News and Events
Opening night of Chicana Fotos/ Nancy De Los Santos
Our Mission
The mission of El Museo del Norte is to highlight the histories, communities and cultures of Latina/os in the Midwest. We imagine El Museo as an important “site of conscience” that will not only highlight the stories of Latina/o immigrants who established thriving communities in northern cities like Detroit and Chicago in the early 20th century, but also offer a space to remember the hardship these early immigrants endured, particularly those experienced by the tens of thousands of Mexicans who were unjustly deported in the 1930s. El Museo del Norte will bring to light the complexity and heterogeneity of the Latina/o experience by documenting the hidden histories of multiple Latina/o communities including Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central and South Americans.
A Grassroots Vision
El Museo del Norte is committed to remaining a grass-roots museum, a place where Latina/os from Detroit and surrounding areas have a voice and feel at home. We hope that the museum can be a site for the production of culture and the sustaining of community, as well as a training site for future generations of Latina/o curators, archivists, artists, performers, and museum professionals. The El Museo del Norte task force benefits from the insights of various Latina/o organizations including Fronteras Nortenas, a Detroit-based public history organization, CLAVE (Community of Latino Artists Visionaries and Educators), Peoples Community Services, and the Mexican Patriotic Committee. The University of Michigan Latina/o Studies Program administers the project, under the direction of Maria Cotera (Associate Professor of American Culture, Latina/o Studies and Women’s Studies), who manages the day-to-day operations of the project. Elena Herrada, Director of Fronteras Norteñas, manages community relations and is the primary community consultant for the curatorial elements of the project. Mick Kennedy is our liaison with the University of Michigan Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Larry Gant, professor of Social Work, is our liaison with the Boulevard House and the UM School of Social Work, professors Hannah Smotrich and Nick Tobier are our liaisons with the Stamps School of Art and Design .
Mission Statement
We want to document a history of Latina/os by Latina/os for Latina/os in a space where the stories of our grandparents are honored and new stories are generated from the old. We want a site for the production of art, music, literature, and performance that gives voice to our experience and leads to new ways of imagining our world. We want, most of all, a place of community, where the various paths of our lives can come together in mutual support and respect.
Queremos documentar nuestra larga historia en esta región. Deseamos un espacio en dónde podamos reconocer y celebrar las historias de nuestros abuelos y crear nuevas historias. Queremos crear un sitio en dónde nuestras artes plásticas, música, teatro, y poesia, el "flor y canto" de nuestra comunidad, puedan dar voz a nuestros antecedentes y realidad para generar nuevas formas de imaginar nuestro mundo. Sobre todo, queremos una comunidad, en dónde los diversos caminos de nuestras historias intercalan en un ambiente de respeto y honor.
A Grassroots Vision
El Museo del Norte is committed to remaining a grass-roots museum, a place where Latina/os from Detroit and surrounding areas have a voice and feel at home. We hope that the museum can be a site for the production of culture and the sustaining of community, as well as a training site for future generations of Latina/o curators, archivists, artists, performers, and museum professionals. The El Museo del Norte task force benefits from the insights of various Latina/o organizations including Fronteras Nortenas, a Detroit-based public history organization, CLAVE (Community of Latino Artists Visionaries and Educators), Peoples Community Services, and the Mexican Patriotic Committee. The University of Michigan Latina/o Studies Program administers the project, under the direction of Maria Cotera (Associate Professor of American Culture, Latina/o Studies and Women’s Studies), who manages the day-to-day operations of the project. Elena Herrada, Director of Fronteras Norteñas, manages community relations and is the primary community consultant for the curatorial elements of the project. Mick Kennedy is our liaison with the University of Michigan Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Larry Gant, professor of Social Work, is our liaison with the Boulevard House and the UM School of Social Work, professors Hannah Smotrich and Nick Tobier are our liaisons with the Stamps School of Art and Design .
Mission Statement
We want to document a history of Latina/os by Latina/os for Latina/os in a space where the stories of our grandparents are honored and new stories are generated from the old. We want a site for the production of art, music, literature, and performance that gives voice to our experience and leads to new ways of imagining our world. We want, most of all, a place of community, where the various paths of our lives can come together in mutual support and respect.
Queremos documentar nuestra larga historia en esta región. Deseamos un espacio en dónde podamos reconocer y celebrar las historias de nuestros abuelos y crear nuevas historias. Queremos crear un sitio en dónde nuestras artes plásticas, música, teatro, y poesia, el "flor y canto" de nuestra comunidad, puedan dar voz a nuestros antecedentes y realidad para generar nuevas formas de imaginar nuestro mundo. Sobre todo, queremos una comunidad, en dónde los diversos caminos de nuestras historias intercalan en un ambiente de respeto y honor.