NALAC'S Award-Winning "Visiones: Latino Art & Culture" Documentary Series

And Educational Curriculum Available at All San Antonio Public Library Branches

Groundbreaking Latino arts documentary accessible to more than 400,000 Library Patrons

San Antonio – The San Antonio Public Library and the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) are proud to announce the availability of NALAC’s award-winning six-part documentary series “Visiones: Latino Arts & Culture” and its companion Educational Curriculum at all San Antonio Public Library branches.  

This groundbreaking series, which was broadcast nationally on PBS in 2004, features inspiring profiles of Latino artistic movements across the country as well as innovators such as Texas music legends Lydia Mendoza and Selena, cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, poet Piri Tomas, muralist Judy Baca, the Father of Chicano Music Lalo Guerrero, ballerina Evelyn Cisneros and Luis Valdez’s renowned theatre troupe El Teatro Campesino.  

Designed to serve a broad audience, the “Visiones” series provides a wonderful introduction into the diversity and dynamism of Latino artistic expression in the U.S.  The thought-provoking documentary segments are produced by some of today’s top Latino filmmakers, including Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer), John J. Valadez (“The Last Conquistador”), Yvette Pita (Pan y Libertad), Paul Espinosa (“The U.S.-Mexican War: 1846-1848”), Natatcha Estebanez, Veronica Cavazos and Gustavo Vazquez, among others.  The series’ companion Educational Curriculum, which is also available at all library branches, includes lesson plans and other information for teachers.

“This is a great resource for San Antonio, and we are proud to work with the Library and the local funders to make ‘Visiones’ available for year-round use by students, teachers, out-of-school learners and lovers of art,” says Maria De Leon, Executive Director of NALAC.

 “NALAC was founded in San Antonio twenty years ago, and it was important for us to commemorate our 20th Anniversary by giving back to this community in a way that would enrich the cultural offerings and inspire the next generation of artists and innovators.”

Library Director Ramiro S. Salazar said, “A public library has the responsibility to serve as curator and caretaker for a community’s art and culture, as well as books. We are honored that NALAC invited the San Antonio Public Library to partner on this important project, and delighted to be able to add this outstanding series to our resources.”

A press conference will be held on Tuesday, November 17 at 10am at the Central Library, located at 600 Soledad St. to launch the “Visiones in Our Communities” program. A limited number of engaging full-color posters by San Antonio artist Thelma Muraida will be distributed free to the public at the press conference. For more information, contact Beth Graham at 210-207-2638 or Victor Payan at 210-432-3982.

Funding for this program was provided by the Dan and Gloria Oppenheimer Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture.  Production support for “Visiones: Latino Art & Culture” was provided by the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB).  Funders include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Houston Endowment and the Texas Commission on the Arts.  The Visiones Educational Curriculum, titled Latino Artistic Expression, was developed with support from Target, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.  “Visiones: Latino Art & Culture” is a co-production of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and Galan Productions, Inc.

About the San Antonio Public Library: For more than 100 years, the award-winning San Antonio Public Library has been a vital center for free learning, knowledge, communication, culture and enjoyment for all San Antonians. With a world-class Central Library, branch libraries throughout the city, and outstanding online resources, the San Antonio Public Library is as close as around the corner or the nearest computer.

About the San Antonio Public Library Foundation: The San Antonio Public Library Foundation was created in 1983 to increase the awareness and use of the Library through financial support and programmatic efforts, thereby enhancing the community's appreciation and utilization of the library as a cultural and educational institution.

The San Antonio Area Foundation aspires to significantly enhance the quality of life of our community by providing outstanding service to donors, producing significant asset growth, strengthening community collaboration and managing an exemplary grants program. A publicly supported philanthropic institution, the San Antonio Area Foundation is governed by a board of private citizens chosen for their knowledge of and involvement in the community. For over 44 years, it has successfully administered funds from individuals, agencies, corporations and others who contribute or bequeath assets for the betterment of the community. For more information, visit www.saafdn.org.

The Cultural Collaborative is San Antonio's ten-year plan to support the growth and recognition of San Antonio's creative economy. For more information, visit www.sahearts.org.

About NALAC: Founded in 1989, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development, and cultivation of the Latino arts field. In this capacity, NALAC stimulates, facilitates intergenerational dialogues among disciplines, languages, and traditional and contemporary expressions. For more information, visit www.nalac.org.