Smithsonian's American Latino museum finds permanent home on National Mall

Geoff Bennett:

For six years, the National Museum of the American Latino has existed without a building of its own, and that is about to change.

In August, the Smithsonian's Board of Regents voted to give the museum a permanent home in the Arts and Industries Building. That's a 145-year-old landmark on the National Mall. The choice is practical, as well as symbolic. Because the Smithsonian already owns the building, it can move ahead without seeking congressional approval for a new site, sidestepping a potential political fight, as President Trump has sharply criticized the Smithsonian and proposed cutting funding for the museum.

Jorge Zamanillo is the museum's founding director. And he joins us now.

Thank you for being here.

Jorge Zamanillo:

Thank you for having me.

Geoff Bennett:

So why does this museum matter and why is now the moment for it?

Jorge Zamanillo:

Well, this museum is so important. This is a project been over three decades in the making. People have been advocating for this museum, bipartisan support.

They know that there was a lack of representation for Latinos in Smithsonian museums and in museums across the nation. So they made it their passion to make sure that this would happen. And December 2020, the museum was enacted. Legislation was passed to make sure that we advance the understanding of Latino culture and the impact Latinos have had in the United States.

Geoff Bennett:

So this is a 30-year-long effort. Why has it taken so long?

Jorge Zamanillo:

Most museums do take a while to get passed in legislation. If you look back at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, that was 100 years in the making. So, imagine, 30 years is not too bad, right?

But it's important to make sure that everybody's behind us, preserving those stories, preserving that legacy, and how do we get that done. So I feel fortunate to have joined this project about 4.5 years ago to continue that journey.

Geoff Bennett:

The initial vision, as I understand it, was to create a new museum from the ground up. You're now taking over one of the Smithsonian's oldest buildings. What do you gain from that approach and what do you give up?

Jorge Zamanillo:

Well, when we first looked at the Arts and Industries Building, it was one of the buildings that was in the legislation for us to study.

And the amazing thing about it is that it's so symbolic. It's right at the heart of the Mall, the corazon of the Mall, right? That's not lost on us, that symbolism. So when I revisited this building last year with the board, and we said now that we have had some time to think about our story, our narrative, how we're going to develop this museum, this would really work.

This building is could -- we could expand this building, we could expand the footprint, we could double the square footage, and it's a perfect opportunity to be at the heart of the Mall and say the first national museum opened in 1881 is also going to be the latest museum to open for the Smithsonian.

Geoff Bennett:

How do you build one museum that reflects the diversity of the diaspora? You have got geographic, cultural, generational, political differences and nuances. How do you capture all of that without flattening the differences?

Jorge Zamanillo:

That's a great question.

Latinos are not a monolith. It's not a race. It's not -- it's not about politics, so how do we do that? And it's really about the impact Latinos in the U.S. have had in this country on the American history narrative that we know goes back centuries. And how do we capture those stories and how are they connected? What are the shared experiences that we have that make us Latinos?

It's not just a census. It's not a name that you see check off a box and you say I'm Latino or I'm Hispanic. It's about culture that we're building together, and that's what we want to represent.

Geoff Bennett:

President Trump, as you well know, he has criticized the Smithsonian. He has floated cutting off federal support. How much does that political pressure affect decisions you're making right now about what this museum will say and show?

Jorge Zamanillo:

Well, we always go back to scholarship. And we're presenting facts. We're presenting all the stories we can. When I interview people in the field, when we go across the country meeting Latino communities and meeting people for the first time, we don't ask them what their religion is, we don't ask them what their political affiliation is.

It's more about, what is that impactful story that you can tell us? What are the objects that we can collect to tell those stories? And that's what really matters.

Geoff Bennett:

Is there an exhibit or an artifact that really, really excites you?

Jorge Zamanillo:

Well, I'm excited about the latest exhibit we have at our Molina Family Latino Gallery at American History. It's about salsa music.

And the amazing thing about that, it's not just a music exhibit. We're talking about its Afro-Cuban roots in the Caribbean and how the music evolved into New York into what salsa music is today. It talks about immigration. It talks about resistance,. It talks about all these different topics, and that's what makes it exciting.

But what I really do want to see in this museum is an opportunity for the visitors to first come in. And whether you have Puerto Rican heritage or Cuban or Colombian or Mexican, you walk in and you see something that resonates with you, that first thing that tells you my story is now part of this larger narrative.

Geoff Bennett:

What's the timeline for the museum opening its doors?

Jorge Zamanillo:

The last museum took a little bit over 12 years, to build to raise the money for it, to collect the objects. So we're hoping to be along those same parameters. Can we open in the next decade or so? We exist as a museum already. We have a gallery. Now we have a building, and that's very symbolic, and it keeps that momentum going.

We meet those milestones we need in order to achieve that opening date.

Geoff Bennett:

We're speaking during Hispanic Heritage Month. What are you doing to market? And what do you want Americans to understand about Latino history in this country?

Jorge Zamanillo:

The most important thing we're doing right now is part of our Making History Tour. We're reaching to communities across the U.S.

We have visited over 26 different states, over 50 different cities and rural communities to make sure we're engaging Latino communities. We just got back from Minneapolis. We were in Houston earlier this year. Next year, we're going back to L.A. and New York and also smaller towns throughout the year to make sure we connect with people and say, what is it you want to see in a museum?

And we will have a community day. We will have a town hall meeting, and we're going to start collecting those objects that you're going to see in the permanent exhibit. So that's the exciting part.

Geoff Bennett:

Jorge Zamanillo, great to speak with you. Thanks for being here.

Jorge Zamanillo:

Thank you for having me.