In partnership with the Mi Museo Committee, the Springfield Museums are delighted to announce the second annual Latino Arts Festival on Friday, September 6. Festival activities are free and open to the public.
Leading into National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Festival is a celebration of the myriad arts and rich cultures of the Puerto Rican, Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Portuguese, Mexican, Dominican, and Central and South American populations of Greater Springfield.
Funded in large part by a state earmark sponsored by Rep. Carlos González, Sen. Adam Gomez, and the Springfield Legislative delegation, the Festival was organized by the Mi Museo Committee and supported by El Sol Latino, Full Power Radio, Holy Trinity Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, MassLive Media, New England Public Media, and the Parra Family.
This year’s Latino Arts Festival marks closing weekend of Frida Kahlo, Her Photos. This profoundly moving and intimate exhibition reveals 241 images belonging to the iconic artist’s personal collection, which were locked up in a bathroom at her residence for more than 50 years. Attendees will get to know the woman behind the art: her origins and roots, her relationships, her constant fight with her fragile health, her political tendencies, and the strong role that photography played in her life and work.
“We are thrilled to share the legacy of Frida Kahlo and invite the Greater Springfield community join us for a day of art and culture at the Museums,” says Lydia Martinez Alvarez, chair of the Mi Museo Committee.
There are two parts to the Latino Arts Festival: an illustrated lecture by Perla Labarthe, General Coordinator of the Frida Kahlo Museum at 3 pm, and an After-Hours event from 5-8 pm.
Labarthe will explore how photography—which Frida learned from her father, renowned photographer Guillermo Kahlo—helped her discover her passion for painting; and now allows us to document her life, her legacy, her friendships, and her work.
At the After-Hours event, attendees can tour Frida Kahlo, Her Photos; enjoy music by The Goza Latin Band and DJ Cowboy; salsa dancing (weather permitting); complimentary hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and hands-on activities; and a Frida-inspired floral installation by Social Haus Displays.
Frida Kahlo, Her Photos is organized by the Frida Kahlo Museum – Casa Azul/Diego Rivera Museum; and Bank of Mexico, Fiduciary in the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museum Trust.
MassMutual is the season sponsor of the Springfield Museums.