minority

groups, the report projects that the Hispanic population will be the third fastest growing group

after the Two or More Races population, and the Asian population (Fig. 1), increasing from 55

million in 2014 to 119 million in 2060, and ultimately accounting for more than one-quarter of

the United States population that same year (9).

4

Figure 1: Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060. Sandra

L. Colby and Jennifer M. Ortman, 2015.

While demographics alone do not represent the importance of the Latino population in the

United States, a new study titled Making America Rich Again: The Latino Effect on the

Economic Growth by Dr. Jeffrey A. Eisenach, managing director of the National Economic

Research Association (NERA) presents an analysis of the contribution of the Latino communities

in the U.S. economy. According to Eisenach “The findings are striking: To an extent few

appreciate, the U.S. Latino population is growing, young, increasingly educated, employed,

connected, entrepreneurial, and upwardly mobile in terms of income as well as consumption”(1).

This comprehensive study, not only presents factual evidence that Latino Americans are playing

a vital role in reconstructing the American economy, but data that could also be used to debunk

Latino stereotypes.

5

While some statistics show that the western world birth rates are very low, the U.S. is an

exception thanks to Latinos. According to the Pew Research Center (Table. 1), Latinos are not

only the third fastest growing minority in the U.S. but also the group that is keeping the country

young. Similarly to the Pew Research Center, Eisenach’s study found that Latinos show “a

median age in 2015 of 28 years old—nine years younger than the overall median age of 37 years

old, and a remarkable 15 years younger than the median age among whites” (11). Other findings

of this study include that Latino college enrollment is increasing, narrowing the gap between this

group and the non-Hispanic white community (14). These findings need to be considered by

museums in order to shape their perception regarding Latino Americans, and because this data

can be useful when targeting this community when developing new exhibits and programing.

Table 1

Median Age in Years, by Sex, Race and Ethnicity: 2013.

All Male Female

Hispanic 28 27 28

U.S. born 19 28 19

Foreign born 40 39 41

White alone, not Hispanic 42 41 44

Black alone, not Hispanic 33 31 35

Asian alone, not Hispanic 36 35 37

Other alone, not Hispanic 23 22 24

All 37 36 38

Source: Pew Research Center Tabulations of 2013 American Community Survey; Web; 15 April

2017.

6

When considering communication and marketing tools that would open new doors for the Latino

community, it is important to keep in mind that while the Internet penetration among Latinos is

still low compared to the overall U.S. population, Eisenach found that Latinos are the most

connected group to the Internet and electronic media. Compared to other groups, the study shows

that 92 percent of Latinos own a cellphone, compared to 90 percent for the total population, and

71 percent of Latinos own a smartphone compared to 64 percent of the total population (20). The

use of social networks is also increasing among Latinos at a rate of 2% in a period of three years,

while white non-Hispanics and other non-Hispanic groups’ rates are declining (24). Is it possible

that the Internet penetration among Latinos is still low compared to the overall U.S. population

because of the lack of information that would appeal to this group? Can museums be the

institutions that can break the barrier when it comes to reaching out to the Latino community?

Probably the most relevant finding of this study is the fact that the Latino labor force rate

participation of 65.9 percent is higher than the participation rates of whites and the U.S. total

population at 62.2 and 62.7 percent respectively (26). At the same time, the number of Latino-

owned businesses has doubled from 2002 to 2012, adding another fundamental element to the

robust U.S. economy (33). Dr. Eisenach’s study found that Latinos in the U.S. are also becoming

more prosperous, especially when compared to other groups. The study shows that “Latino

median income rose 6.1 percent from 2014 to 2015, compared to a 5.2 percent increase for the

population overall, and 4.4 percent increase for whites” (36). This income increase is causing the

Latino buying power to increase as well. While many studies have considered the cost of

museum admissions as an important barrier for Latino visitors, Dr. Eisenach’s finding may force

museums to reconsider this and other presumed barriers as the main cause for the Latino absence

in museums, and start considering other less obvious factors.

7

Latinos in U.S. History

We didn’t Cross the Border, the Border Crossed Us

The Latino influence in the United States of America can be felt everywhere, from the name of

cities and states, to the food we eat. However, few people are aware of the great impact Latinos

have had throughout the history of this country. Latinos have played an important role in several

key events, from the War of Independence to strengthening the economy of the United States

(Planas).

While many of the people living in the United States that identify themselves as Latinos

entered the country as immigrants in the last two centuries, many were incorporated into this

nation through territorial expansion in the mid-1800s. Additionally, it is important to remember

that by the end of the sixteenth century, many Mexican-Americans had been living for

generations in the area known today as New Mexico, and many more were living in the

Southwest at the time of the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848), which culminated with the Treaty

of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty granted the U.S. the states of California and Texas, and large

parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming. Furthermore, in 1854 the

U.S. bought the rest of New Mexico and the state of Arizona from Mexico, expanding the U.S.

territory by one third, and shrinking the Mexican territory by almost half. Due to this land

expansion thousands of Mexican citizens became U.S. residents overnight (“Becoming part of

the United States”). While eventually the Mexican residents in these newly acquired states

became U.S. citizens, they did not enjoy the same protection and guarantees of those citizens

living closer to centers of the U.S. government. Many were deprived of their lands, and were

victims of attacks from Native Americans and longtime citizens (“Land Loss in Trying Times”).

8

From 1910 to 1930, Mexican immigration to the United States increased in great

numbers. Not only because Mexican residents started relocating to the U.S. because of family

ties, but also because of the Mexican Revolution that lasted from 1910 to 1920. However, at the

end of this period, many Mexicans returned to their country (“A Growing Community”). After

suffering massive deportations during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Mexican workers were

encouraged to go back to the Unites States under the Bracero Program sponsored by The U.S.

government. During World War II, wartime industries absorbed the majority of the U.S. workers

and there was a great need for short-term work, especially in agriculture. The Bracero Program

was in place from 1942 to 1964, and during this period of time, “4.6 million contracts were

signed, with many individuals returning several times on different contracts, making it the largest

U.S. contract labor program” (“About”). Conflict arose when employers broke the rule that

protected domestic workers by hiring mostly Mexican workers, in order to benefit themselves

from cheap labor (“About”).

Fighting on Two Fronts

By 1940 many Mexican-Americans in the U.S. were citizens by birth, and their community had

grown and become increasingly prominent in the American life. This new generation identified

with their country of birth, and by the time of WWII, more than 500,000 Latinos, mostly

Mexican-Americans enlisted. They served throughout Europe, the Pacific Theater, North Africa,

the Aleutians and the Mediterranean. By the end of the war, thirteen Medals of Honor were

awarded to Latinos, and General MacArthur referred to the 158th Regimental Combat Team that

fought in New Guinea and the Philippines, and which was mainly composed of Latinos and

Native Americans as “the greatest fighting combat team ever deployed in battle” (“Latin

9

Americans in WWII at a Glance”). However after their sacrifices during the war, Latinos

continued to face discrimination (“Latin Americans in WWII at a Glance”).

Latinos in Contemporary U.S.

The Latino population is the most dynamic and diverse racial group in the United States and

probably the one with the most impact, not only from a demographic point of view but also in

many other aspects of the American society. The impact is obvious in the increasing popularity

of Latin food, music, art, holidays, and the way it is shaping the business and political

landscapes. In his report titled Latinos and the Changing Face of America, Rogelio Saenz,

professor and head of the department of sociology at Texas A&M University, states that the

Latino population in the United Sates needs to be seen as a valuable resource, not only because

the business community will rely on Hispanics as consumers, employees and entrepreneurs, but

also because they represent the business bridge between the U.S. and Latin America (377). In his

report Sanchez also mentions that the “higher education systems will increasingly find Latinos

among the ranks of potential students and educators” (378).

Latino history and contributions to this country are not new, in 1997 the Smithsonian

Latino Center was created to ensure “that the contributions of the Latino community in the arts,

history, national culture and scientific achievement are explored, presented, celebrated and

preserved” (“About the Institution”) “through the development and support of public programs,

scholarly research, museum collections and educational opportunities at the Smithsonian

Institution and its affiliated organizations across the United States and internationally”

(“Smithsonian Explores History”).

10

In 2016 the Democratic Representative of California, Xavier Becerra, and U.S. Senator of New

Jersey, Robert Menendez, introduced legislation that would create a museum devoted to

American Latinos on the National Mall, hoping to follow the example of the new National

Museum of the African American History and Culture. While the project needs bipartisan

support and received a majority vote in Congress, it will likely take years to a grand opening

(Greenwood). This project could either be an inspiration for Latinos or just another way to

perpetuate the differences between this very diverse group and the rest of the American

population. Therefore, the reason for the creation and overall mission for this new museum need

to go beyond what makes Latinos different from other groups. Most importantly, supporters of

this new institution need to make sure that the creation of this museum will not create an excuse

for other museums to keep ignoring or excluding the Latino community in their exhibitions and

programing.

But, who is Latino/Hispanic? – Establishing Identities

In his book titled The Latino Generation: Voices of the New America, Mario T. Garcia

states “Latinos are now the largest minority in the United States, but they also are the least

understood. Stereotypes and gross generalizations abound concerning this significant and

growing ethnic group” (1). The biggest generalization regarding this group is probably the fact

that people from different countries and diverse cultures can be put together in one “bucket”, the

Latino/Hispanic bucket. The biggest issue with this generalization is that most people do not

understand the difference between Latino and Hispanic, including Latinos and Hispanics

themselves. As a result of this lack of understanding, both the general public and the media still

use both terms interchangeably. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term Latino

11

refers to “a native or inhabitant of Latin America” (“Latino”), while the term Hispanic refers to

“of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain or of Spain and Portugal” (“Hispanic”).

In his book Hispanic Spaces, Latino Spaces, Community and Cultural Diversity in

Contemporary America, Daniel D. Arreola, professor of geography and an affiliate faculty

member of the Center for Latin American Studies at Arizona State University, points out that

Hispanic and Latino Americans are not one people but many. Arreola also refers to

complications of distinctions between these terms when used by officials and the members of the

Latino community. While language alone is argued to be the glue that holds Latinos and

Hispanics together, it is important to remember that not all Latino countries speak Spanish and

that every Latin country is diverse in several important cultural ways. (16).

In 2014, Julie Dowling, a psychologist at the University of Illinois, published a book

titled Mexican Americans and the Question of Race, in which she shared her research findings

regarding the complexities of filling out the race section on the U.S. Census form by Latinos.

Dowling explains that:

According to the U.S. Census, Latino/Hispanic is a “panethnic” category

composed of persons of Spanish-speaking origin who may be of any “race.”

Persons are first asked to indicate whether they are of Hispanic origin and are then

asked to answer a question on racial identification that includes options for white,

black, Native American, multiple Asian-origin groups, and an “other race”

category…many Latinos choose to mark “other race” and write in a Latino

identifier such as Hispanic or Mexican American. However, for three decades

now, approximately half of the Latino population has selected “white” for their

race. (5)

12

Dowling’s research found that the use of Latino vs. Hispanic with any combination of “race”

shows a “great deal of regional variation”, meaning that Latinos in the border between Mexico

and the United States identified themselves with one term, while Latinos in New York, identified

themselves with another term. On top of this labeling, the research also found that Latinos

identified themselves as “white” or other race, depending on their socio-economic level among

other criteria (14). Regardless of their preference, the research found that “Latino immigrants

find that how they define themselves may not correspond with how they are classified, as the

conception of race they bring with them from Latin America differs from U.S. racial constructs”

(79). Taking into consideration Dowling’s findings could help create a better relationship within

the museum and the Latino community. Museums and other institutions need to be aware that

this classification [Latino vs. Hispanic] is a new and confusing concept even for Latinos in the

U.S. Institutions need to pay special attention on how and when to use this classification in order

to prevent further feelings of isolation or generalization.

In her book The Art of Relevance, Nina Simon asserts how important it is for museums to

keep in mind, that the people they attempt to serve are “partially internally defined” by their own

background and “partially determined by societal norms”, so in order for “all” to feel welcome,

museums need to start by appealing to their visitors keeping in mind how they define themselves,

instead of how society defines them. She suggests for museums to show their visitors that “you

are inviting people in on their terms, with generosity, humility, and a nod to what speaks to

them” (54). But, are museums listening to Simon’s message when it comes to the Latino

community?

13

Let’s Talk about Museums

The Museum as a Public Space for (Almost) All

In his book Making Museums Matter, the late Stephen E. Weil, an scholar emeritus in the

Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Education and Museums Studies, states that for many years

and like many other museums around the world, American museums’ main goal was to “gather,

preserve, and study the record of human and natural history”, but the concept of sharing their

collections physically or intellectually with the general public, was not a priority. Fifty years

after World War II, American museums caught up with the worldwide trend of shifting their

“inward” growth focus, to a more pragmatic and “outward” view, based on the idea of providing

educational services to its constituents in a way that could be effective and measurable (28).

According to Weil, the emphasis for social service and the almost impossible task for newer

museums to build collections similar to long-established museums due to international treaties

and endangered species, among other issues, are the two forces transforming the contemporary

American museums. Weil believes that for both long-established museums and younger

museums, public service is the only viable future for them (36).

But despite the desire from museums for greater public service, the museums may face

difficulties in gathering the necessary resources. Will museums be willing to dedicate portions of

their budgets to hire staff specialized in community relations, audience research and other areas

of expertise? Is the PMAE willing to change its status of a research museum to a museum open

to all with the main mission of greater public service?

14

The Museum as a Borderline

Based on the museums’ previously discussed demographics, it is safe to say that many American

museums tend to favor the worldview of the dominant culture, giving minority groups a sense of

being outsiders. Even the term “outreach” implies that the non-dominant groups are external to

the museum, and require a special invitation to participate in the space. Museums need to pay

special attention to identifying the barriers that minority groups face when visiting museums in

order to develop better and more inclusive practices that will allow for minority groups, such as

the Latino community, to feel welcome in the museum world.

In 2015, Contemporanea, a strategic consulting firm based in San Francisco, published a

research report titled The Latino Experience in Museums: An Exploratory Audience Research

Study. The findings of this research report were presented in three major sections that include:

ways in which museums can make Latinos feel welcome, what motivates Latinos to visit and

participate in museums, and six major “inhibitors of engagement” that discourage Latinos from

visiting and/or participating in museums. While three of these inhibitors are “perceptual

barriers”, meaning “personal beliefs and assumptions” the other three are “experiential barriers”

or real world experiences that create a borderline for Latino visitors (6).

Among the tangible barriers, the study found that Latinos feel that museums are not

really interested in engaging them, because “they don’t see any targeted communications that

speak directly to them” (8) which in turn, perpetuate the perceptual barrier of exclusion. Once

inside the museum, Latinos do not feel welcome due to the lack of bilingual printed and audio

material, signage, visitor services, and personnel. This is very disappointing to Latinos,

especially when other institutions, organizations, businesses, and brands go above and beyond to

offer these services (8). The second tangible barrier for Latinos is the negative interactions they

15

experience with museum personnel, specifically guards and docents (9). According to

Contemporanea’s study, Latinos experience stereotyping and discrimination from guards,

making the museum experience a negative one. Another factor is the interaction between Latinos

and interpreters. Latinos reported that the lack of bilingual docents resulted in a less meaningful

museum experience (9). The last tangible barrier was the cost of admission. This is especially

important among Latino groups, due to their tendency of enjoying recreational activities, such as

museum visits, in larger groups that usually include the immediate family, as well as extended

family and close friends (7). Overall, the report found that Latinos are aware of the “high

educational value of museums, and in deeper discussions, praised the connective and inclusive

experiences these organizations could potentially provide” (9) but at the same time, Latino

visitors “do not have an internalized sense of personal relevance and importance attached to the

museum experience” (9).

The Arts, Culture and the Latino Audience study prepared for Maricopa Partnership for

Arts and Culture (MPAC) by Behavior Research Center and ArtsMarket Inc., found that

Latinos largely do not feel that arts and culture organizations market to them. This

was the case whether the focus group members were Learners, Straddlers or

Trend Setters. As a result, there is an underlying attitude that arts and culture

organizations do not value Latinos as customers. So, they turn their back on this

perceived indifference. They believe that arts and culture organizations see

Latinos as a monolithic “Mexican” market rather than as upwardly mobile, in

touch, modern consumers who have lots of choices and who reflect the cultures of

many Latin countries in addition to Mexico. (12)

16

Connected to this sentiment and similar to the Contemporanea’s report, the MPAC study also

found that Latinos feel that museums do not want to engage them because their advertising “does

not show them [Latinos] or their culture prominently”, making the marketing material “invisible”

to them (12).

In their article entitled Engaging Immigrant Audiences in Museums, Stein et al.

researchers and evaluation specialists, raise “key questions about the relationship between

museums and immigrant communities in the U.S.” (179), while at the same time underlining the

importance of understanding the immigrant’s “perceptions, attitudes, paradigms, values, needs,

and interests” from a personal perspective (180). In the article, Stein et al. address the “logistical

problems” that Latino immigrants face when visiting a museum that lacks bilingual labels, due to

their preference of experiencing cultural activities in a multigenerational context (186). While

younger English or bilingual speaking members of a Latino group may feel comfortable in an

English dominant environment, older or Spanish only speaking members of the same group may

feel alienated and unwelcome in the museum (187).

Are Museums Accidental Racists?

Many museums in the U.S. are working on considering inclusion as a general goal, but museum

professionals are still failing at understanding the specificities of the social diversity in their

collections and more importantly in their communities. If museums including the PMAE are

truly committed to a mission of collecting, preserving, displaying and offering public programing

for all, they need to start by revaluating how their practices foster equity and not just equality

(Fig. 2).

17

Figure 2: Equality vs. Equity in the Museum Space

James Heaton, president and creative director of the Tronvig Group, a marketing, brand strategy

and consulting firm, states that museums are guilty of “accidental racism.” In his article titled

Museums and Race, he talks about the “racial anxiety” that museums and other institutions get

caught up in when dealing with minorities, resulting in a racial inequality that has not improved

in the past fifty years. As a result of his firm’s work related to museums, he found that while

museums have the best of intentions in welcoming minorities, they keep failing. In his article,

Heaton addresses four mistakes that museums keep making that prevent them from achieving

equity. The first being the fact that regardless of their best intentions, museums continue to cater

to a mostly, and inevitably shrinking, white population, while disregarding the current

demographic statistics. The second mistake is the lack of minority representation in museums,

fostering how minority groups constantly feel “compelled to refute the stereotypes foisted on

them” (Heaton), and a trip to an institution such as a museum could put them at risk of

committing a “behavioral mistake” that would “inadvertently reinforce negative stereotypes”

18

about them (Heaton). The third mistake is the fact that most museum boards are still

predominantly white, making it impossible for museums to understand “the needs of others

whose lives, dreams, and worldviews are markedly different from theirs”, making their exhibits

and programing irrelevant to underrepresented groups. The final mistake is the fact that many

museum professionals believe that their institutions are genuinely inclusive, even when they are

aware of the first three problems. Heaton states that wishing to be inclusive is clearly not enough

(Heaton).

Nikhil Trivedi, composer and activist, explains in his article for The Incluseum, an online

community space that addresses inclusion and injustice in museums, titled Oppression: A

Museum Premier, what oppression means, and how it is present in the museum environment.

Triverdi explains that oppression is a complicated system in which we all participate and are

affected by, one way or another. He starts by using the definition of oppression as described in

the Anti-Oppression Toolkit, “oppression is the act of one social group using power or privilege

for its own benefit while disempowering, marginalizing, silencing and subordinating another

group” (“Oppression: A Museum Premier”). Triverdi also explains that power is “the capacity to

control one’s circumstances” and that in relationship with culture, power means the capacity to

control “media representations, cultural appropriation in fashion, music, and media, and whose

voices speak about histories”. Furthermore Triverdi argues that in the museum world, oppression

can be manifested by who decides the exhibits and programing, how they are interpreted, who

has access to resources, and how the communities that these exhibits and programs are about, are

being represented (“Oppression: A Museum Premier”).

During an interview with Felipe Echenique March, a former Research Professor at the

Instituto Nacional De Antropología e Historia (INAH) (National Institute of Anthropology and

19

History), and former Researcher at the Museo Nacional de Antropología (MNA) (National

Museum of Anthropology) for more than 40 years, he stated that regardless of the so called

“museum evolution”, many museums have failed to remember their ultimate mission. He

believes that countless museums, especially university and/or research museums, are still modern

and expensive “warehouses” whose ultimate goal is to showcase their large collection of artifacts

that usually represent a foreign culture, while at the same time failing to open their doors to the

community to whom these artifacts belong. He stated that most museums tend to idealize

cultures that they perceive as extinct, ignoring the fact that many of them still have a great

number of representative members still alive and struggling to maintain their heritage, identity

and traditions. Echenique mentioned that good examples of these groups are the Aztecs and the

Mayans. He believes that while many museums, including many outside of Mexico, favor

exhibits featuring ancient artifacts belonging to these groups, most of them fail to remember that

these groups are still well and alive, and in many cases are a big part of the country’s cultural

fabric as is the case of Mexican-Americans and other Latino groups in the United States.

In his blog 10 Ways to Practice Institutional racism at your Non-Profit Organization,

Korbett Mosesly, a nonprofit management and Public Policy Consultant, writes that some of the

mistakes that can result in intentional or unintentional racism in an organization are maintaining

white leadership, allowing only white people in the museum to frame a social issue that affects

minorities, and limiting partnership with unrepresented groups. In his blog, Mosesly writes that

some of the things that can affect the implementation and evaluation of the programing offered

by museums are ignoring complaints of bias and racism from staff and clients, favoring

credentials instead of skill when it comes to better serving a culturally and diverse population,

and not involving the people represented or impacted by the institution’s content. While “white

20

washing” the diversity language to minimize racial issues, staying away from social initiatives

led by minority groups, and offering cultural competency training by white people every few

years, can stop or affect any progress leading to equity in the museum (“10 Ways to Practice

Institutional racism at your Non-Profit Organization”). Mosesly wrote this piece in response to

his friend and co-founder of Teachers United, Nate Bowling’s blog titled, The Conversation I’m

Tired of Not Having. While Bowling’s article talks about “segregated school and inequity

funding”, and the indifference of America to “what happens to poor people and most black

people”, the same piece could be used to talk about the ongoing problem of many museums by

“completely insulating themselves” and keeping a homogenous institution in order to ensure that

“they’re well-funded, well-staffed, with opportunities for enrichment and exploration” for just a

few (Bowling).

Latino Museum Professionals, Where Art Thou?

A 2006 study for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American History, showed that

second generation Latinos are more critical of museums and have strong expectations when it

comes to content and museum staff. They expect to not only see Latino-themed content,

interpreted by Latinos, but also Latino staff with whom they can identify with (Stein et al. 187).

In 2013 the Association of Art Museums Director (AAMD) conducted a survey among

its members. The survey showed that women held only 42.6% of museum directorships, earning

79 cents per hour less than their male counterparts (Gan et al. 4). Prompted by these findings, the

Mellon Foundation saw the need to conduct a demographic survey of art museum staff and

boards in the United States, Mexico and Canada. In 2015, in partnership with the AAMD, the

foundation commissioned Ithaka S+R, a research and consulting service firm, to design and

21

distribute a staff survey among 77% of AAMD institutions, from which 90% of the participants

were in the U.S., and the rest in Mexico and Canada. The findings of the survey were not

surprising, “72% of AAMD staff is Non-Hispanic White, and 28% belongs to historically

underrepresented minorities” (Schonfel et al. 3). The survey also showed that Non-Hispanic

Whites dominate by 84%, jobs associated with the intellectual mission of museums, curation,

conservation, education, as well as leadership roles. Compared to only 6% Asian, 4% Black, 3%

Hispanic White, and 3% Two or More Races. Mariët Westermann, Vice President of The

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, hopes that the findings of this survey, while discouraging, can

provide support “to the resolve of the many institutions that seek to mirror the country’s

demographic transformation and become fully inclusive of the interest of their diverse

communities” (Schonfel et al. 4).

Gretchen Jennings, a museum consultant and author of Museum Commons, a website

intended to be a space for freethinking museum professionals, and Joanne Jones-Rizzi, Director

of Community Engagement at the Science Museum in Minnesota, St. Paul, wrote in their article

titled Museums, White Privilege, and Diversity: A Systematic Perspective, that systematic

progress toward greater diversity in museums “it is difficult if not impossible if there is not

increased diversity at the top” (67). Looking for more information from four major museums

associations, the authors found that only about “12% to 30% of U.S. members of the boards of

directors of major U.S.-based museum associations come from minority background”, staff and

senior leadership are between 0% and 20% minority, and among the committees that plan the

annual conference programs, are between 20% to 35% of minority backgrounds (69). The

authors also mention that compared to the latest U.S. population consisting of 62% non-Hispanic

22

Whites, and 38% minorities, the level of diversity rates that they found, do not reflect the

diversity of the country (69). The authors concluded from their findings that the

museum system as a collective (individual museums as well as our associations

and our museum culture) is a place of white perspectives and white privilege. This

is because our field is dominated and shaped by white leadership, in which people

of color have little representation, despite the powerful voices of our too few

colleagues of color. (70)

Jennings and Jones-Rizzi believe that hiring practices that exclude minorities in positions

of leadership silently perpetuate exclusion and oppression in museums. Another contributing

factor is the selection of individuals or groups whose works are displayed, and the interpretation

of these by non-Latinos. The last contributor is the lack of Latinos in marketing materials (70).

Understanding the diversity of the Latino community and its contribution throughout the

history of the U.S. is extremely important when talking about museum visitor studies. Latinos

are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, yet under-represented in the museum

space, both as visitors and professionals. Using the PMAE as a case study helped to draw a better

picture of how museums have considered and engaged Latino audiences until now, and to create

a set of recommendations on how museums can work to build the field of Latino visitor studies

through co-creation, shared learning and social action.

23

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

The Harvard Peabody Museum – A Case Study

The Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (PMAE) located in Cambridge,

Massachusetts, and founded in 1866, holds important collections of Native American artifacts as

well as the largest photographic archives in the world documenting the cultures of indigenous

peoples. Among many other collections, the museum also houses an important collection from

South America, including more than five thousand ancient Peruvian textiles, the finest

archaeological documentation of the Maya, and the most extensive and varied collection of

Mesoamerican artifacts and sculptures outside of Mexico (“About the Peabody Museum”).

Following the 1990 Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act (NAGPRA),

the museum made a conscious effort to improve the Museum’s relationships with native groups,

“resulting in changes to the Peabody's operations, particularly the ways in which Native

American objects are stored and exhibited”. Since these changes, the museum’s mission is to

continue to “engage in, support and promote the study and appreciation of ancient and

contemporary peoples from around the world. The Museum collects, preserves, and interprets

cultural and related materials and offers unique opportunities for innovative teaching, research,

and enrichment at Harvard and with communities worldwide (“Museum History”).

According to Polly Hubbard, the Education Program Manager at the PMAE, in 2017 the

Museum has also created a Visitor Engagement Committee, formed by a diverse group of current

museums members. Hubbard stated that while the committee is fairly new and an action plan is

still being created, one goal is clear among the members: the Harvard Peabody Museum of

Archaeology and Anthropology, as well as other Harvard museums, have to continue fostering

24

relationships with the communities they intend to represent with their collections, galleries and

events. One of these communities is the Latino community.

The PMAE has engaged the Latino community by organizing events of significant

importance to the Latino community, such as the Day of the Dead evening celebration, and the

Day of the Dead Family Event, specifically the Mexican community. Another attempt to engage

the Latino community was incorporating, for the first time, bilingual Spanish/English labels in

their temporary exhibit Ocarinas of the Americas: Music Made in Clay. However, the Museum

Visitor Engagement Committee has expressed some concerns about the impact that these

bilingual labels are having on non-Spanish speaking visitors, as well as Spanish-speaking

visitors.

Another conscious effort on the part of the PMAE to represent the Latino community

accurately, and to teach all its visitors about ancient pre-Hispanic civilizations, is the

development and addition of an educational program for children, during the museum’s Summer

Science Week 2017. A Latino staff member designed a one-week program for kids ranging from

eight to ten years old. The goal of the program is for kids to “explore the daily life of the ancient

Maya people through hands-on activities with hieroglyphs, clay, food, and outdoor games” while

learning basic Spanish (“Summer Science Week: Peabody Explorers”). The idea behind this

program is for it to be the spearhead for future year-round programs, both in English and

Spanish. This program also aims to welcome both the Latino and the non-Latino community in

the Boston area that would like to learn more about the similarities and differences among the

many Latino groups present in the state.

25

The Moment of Recognition

During an interview with David Carrasco, Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin

America at Harvard University, he shared his commitment to fostering a relationship between the

PMAE and the Latino community. Carrasco, who identifies as a Mexican-American, grew up

near the border with Mexico in a time when Mexicans had a lot of pressure to acculturate.

Throughout the years, it has been very important for him to bring the Mexican story, as he

learned it, into his work and to the life of his students. Carrasco believes that the Day of the Dead

can be an important bridge between the PMAE, the Latino community and the non-Latino

community that would like to learn more about this celebration and the Latino community

overall. Carrasco believes that the Day of the Dead celebration at the PMAE is “an opening” to

learn history and culture, and the devotion that Mexicans have towards life and themselves.

The Day of the Dead is one of the most meaningful celebrations in Mexico taking place

on the last day of October and the first day of November. In the last few years, this celebration

has become more popular in the United States due in part to the growing Mexican population,

the awareness of the Mexican culture itself, and how pop culture has embrace it. In his book

entitled Religions of Mesoamerica, Carrasco explains that:

This elaborate celebration, dedicated to the cult of deceased family members (also

referred to as Todos Santos “All Saints Day”), combines pre-Hispanic rituals and

beliefs with Catholic practices and symbols. The central idea is that during this

period of public and private (family) rituals, living and dead family members and

friends are joined together in an atmosphere of communion and spiritual

regeneration. (168)

26

During Carrasco’s early years as Anthropology professor at Harvard University, he

developed a relationship with Mexican Artist Misael Sanchez. Commissioned by Carrasco,

Sanchez drew his interpretation of a Day of the Dead altar based on his personal experience

growing up in Michoacán, Mexico. For Carrasco it was important for this significant celebration

to be interpreted by a Mexican artist and not by museum experts. This drawing became the

inspiration for the altar now standing in the Encounter with the Americas exhibit. Carrasco knew

that this was a great opportunity for the PMAE, not only to tell the story of this celebration, but

also to bring an element into the museum that could act as a bridge between the visitors and

Mexico, and to the time of the encounter. Around the same time, Carrasco gave a presentation

about the meaning of the celebration, the altar, the elements in it, and the cosmovision tied to it.

The PMAE saw this as an opportunity to display some of the artifacts already in their possession,

to expand the collection related to this Mexican tradition, and to foster a relationship with the

local Latino community (Carrasco).

The altar was built in 2004 and the decision to host a Day of the Dead evening

celebration at the PMAE was born. The event was a success with 500 guests, demonstrating the

spiritual, and cultural need of the community. Around the same time, Carrasco and Maria Luisa

Parra were co-teaching a course about Latinos remaking America when they met Pedro Morales,

a Mexican student deeply involved with the Latino community in East Boston. The following

year, Morales built a relationship with Zumix, a non-profit organization dedicated to building the

community through music and arts, in order to open a door for this community that until now

saw Harvard as another border to cross (Carrasco). At this point the PMAE realized that part of

its mission was to build a relationship with the Latinos, and more specifically, with the Mexican

community. Morales became the bridge between the PMAE and the Latino community, or as

27

Carrasco likes to say “ he is the bridge between Harvard all across to the Rio Grande”

(Carrasco).

Carrasco recalls that in 2006, during the Day of the Dead evening celebration, and in

response to the massacre in the Southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, a group of protesters showed

up to the celebration because one of the event’s sponsors was the Consulate of Mexico in

Boston. According to The Harvard Crimson, the protesters wanted the Consul Porfirio Thierry

Muñoz Ledo, to sign a letter condemning the actions of his country in Oaxaca (“Puppeteers and

Protesters”). Carrasco considered this protest and the aftermath an important event to consider;

the Museum had become a place where social issues could be addressed. And while the protest

ended in people’s arrests and alleged police abuse, the Museum and the Day of the Dead event

became a forum to speak about Latinos, their contributions and their struggles (Carrasco).

According to Carrasco, the annual Day of the Dead evening celebration at the PMAE,

brings a “humanly therapeutic meaning” not only to Latinos but also to every visitor. Through

the cards that visitors write to their deceased loved ones, to the actual construction of the annual

altar that is built for this event, the museum has given visitors, students and staff, a way to find

“spiritual gratification”. Carrasco believes that at some point the PMAE had wisely reached out

to the Mexican community, and had made an impact with the many Latino groups. He also

believes that the museum needs to keep that goal in mind, in order to keep including the Latino

community not only in East Boston but everywhere, and to become a place of outreach and

education for everyone (Carrasco).

During an interview with Andrew Majewsky, Education Specialist at the PMAE, he

talked about the ongoing efforts of the museum to maintain a relationship with the Latino

community through educational programs and events. Majewsky has been involved in the Day

28

of the Dead Family Celebration, which takes place every year at the museum, the day after the

Day of the Dead Evening Celebration. He recalls the struggles of the first few years finding the

appropriate programing, such as hands-on activities and gallery visits for families and kids that

would spark the curiosity of the museums visitors, while representing the Mexican and Latino

culture accurately and respectfully.

Majewsky recalls that throughout the years the PMAE Education Department has made a

conscious effort to establish and maintain, not always successfully, a relationship with many

Latino-oriented institutions, and groups inside and outside the Harvard umbrella, by reaching out

to community and group leaders. Among the groups he mentioned were Zumix, the Amigos

School in Cambridge, La Piñata - Latin American Family Network; the Harvard Latino Student

Alliance, the Concilio Latino de Harvard, Harvard Radcliffe RAZA, Harvard University

Mexican Association of Students, Harvard Divinity School – Nuestra Voz, Harvard Business

School – Latino Student Organization, Harvard Business School – Latino Student Alumni

Association, Harvard Law School – Latino Alumni Association, and Harvard Latino Alumni

Alliance, among others. However, Majewsky believes that one of the obstacles that makes the

relationship with the Harvard groups or associations difficult to foster and maintain, is the lack of

time on the part of the students to get involved in the Latino-oriented events. Another challenge

is the constant change in representatives and boards in these groups.

Majewsky stated that in the efforts to educate the museum’s visitors on the Latino

community, the Education Department at the PMAE has developed multiple educational

programs related to the Maya and Aztec civilizations, as well as the Day of the Dead celebration,

in collaboration with Harvard faculty, staff, and graduate students. Among the Latino-oriented

educational programs the Museum offers the “Amazing Aztecs” program for grades 4th to 7th, the

29

Day of the Dead program for grades 2nd to 12th, and the Magnificent Maya program for grades 4th

to 7th. The museum also offers an interactive webcast program titled King for a Day, which is

offered for grades 5th to 8th. All of these programs explore the ancient civilizations through

artifacts, writing, and monuments (“Programs”). Each of these programs has been piloted with

local schools, and feedback from the attending groups is collected and analyzed by the

department on a regular basis. Majewsky also added that there are ongoing efforts to offer the

Day of the Dead school program in both English and Spanish with the goal for the Museum to

open a door for ESL students in the Boston area.

The Latino Voice

A focus group was held on March 26th, 2017 at the PMAE in order to determine the experiences

and attitudes of Latino visitors towards the Museum. The focus group consisted of eleven

randomly selected Latino adults representing nine different countries (Fig. 3). The ages ranged

from 25 to 55 years of age, 82% were women (Fig. 4), 73% identified themselves as parents

(Fig. 5), and 90% as first-generation immigrants (Fig. 6). From all the participants, ten were

bilingual at different levels (Fig. 7).

Figure 3: Focus Group Data, Visitor Heritage

1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1024681012

Visitors' Heritage

N=11

30

Figure 4: Focus Group Data, Visitor Gender

Figure 5: Focus Group Data, Visitor Parental Status

Figure 6: Focus Group Data, Visitor Immigration Level

9

2

02468

1012

Female Male

Visitors' Gender

N=11

8

3

02468

1012

Yes No

Visitors' Parental Status

N=11

10

1

02468

1012

1st Generatio 2nd Generation

Visitors' Immigration Level

N=11

31

Figure 7: Focus Group Data, Visitor Language

The group was instructed to enter the museum through the main door, and walk throughout the

entire museum at their leisure. At an agreed upon time, the group and investigator met for the

first time at the designated area located in the Encounter with the Americas exhibition, where the

visitors filled out individual and anonymous questionnaires available both in English and

Spanish (Appendix A). After collecting the questionnaire, the visitors were invited to volunteer

comments and observations about the museum, their perceptions about the bilingual labels in the

Ocarinas of the Americas: Music Made in Clay exhibit, and their overall personal experiences in

the museum.

Regarding the number of visits previous to the date of the focus group (Fig. 8), only three

out of the eleven visitors had been to the museum before. Two of these visitors had been to the

museum twice in the past year, and one visitor had been to the museums, between three and five

times in the past 12 months. For the remaining eight visitors, this was their first time at the

museum, but all of them have heard about it, either through friends, social media or the

museum’s website. When asked why they had not been to the museum previously (Fig. 9), five

visitors mentioned that the lack of parking facilities presented a challenge for them. Three

10

10

5

10

15

Bilingual (English-Spanish) Monolingual (Spanish)

Visitors' Language

N=11

32

visitors mentioned that they weren’t sure if the museum was open to non-Harvard public and six

of them were not sure about the location.

Figure 8: Focus Group Data, Previous Visits to the PMAE in the Past 12 Months

Figure 9: Focus Group Data, Main Obstacles for Visiting the PMAE

When asked if they had previous knowledge about the PMAE having the “most extensive and

varied collection of Mesoamerican artifacts and sculptures outside of Mexico” (“About the

Peabody Museum”), eight visitors responded being aware of this, and most of them had heard

8

21

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0 Times 1 to 2 Times 3 to 5 Times

Previous Visits to the PMAE in the Past Twelve Months

N=11

5

3

6

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

No Parking Not for GeneralPublic

Unknown Location

Main Obstacles for Visisting the PMAE

N=11

33

about this information through friends (Fig. 10). The other three visitors did not know this

information, but were very eager to learn more about it.

Figure 10: Focus Group Data, Previous Knowledge Regarding Collections

When asked if they had previous knowledge regarding the PMAE offering Latino-themed events

(Fig. 11), such as the Day of the Dead celebration and other educational programs, four visitors

responded knowing about some of these events, and the majority expressed knowing about these

events and programs through friends. The rest of the visitors that did not know this information

were very eager to learn more about it.

Among the visitors who were aware of the PMAE offering Latino-theme events and

programs, only two of them had attended at least one of these events. Both of them agreed that

the Latino culture had been represented correctly during these events. When asked if they would

be interested in attending future events at the PMAE, all the visitors responded as being very

interested in attending future events or programs.

8

3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Yes No

Previous Knowledge Regarding the Extensive Collection of Mesoamerican Artifacts

N=11

34

Figure 11: Focus Group Data, Previous Knowledge Regarding Latino-Themed Events

When asked about the way they would like to learn about future Latino-oriented programs at the

PMAE (Fig. 12), nine out of eleven visitors responded that they would like to learn more via

email, seven visitors favor the use of social media, only one visitor liked the idea of receiving

printed marketing materials via mail; and only one visitor liked the idea of learning about future

events via Spanish radio stations or Spanish TV.

Figure 12: Focus Group Data, Future Communications

When asked about the kind of Latino-oriented events or programs that would be appealing to

them (Fig. 13), nine visitors expressed interest in attending concerts and workshops. Eight

4

7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Yes No

Previous Knowledge Reagrding Latino-Themed Events at the PMAE

N=11

9

1

7

1

Email Mail Social Media Radio/TV0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Future Events Communication Preferences

N=1

35

visitors expressed interest in events related to other holidays in addition to the Day of Dead

celebration, such as Cinco de Mayo, or other Latin Independence Days. Three visitors expressed

interest in Latin-theme lectures, and four visitors would like for the museum to offer bilingual

tours. The visitors expressed that it would be easier to include non-English speaking friends or

family members if the PMAE offered bilingual tours. Some visitors mentioned that it can be

exhausting having to translate constantly for other visitors, and that in some cases, they do not

know some terms in Spanish.

Figure 13: Focus Group Data, Future Events

When the visitors were asked if they noticed the bilingual labels in the Ocarinas of the Americas:

Music Made in Clay, 10 out of 11 visitors answered “yes” (Fig. 14). One confessed to talking

with the other visitors while walking in the exhibit and not noticing the labels. All the visitors

that noticed the bilingual content said that they read the Spanish content first regardless of some

of them feeling more comfortable speaking English due to the fact that they have spent most of

their lives in the United States.

3

98

9

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

Lecture Concerts OtherHolidays

Workshops BilingualTours

What other kinds of Latino-theme events would you like for the PMEA to offer?

N=11

36

Figure 14: Focus Group Data, Bilingual Labels

All the visitors agreed that bilingual labels are necessary in the exhibitions that have a Latino

theme, because this would allow for non-bilingual visitors, local and international, to understand

the content. Seven visitors commented that having bilingual labels allowed them to understand

terms they are not familiar with in English. The eight visitors who identified as being parents,

agreed that having bilingual labels, would allow them to either demonstrate to their kids the

importance of being bilingual, or giving their bilingual children a fun opportunity to practice the

Spanish language.

When the visitors were asked if they would consider the museum as a place to teach

younger generations about Latino culture, ten visitors enthusiastically responded “yes”, and one

said “yes and no”. When asked to elaborate, this visitor mentioned that while looking around the

Encounters with the Americas exhibition, she noticed that the labels were not very informative.

She felt that regardless of the fact that the labels were just in English, in general they lacked

some basic information such as the specific location to which some of the artifacts belong. She

found this very frustrating, especially her being from Guatemala, and not being able to learn

more about some of the Guatemalan textiles displayed in the exhibit.

10

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Yes No

Awarness Regarding the Bilingual Labels

N=11

37

Her comment sparked similar comments from other visitors, who felt that the exhibition

in general lacks signage. She mentioned that the lack of information in the labels assumed that

the visitor has a certain level of knowledge regarding the pieces on display, making the museum

appear presumptuous. Overall, everyone agreed that this specific exhibit is outdated, and does

not do justice to the grandiosity of the Maya and Aztec civilizations.

The final question in the questionnaire was regarding the overall experience, how

welcome or unwelcome the visitors felt at the museum. Every visitor expressed that they felt

welcome in the museum, that they really appreciated that the people at the front desk were polite,

and took the time to explain the layout of the museum and how they could visit other Harvard

museums with the same admission ticket.

One visitor mentioned that she wished there were museum staff around the exhibits who

could answer some of her questions. She expressed that it would be ideal to have Latino staff in

the Latino-theme exhibits. When asked why she felt the need to have specifically Latino staff,

she and other visitors expressed that they felt that while they believe that anyone could answer

questions regarding the exhibits or objects in them, they would experience a deeper connection

to the exhibitions and museum in general, if they saw someone they could identify with. One

visitor mentioned that he believes that a Latino museum professional would be able to explain

the deeper meaning of certain objects in the museum, such as the Day of the Dead altar. Another

visitor mentioned that the main reason she felt welcome at the museum was due to the fact that

the person conducting the interview looked like her, and spoke Spanish like her. All visitors

agreed that having a Latino person conducting the interview had a big impact on their overall

experience.

38

From a Latino Point of View

During a special event at Harvard Natural History Museum entitled National Fossil Day, where

paleontologists Phil Lai and Christopher Capobianco shared some of their specimens with

children and adults alike, a bilingual Latino museum intern had the opportunity to experience the

“Latino connection" that the participants from the focus group mentioned. The event was

designed to give visitors of all ages an opportunity to touch different items and specimens, and

ask the experts questions. The event was open to the public and free of charge, and many local

school groups, families and single visitors were present (“National Fossil Day”).

After the event, the intern reported that a group of 6th graders, mainly Latino, from

Brookline, Massachusetts, walked into the Great Mammal Hall, but nobody in the group made an

effort to approach the experts, nor to touch the specimens. Realizing that most of the students

were communicating among themselves in Spanish, the intern engaged them in a conversation in

the same language. The children gravitated to her immediately, they asked her questions about

her nationality and her role in the museum. Once the intern had established a connection with the

group of children, she invited them to meet the experts and handle the specimens. While not

every child in the group asked questions, all of them handled one or more of the specimens and

mingled more comfortably around the exhibit.

Similarly, during a school program at the PMAE, a bilingual Latino Gallery Educator

reported that after engaging in a conversation with a group of parents and mentioning her

Mexican heritage, one of the mothers in the group suddenly became more engaged in the class.

At the end of the program the mother approached the educator and shared with her that she was a

Mexican artist, and that she would like to get involved with the Museum in order to share her art

with other museum members and visitors.

39

Based on the findings of the focus group and experiences of the museum staff at the

PMAE, it is safe to say that the Latino visitors had similar experiences and perceptions of the

museum as those in the studies mentioned in previous sections. All the Latino visitors

participating in the focus group expressed willingness to visit the museum and participate in

future events and programs, while at the same time longing for a deeper connection to the

Latino-themed exhibits and the museum in general. Similar to other Latinos in multiple studies,

the Latinos in the focus group expressed the need to be able to see someone in the museum that

they could identify with in order to feel welcome.

Mi Museo es tu Museo

Why is it Important for the PMAE to Open the Door to the Latino Community?

According to the Demographic profile of Hispanics in Massachusetts, 2014, compiled by the

Pew Research Center, the Latino population in the state of Massachusetts in 2014 was 729,000,

representing 11% of the total state population, and the biggest minority group. Among Latinos,

22% speak only English at home, while the remaining 78% speak a language other than English.

Only 5% of the Latino population in Massachusetts is of Mexican origin, while 95% are of non-

Mexican origin (“Demographic Profile of Hispanics in Massachusetts, 2014”).

Despite the size of the Latino population in Massachusetts, according to Felix V. Matos

Rodríguez, noted Puerto Rican scholar, “there has been a clear delay in recognizing the

struggles, contributions, and presence of this group” in the state (16). In his essay The

“Browncoats” are Coming: Latino Public History in Boston, Matos Rodríguez mentions how

several public history projects and exhibits exploring Boston’s Latino communities were

developed in the 1970s and early 1980s by Latin scholars, artists and activists, but failed to reach

40

the mainstream public, due to the lack of interest among historical societies, and other

institutions. The rejection of these exhibits was very significant, not only because it prevented

the Latino community from being recognized and empowered, but also because at this time

many people in the non-Latino communities considered the growing Puerto Rican and Latino

population a problem (19). In addition to this, the white/black racial tension resulting from

Boston’s court-ordered busing of public school students took center stage in the city, making the

Latino community even more invisible (20).

In his essay, Matos Rodriguez also considers that Boston-based colleges and universities

do not provide the necessary support for developing Latino history programs and exhibits that

could foster collaboration between academics, students, and Latino communities and activists

(21) According to Matos Rodriguez, it was not until 1996 that universities such as Harvard,

Northeastern, Tuffs, and the University of Massachusetts Boston, opened research, student

service, and academic programs in Latino Studies for the first time (22). The last element that

Matos Rodriguez considers that works against the Latino community is the connection between

public history and tourism. In a city that strongly associates itself with an Italian and Irish

heritage, there is no room for the most recent group of immigrants. Therefore no funding is

allocated for Latino public history projects (22).

Matos Rodriguez wonders at the end of his essay, if the Latino community should create

its own public history institution, and if this would help to improve the Latino perception in

Boston. Could the PMAE be the institution that finally offers a place to recognize, represent and

empower the Latino community in Boston?

41

A Beacon in the Dark

In 2007 the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), launched the Re-visioning +

Engaging Multiethnic Audience in America project in order for the museum to “recalibrate itself

to better serve more diverse audiences” (5). As part of this project, the JANM organized a

convention that included eleven peer institutions with the goal of “sharing concerns, ideas, and

suggestions around the topic of engaging the next generation audiences” (19) (“The Cultural

Museum 2.0 Engaging Diverse Audiences in America”). While the museum landscape seems

very gloomy for Latino visitors and Latino museum professionals based on the previous studies

and statistics, there is still hope for the Latino community, and its relationship with museums. In

the past few years, many institutions including the JANM, have been paying attention to the

changing demographics in the country, and in their communities; they recognize the differences,

and understand the needs of the Latino community, as well as other underrepresented groups. It

is important for museums to learn and seek advise from peer institutions if they truly want to

engage their communities. The following case studies can be beacons in the dark for other

institutions, including the PMAE.

Mike Murawski, Director of Education & Public Programs at the Portland Art Museum in

Oregon, believes that the only way that an institution can respectfully exhibit artifacts from a

different cultural group is for the museum to establish a conversation with the group in question.

According to him, this practice will allow the museum to understand the best and most respectful

way to represent the group’s culture, help others to understand the group’s place in modern

society, and ultimately for the museum to become an open cultural place where different groups

can learn from each other. Murawski achieved this dialog between his institution and the groups

42

his institution attempts to represent with its collections, exhibits and programing, by keeping

three concepts in mind: co-creation, shared learning and social action (Murawski).

According to Murawski in order for museums to allow co-creation, they have to let go of

traditional/historic notions of authority and power relationships, value community expertise as

equal or even greater than museum expertise, listen to the community and be responsive, but

most importantly to build a sustainable commitment to partnership beyond a single exhibit, event

or program. By aiming for knowledge exchange among museum and communities, valuing the

stories of communities and individuals, being open to changes within the institution as a result of

this knowledge exchange and asking the community for their feedback, museums can achieve the

second key concept of shared learning. Finally, he believes that the two previous concepts would

be irrelevant if the museum does not become a safe place for social justice activism for the

groups it intends to represent. The museum has to be brave enough to start difficult

conversations, while at the same time be a place for empathy, where moments of healing and

spirituality can take place (Murawski).

In the late 1990s the Monterey Bay Aquarium recognized that despite the large Latino

population in the area, the percentage of Latino visitors to the aquarium, did not mirror the

state’s demographics. The aquarium’s first effort to attract this underrepresented group was to

understand the similarities and differences among this diverse group, starting with the level of

acculturation and income. Through research, the aquarium staff discovered that the Latinos in the

community could be grouped in two major groups, some Latinos were highly acculturated with a

household income higher than the state’s average, while the other group was formed by new

immigrants, mainly Spanish-speakers, with lower household incomes, and larger families.

Armed with this knowledge, the museum developed two different strategies in order to entice

43

both of these groups to choose the aquarium as a welcoming destination. The aquarium increased

its marketing effort to target the highly acculturated Latino group, while at the same time

developed a campaign to make the second group welcome in the aquarium by offering open

houses, reinforcing their commitment for the aquarium to be open for all residents, and by

training the staff to understand the differences and needs of these groups. The aquarium’s

efforts paid off because by 2008, the percentage of Latino visitors grew from 8% to 24% (Farrell

and Medvedeva16).

Another case where a museum has “grown more comfortable with, and even celebrating

our increasingly diverse world”, is the Queens Museum, in Queens New York. This small

museum led by executive director Tom Finkelpearl, embraced its location and the communities

around it, mainly formed by Latino and Asian immigrants. A very important step for the museum

was to hire two community organizers whose role is to connect and collaborate with these

communities. By opening a dialog between the institution and these underrepresented groups, the

museum had an opportunity to make everyone feel welcome, to engage with local artists and

leaders, and start a creative process where members of these groups could collaborate in creating

art installations, and organizing community events. Through partnerships, the museum also uses

its space to empower the members of these communities by offering language and skill-based

classes, as well as video and film series that allows for different members of this communities to

intersect and get to know each other. (“Can Museums Create Common Ground in Diverse

Societies”).

44

Para Español Marque Dos (For Spanish Press Two)

During interviews with PMAE visitors and museum professionals, the topic of bilingual content

was very controversial. When asked about the English/Spanish content in the museum, all of the

visitors that participated in the focus group agreed that considering that Spanish is the second

most spoken language in America, it would be great if the museum would include bilingual

content throughout the museum, or at least in the Latino-oriented exhibits. They believe that this

would make the Latino community feel more welcome at the museum. However, they also

agreed that instead of Spanish, the museum could consider using other language combinations,

such as Chinese/English, or Native American dialects/English, if the theme of the exhibit was

specific to their culture. On the other hand, during the interviews, some museum professionals at

the PMAE argued that including bilingual labels in the museum could make other minority

groups, and even majority groups, feel unwelcome or excluded. They also suggested that it

could create an unnecessary challenge during the design process of new exhibits.

According to Steve Yalowitz, a principal at Audience Viewpoints Consulting and

coauthor of the Bilingual Exhibit Research Initiative Report: Institutional and Intergenerational

Experiences with Bilingual Exhibits, their research showed that:

Access to content—the most obvious benefit of bilingual labels—is just the tip of

the iceberg. Bilingual interpretation expands the way visitors experience and

perceive museums, shifting their emotional connection to the institutions.

Through their research Yalowitz et al. discovered seven major findings while interviewing many

Spanish speaking intergenerational groups. The first one was “code-switching”, meaning that the

members used both English and Spanish throughout the museum visit, effortlessly and in order

to understand certain terms or phrases better. The second finding was similar to non-bilingual

45

groups, Spanish-speaking adults read more labels than children, but Spanish-speaking adults tend

to read the Spanish labels more, and they switch the spoken language depending on the abilities

of other members of their group. Adults also tend to read both languages, showing a preference

for Spanish, but they said that they compared both languages in order to understand the entire

content or just a specific word better. The fourth finding was that adults; especially non-English

speaking adults felt empowered by being able to take the role of educators for younger

generations, because they were able to read the content and explain certain activities. The fifth

finding was that having bilingual content generated an emotional effect on the group, it made

them feel more comfortable and valued by the institution. The sixth finding was that especially

for adults, the presence of bilingual content allowed them not only to understand the content

better, but also to expand their English vocabulary. At the same time this gave the younger

generation an opportunity to develop or practice their bilingual skills. The final finding, and

probably the most important, was the opportunity to connect to their culture, regardless of being

bilingual or Spanish speaking only (6).

The Multilingual Interpretation in Science Centers and Museums survey, developed by

the Exploratoriun and the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated ASTC,

found that the main motivator for including bilingual content in U.S. museums is an institutional

mandate to make most exhibits or programs accessible to a wider audience. The second

motivator was outreach to underserved groups, while creating specific exhibits and programs for

specific groups was the third (11). From all the institutions surveyed in the U.S. and around the

world, nearly all of them responded that Spanish was the second most important language to be

included, independent of geography (12). The same study found that compared to U.S.

institutions, the great majority of international institutions reported more than a decade of

46

experience regarding multilingual content, compared to less than one third institutions in the U.S.

(13). While most U.S. and international institutions responded that exhibit labels were the type of

multilingual interpretation that their institutions offer, 73% of international institutions reported

that they also provided multilingual marketing, public programs, orientation materials, and the

use of docents and volunteers, compared to an average of 41% of U.S. institutions (14).

Independently of the budget size, 52 % of international institutions offer multilingual speakers

for events, classes and lectures, compared to 25% of U.S. institutions. Among the challenges that

both international and U.S. institutions reported for offering multilingual content, international

institutions reported that staffing was their biggest challenge, while U.S. institutions reported that

cost and funding was theirs. Another important challenge for U.S. institutions was deciding

which language to include (32).

In her blog post title Museums Share Their Practices for Reaching Multilingual

Audiences, Rebecca Mir, Associate Manager of Digital Media and Online Learning at the

Guggenheim, writes that museums should consider that while minority groups might want

bilingual content, translating material is not enough when it comes to establishing a relationship

and understanding their culture. Mir states “translation must be accompanied by sensitivity to

cultural differences and political issues” (Mir).

Representing vs. Integration

Across the United States, the representation of Latino culture is often the reflection of a

romanticized notion of imported folk culture, or interpretation from a white non-Hispanic point

of view. This is due to the often-ignored contribution of the many Latino groups in the U.S., and

47

the lack of understanding that the Latino community in this country is very diverse, and

constantly attempting to integrate.

Museums should aim to represent ethnic minority groups respectfully and accurately in

their exhibits and programing, with the goal of producing a sense of integrated community where

both the museum and minority groups can be satisfied. Museums should also keep in mind that

the way they represent a culture, will directly affect the perceptions that will be formed by their

visitors. Therefore, museums need to think more in terms of integration instead of assimilation

in order to create and environment where underrepresented communities with different cultural

backgrounds can feel welcome and accepted for who they are, connected to the museum

community, and valued in the museum.

In order to achieve a sense of integrated community with a group that the museum is

trying to represent, it is important for the museum to develop a connection with the group being

represented, not only in the past but also in the present. This can be achieved by developing

connections with leaders in these communities, and giving them an opportunity to represent

themselves through integration, either by direct collaboration with the museum during the

development of exhibits and programing or by opening a very welcoming door for them.

Another important step to build a sense of integrated community in the present, would be by

making a conscious effort to diversify the museum staff in order to bring authentic points of

views during the development of exhibits and programing.

During an interview with David Carrasco, he mentioned the importance of education

inside and outside the PMAE’s galleries, if the museum continues to host Latino-theme events.

In the case of the annual Day of the Dead celebration at the PMAE, Carrasco believes that it is

important for the museum and the University in general, to educate the public, not only during

48

the event but before and after, with classes and programing that will allow Latinos and non-

Latinos to understand the deeper meaning of this celebration. He also emphasizes that the

absence of Latino staff with deeper roots in the community, is noticeable, and the consequences

are the possible misrepresentation of the event, and the Latino community itself. Carrasco urged

the museum to rebuild the connection that it had in previous years with the Latino community,

and to open the doors for more Latino museum staff to foster a more integrated community,

instead of just focusing on representation.

Conclusion - The Case for Improving Outreach to the Latino Community in the Museum

In a video for the American Alliance of Museums’ Center for the Future of Museums

lecture series entitled Towards a New Mainstream, Gregory Rodriguez, founder and executive

director of Zócalo Public Square, talks about the demographic changes in the U.S. and the

cultural transformation in museums. He believes that museums need to start thinking about

minorities in terms of “they becoming us, and us becoming them”, and to think more about

integration instead of representation in order to stop making assumptions about who individuals

are, their beliefs and cultural backgrounds (“Towards a New Mainstream” 00:04:22-11).

But how can museums achieve this integration? Museums need to stop thinking of

Latinos as foreigners and start embracing and empowering them, through their exhibits and

programing, the relevance of the Latino community in the United States. Museums also need to

stop thinking of Latinos as a monolithic group, and instead realize that this community is made

up of very diverse groups in constant evolution, while at the same time thinking of integration

more than distinction. Also, it is important for museums to understand that because of the tightly

integrated Mexican-U.S. history, as well as geographic proximity, Latinos maintain a closer

49

relationship with their culture and language than other groups of immigrants that willingly or

forcibly integrated to the American culture in the past.

Another important step is for museums to not assume that color blindness is enough when

it comes to integrating the Latino community and other minorities. Museums need to constantly

pay attention to their peers that have succeeded in integrating the communities they serve.

Involving themselves with groups that can guide them on how to truly become institutions for

“all” is key to creating real change. One example of such a group is the Museums & Race

Transformation and Justice group comprised of twenty-four museums that gather throughout the

country to “listen and learn from the perspective of the others, especially those of color”

(“Frequently Asked Questions”). When it comes to integrating the Latino community into

museums, the Latino Network of the American Alliance of Museums “offers expertise to U.S.

museums interested in better understanding of the Latino issues and engaging Latino audiences

through the development of exhibitions, collections, public programs, and education initiatives”

(“Latino Network of the American Alliance of Museums”). However, the first and most

important step is for museums to start by recognizing their deficiencies and be willing to make

changes.

In a time when every institution, including museums, has to be sustainable and relevant in

order to survive, establishing a connection with the public is imperative. On top of sustainability,

museums also have the responsibility to reflect the cultural diversity of the community they

intend to serve, with the ultimate goal of achieving integration. Considering the growth and

influence of the Latino communities in the United States, it is now the perfect moment for

museums to establish a connection with the Latino community, and build a reciprocal

relationship that will be beneficial for both parties.

50

Appendix A

Survey Given to Focus Groups Participants – English Version

Study Title: Latino Visitor Engagement Study Researcher: Elizabeth Antonellis

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Antonellis. I am a graduate student at the Harvard Extension School in the Museum Studies Program. I am conducting research on the relationship between museums and Latino audiences. I would like to invite you to participate in this study. Participation in this research includes filling out a short questionnaire and sharing your opinion regarding your attitude towards the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. This will take approximately 20 minutes. 1. Is this your first time visiting the museum?

Yes ☐ No ☐

If yes, how did you hear about the museum?

Museum’s Printed Material ☐ Museum’s Website/Social Media ☐ Friend ☐ Other ☐

1.2 If no, how many times have you been to the museum in the past year?

0 to 1 ☐ 2 to 5 ☐ ☐ more than 6 times

2. Are you aware that the museum has an extensive collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts?

Yes ☐ No ☐

If yes, how did you hear about it?

Museum’s Printed Material ☐ Museum’s Website/Social Media ☐ Friend ☐ other ☐

If no, would you be interested in learning more about it?

Yes ☐ No ☐

3. Are you aware that the museum offers events that celebrate Latino culture such as the

Day of the Day celebration Night Event and Family Day Event?

Yes ☐ No ☐

If yes, how did you learn about it?

Museum’s Printed Material ☐ Museum’s Website/Social Media ☐ Friend ☐ Other ☐

If no, would you like to learn more about it?

51

Yes ☐ No ☐

4. Have you been to the museum during any of these events?

Yes ☐ No ☐

If yes, did you feel that the Latino culture was well represented?

Yes ☐ No ☐

If no, would you be interested in attending other Latino-theme events?

Yes ☐ No ☐

5. How would you like to hear about future events?

Email ☐ Mail ☐ Social Media ☐ Radio/TV ☐

6. Did you notice the bilingual (English/Spanish) labels in the Ocarinas of the Americas:

Music Made in Clay Exhibit?

Yes ☐ No ☐

7. Would you like to see more bilingual (English/Spanish) labels around the museum, and

why?

Yes ☐ No ☐

Why?_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

8. Do you feel welcome in the museum, and why?

Yes ☐ No ☐

Why?_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

9. Do you think that this museum would be a good place to teach younger generations

about Latino culture, why?

Yes ☐ No ☐

Why?_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

10. What other kind of Latino-oriented events would you like to experience at the museum

(concerts, talks, other Hispanic cultural events)?

Lectures ☐ Concerts ☐ Other Holidays ☐ Workshops ☐ Bilingual Tours ☐

52

Survey Given to Focus Groups Participants – Spanish Version

Titulo del Estudio: Estudio de Participación de Visitante Latinos Investigador: Elizabeth Antonellis

Hola, mi nombre es Elizabeth Antonellis. Soy estudiante de maestría en la Escuela de Extensión de Harvard en el Programa de Estudios de Museo. Estoy realizando una investigaciones sobre la relación entre los museos y las audiencias latinas. Me gustaría invitarle a participar en este estudio. La participación en esta investigación incluye llenar un breve cuestionario y compartir su opinión sobre su actitud hacia el Museo Peabody de Arqueología y Etnología. Esto tomará aproximadamente 20 minutos. 1. Es esta tu primer visita al museo?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Si la respuesta es “si”, como escuchaste sobre el museo?

Material del Museo ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Pagina de Internet del Museo Redes Sociales Amig@

Otro __________________________________________________________________

Si la respuesta es “no”, cuantas veces has visitado el museo en el ultimo año?

1 vez ☐ ☐ ☐ 2 a 5 veces mas de 6 veces

2. Sabes que el museo posee un colección extensa de objetos pre-Hispánicos?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Si la respuesta es “si”, cómo escuchaste esta información?

Material del Museo ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Pagina de Internet del Museo Redes Sociales Amig@

Otro__________________________________________________________________

Si la respuesta es “no”, te gustaría escuchar mas información al respecto?

Si ☐ ☐ No

3. Sabías que este museo ofrece eventos y programas educativos que celebran la cultura

Latino como el Día de Muertos y programas educativos sobre los Mayas y Aztecas?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Si la respuesta es “si”, cómo escuchaste esta información?

Material del Museo ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Pagina de Internet del Museo Redes Sociales Amig@

Otro__________________________________________________________________

Si la respuesta es “no”, te gustaría escuchar mas información al respecto?

53

Si ☐ ☐ No

4. Has participado en alguno de estos eventos o programas educativos?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Si la respuesta es “si”, crees que la cultura Latina fue representada correctamente?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Si la respuesta es “no”, te interesaría participar?

Si ☐ ☐ No

5. Como te gustaría informarte sobre estos eventos/programas?

Correo electrónico ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Correo Postal Redes Sociales Radio/TV

Otro____________________________________________________________

6. Notaste la información bilingüe en la exhibición titulada? Ocarinas de las Américas:

Música Hecha en barro?

Si ☐ ☐ No

7. Te gustaría ver mas información bilingüe en el museo?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Por qué? ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

8. Te sientes bienvenid@/cómod@ en el museo?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Por qué? ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

9. Consideras que este museo es un buen espacio para educar a las nuevas generaciones

sobre la cultura Latina?

Si ☐ ☐ No

Por qué? ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

10. Que tipo de eventos Latinos te gustaría experimentar en este museo?

Lecturas ☐ ☐ ☐ Conciertos Otros día festivos Talleres ☐ ☐ Tours bilingües

Otro____________________________________________________________

54

Works Cited

“Archaeology Program.” National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016,

www.nps.gov/archeology/tools/laws/nagpra.htm

Arreola, Daniel D. “Hispanic Spaces, Latino Spaces, Community and Cultural Diversity in

Contemporary America.” University of Texas Press. 2004.

“About.” Bracero History Archive, Center for History and New Media, 2017,

braceroarchive.org/about

“About the Center.” Smithsonian Latino Center, Smithsonian Institution, 2016,

latino.si.edu/About/

“About the Peabody Museum.” Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard

University, 2017, www.peabody.harvard.edu/about

Acevedo, Salvador, and Monique Madara. “The Latino Experience in Museums: An Exploratory

Audience Research Study.” Contemporanea, Apr. 2015, www.contemporanea.us/wp-

content/uploads/2015/04/Latino-Experience-in-Museums-Report-Contemporanea.pdf

The American Alliance of Museums. “Towards a New Mainstream.” YouTube, presentation by

Gregory Rodriguez, https://youtu.be/TqSCZHgWrjc.

“Arts, Cultures and the Latino Audience.” Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture, Latino

Perspectives Magazine, 2012, https://www.azmc.org/wp-

content/uploads/2012/12/arts_culture_and_the_latino_audience.pdf

“Becoming Part of the United States.” Library of Congress. 2016,

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immig

ration/alt/mexican2.html

55

Bowling, Nate. “The Conversation I’m Tired of Not Having.” Net Bowling,

www.natebowling.com/a-teachers-evolving-mind/2016/1/24/the-conversation-im-tired-

of-not-having. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.

Carrasco, David. Personal Interview. 13 Mar. 2017.

---Religions of Mesoamerica. Waveland Press, Inc., 2014.

Colby Sandra L., and Ortman Jennifer M. “Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S.

Population: 2014 to 2060.” United States Census Bureau, 03 March 2015,

www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p25-

1143.pdf

“The Cultural Museum 2.0 Engaging Diverse Audiences in America.” The James Irvin

Foundation, Japanese American National Museum, Aug. 2009,

media.janm.org/projects/innovation/janm-cultural-museum.pdf.

“Demographic Profile of Hispanics in Massachusetts, 2014.” Pew Research Center, 2017,

www.pewhispanic.org/states/state/ma/

Dowling, Julie A. Mexican Americans and the Question of Race. University of Texas Press.

2014, pp. 5-79.

Echenique, F. Personal Interview. 21 Oct. 2016.

Eisenach, Jeffrey A. “Making America Rich Again: The Latino Effect on Economic Growth.”

Nera Economic Consulting, December 2016,

www.nera.com/content/dam/nera/publications/2016/PUB_LDC_Prosperity_1216.pdf

Farrell, Betty, and Medvedeva Maria. “Demographic Transformation and the Future of

Museums.” American Association of Museums, The AAM Press, 2010, www.aam-

us.org/docs/center-for-the-future-of-museums/demotransaam2010.pdf

56

“Frequently Asked Questions.” Museums & Race Transformation and Justice, 2016,

museumsandrace.org/

Gan, Anne M. et al. “The Gender Gap in Art Museum Directorship.” Association of Art Museum

Directors, 2014,

aamd.org/sites/default/files/document/The%20Gender%20Gap%20in%20Art%20Museu

m%20Directorships_0.pdf

García, Mario T. The Latino Generation: Voices of the New America. Chapel Hill: The

University of North Carolina Press, 2014.

Greenwood, Max. “Lawmakers Push for a National Museum for American Latinos.” The

Huffington Post, 14 Sep. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/latino-american-museum-

bill_us_57d96d82e4b0fbd4b7bca219

“A Growing Community.” Library of Congress, 2016,

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immig

ration/alt/mexican4.html

Heaton, James. “Museums and Race.” Tronvig Group, 2016, www.tronviggroup.com/museums-

and-race/

“Hispanic.” Merriam-Webster. 2017, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hispanic

“Hispanic Origin.” U.S. Census Bureau, 2016, www.census.gov/population/hispanic/

“How A Nation Engages with Art, Highlights from the 2012 Survey of Public Participation in

the Arts” National Endowment for the Arts. Sept. 2013,

www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/highlights-from-2012-sppa-revised-oct-2015.pdf

Hubbard, P. Personal Interview. 06 Oct. 2016

57

Hudson, Kenneth. “The Museum Refuses To Stand Still.” Museum International, vol.66, no.1-4,

2014. Wiley Online Library, pp.136-143. doi: 10.1111/1468-0033.00135

“ICOM Statutes.” International Council of Museum, 2017, http://icom.museum/the-

organisation/icom-statutes/3-definition-of-terms/L/12/#sommairecontent

Kroll, Luisa. “Forbes 2016 World’s Billionaires: Meet the Richest People on the Planet.” Forbes,

01 Mar. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2016/03/01/forbes-2016-worlds-

billionaires-meet-the-richest-people-on-the-planet/#22f5d73477dc

“Land Loss in Trying Times.” Library of Congress. 2016,

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immig

ration/alt/mexican3.html

“Latin Americans in WWII at a Glance.” The National WWII Museum New Orleans. 2017,

www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-

glance/latino-americans-in-ww2.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

“Latino.” Merriam-Webster. 2017, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Latino

“Latino Network of the American Alliance of Museums.” American Alliance of Museums, 2016,

www.aam-us.org/docs/default-source/professional-networks/2016-summary-of-activities-

2017-strategy-and-goals.pdf?sfvrsn=0

Levit, Peggy. “Can Museums Create Common Ground in Diverse Societies?” Zócalo Public

Square, 02 Nov. 2015, www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2015/11/02/can-museums-create-

common-ground-in-diverse-societies/ideas/nexus/

Liu, Elaine. “Puppeteers and Protesters.” The Harvard Crimson, 2017,

www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/11/3/puppeteers-and-protesters-a-puppet-show/

58

Matos Rodríguez, Féélix, V. “The ‘Browncoats’ are Coming: Latino Public History in Boston.”

The Public Historian, vol. 24, no. 4, Fall. 2001, pp. 15-28

Mir, Rebecca. “Museums Share Their Best Practices for Reaching Multilingual Audiences.”

Guggenheim, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 25 Apr. 2014,

www.guggenheim.org/blogs/checklist/museums-share-their-best-practices-for-reaching-

multilingual-audiences.

Mosesly, Korbett. “10 Ways to Practice Institutional Racism at your Non-Profit Organization.”

www.korbettmosesly.com/2016/02/15/10-ways-to-practice- institutional-racism-at-your-

non-profit/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.

“Multilingual Interpretation in Science Centers and Museums.” Association of Science-

Technology Centers Incorporate,

www.astc.org/resource/equity/Multilingualism%20Report_Final.pdf

Murawski, Mike. “Unlocking the Museum Together: Co-creation, Shared Learning, & Social

Action.” Guest Speaker, Museums: Public Programs & Social Change, 27 Sep 2016.

“Museum History” Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 2017,

https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/about/history

“National Fossil Day.” Harvard Museum of National History, Harvard University, 2017,

hmnh.harvard.edu/event/national-fossil-day-0

“Panethnic.” Oxford University Press, 2017, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/pan-ethnic

Planas, Roque. “11 Latino Contributions To U.S. History.” The Huffington Post, 04 July 2013,

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/04/latinos-contributions-to-us-history-

independence_n_3545899.html

59

“Programs.” Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 2017,

www.peabody.harvard.edu/node/105

Rizzi-Jones, Joanne, and Gretchen Jennings. “Museums, White Privilege, and Diversity: A

Systematic Perspective.” Museum Commons, 2017, www.museumcommons.com/wp-

content/uploads/2017/03/Dimensions-Diversity-Special-Edition_JenningsJonesRizzi.pdf

Saenz, Rogelio. “Latinos in the Changing Face of America.” The American People: Census

2000, Russell Sage Foundation, Sep. 2005, pp. 352-378. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.ezp-

prod1.hul.harvard.edu/stable/10.7758/9781610442008.

Schonfel, Roger et al. “ The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Art Museum Staff Demographic

Survey.” The Andrew W. Mello Foundation, 2015,

mellon.org/media/filer_public/ba/99/ba99e53a-48d5-4038-80e1-

66f9ba1c020e/awmf_museum_diversity_report_aamd_7-28-15.pdf

Simon, Nina. “Meditations on Relevance, Part1: Overview.” Museum 2.0. 28 Jul. 2015,

museumtwo.blogspot.com/2015/07/meditations-on-relevance-part-1-overview.html

--- The Art of Relevance. Museum 2.0, 2016.

“Smithsonian Explores History and Experiences of Black Latinos in the United States.”

Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 2017,

americanhistory.si.edu/press/releases/smithsonian-explores-history-and-experiences-

black-latinos-united-states.

Stein, Jill, et al. “Engaging Immigrant Audiences in Museums.” Museums & Social Issues, vol.

3, no. 2, 18, Jul. 2008, pp. 179-196, DOI: 10.1179/msi.2008.3.2.179

60

“Summer Science Week: Peabody Explorers.” Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology,

Harvard University, 2017, hmnh.harvard.edu/event/summer-science-week-

peabody-explorers.

Trivedi, Nikhil. “Oppression: A Museum Premier.” The Incluseum, 04 Feb. 2015,

incluseum.com/2015/02/04/oppression-a-museum-primer

Yalowitz, Steven, et al. “Bilingual Exhibit Research Initiative Report: Institutional and

Intergenerational Experiences with Bilingual Exhibitions.” Informal Science, 2013,

www.informalscience.org/sites/default/files/2013-10-

01_BERI_Research_report_Final_Sep_2013.pdf

--- “The Truth about Bilingual Interpretation.” Museum 2.0, 12 Mar.2014,

museumtwo.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-truth-about-bilingual.html

Weil, Stephen E. Making Museums Matter. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.