The Latin Artists Association was born to support Latino creators in the United States

The Andrew W. Foundation announced

The Andrew W.

The foundations said in a joint statement with USLAF that this partnership will provide $50,000 in unrestricted funding to 15 Latin artists annually over the next five years.

They noted that the new community, the first of its kind, will recognize Latin American visual artists working in the United States and seek to resolve the systematic lack of support, vision, and sponsorship for Latin American or Caribbean visual artists who were born or live in the United States.

The association is the first of three phases of the Latin Art Vision Initiative, led by the Andrew W. Mellon and Ford Foundations.

The following phases will include supporting museums dedicated to the collection and study of Latin art, and establishing partnerships with academia to support faculty and students committed to the study of Latin art and artists.

The institutions also announced the inaugural composition of the association for 2021, whose members were selected by a jury composed of historians, professors, and curators from affiliated organizations.

Members were chosen to reflect Latin diversity and represent a variety of backgrounds, from Chicano and Afro-Latino communities to Mestizo and indigenous peoples.

Members include Elia Alba, a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in New York; Celia Alvarez Muñoz, artist and activist living and working in Arlington, Texas; Rafa Esparza, a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles; Miguel Luciano, a multimedia artist who lives and works in New York, and Yolanda Lopez, a visual artist who lives and works in San Francisco.

Since 2015, the Latinx Art Forum in the United States has supported the development of a more equitable art world by striving for artists and professionals dedicated to Latin art through research, practice, pedagogy, and writing.