The first conversation in San Antonio, Texas took place on January 16, 2010 and focused on Leadership, Transitions and Succession in Latino Organizations. This conversation discussed the challenges, benefits and models for the transfer of organizational knowledge and transition of leadership of arts and cultural organizations and artists’ collectives. From succession plans, transitional growth, “founder’s syndrome,” methods of developing new leadership, and sustainability, the discussion examined where Latino arts organizations (given the history and longevity of many) have been, where they are and their future. Dr. Maribel Alvarez, Assistant Research Professor in the English Department and Research Social Scientist at the Southwest Center, University of Arizona, moderated the discussion. Participants included: Tamara Alvarado, Director of Multicultural Leadership at 1st Act Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA; Heather Eichling, Executive Director of the San Anto Cultural Arts in San Antonio, TX; Juana Guzman, Vice-President of the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, IL; Julia Gutierrez, Program Director and Dancer for Pleneros de la 21 in New York City; Juan Torres, Director of the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts in Boston, MA; Alberto Mejía, Program Director at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Seattle, WA; and Evonne Gallardo, Executive Director of Self Help Graphics & Art in Los Angeles, CA. The second conversation in New York City took place on January 23, 2010 and focused on Latino Arts and Cultural Organizations and their role in the evolving American Latino arts and culture landscape. This conversation convened flagship Latino organizations from around the country, cultural leaders and funders to discuss their challenges as they compete against mainstream culture organizations for funds, audiences, etc., and discussed their role in the preservation, development and advancement of Latino art and culture, their place in the overall arts landscape, and their role going into the future. Rosalba Rolón, Artistic Director and co-founder of the award-winning Pregones Theatre, moderated the discussion. Participants included: José Antonio Cruz, Associate Producer of Repertorio Español in New York City; Rudy Guglielmo, Program Officer with the Bush Foundation in Minneapolis, MN; Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez, Executive Director of MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana in San Jose, CA; Arnaldo López, Development Director of Pregones Theatre in The Bronx, NY; Estevan Rael-Gálvez, Executive Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM; Janet Rodríguez, Former National Director Arts & Culture, JPMorgan Chase Global Philanthropy Group in New York City; Olga Sánchez, Artistic Director, Miracle MainStage & Bellas Artes at the Milagro Theatre in Portland, OR; Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispanico in New York City; and Robert Weber Federico, Executive Director of Repertorio Español (NYC).
The third conversation took place in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and focused on aesthetics and the making of art. This conversation discussed the aesthetics that have defined Latino art and culture and how those aesthetics have developed and evolved. The conversation looked at contemporary definitions, how new ways in which Latinos define ourselves may play a role in the art that is being created and the many founts of influence that contribute to the Latino art-making aesthetic.
Dr. Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, an independent scholar of Latin American and U.S. Latino arts and culture and formally the Associate Director of Creativity and Culture at the Rockefeller Foundation, moderated the conversation. Participants included: Teo Castellanos, Artistic Director, D-Projects in Miami, FL; Alvan Colón Lespier, writer, director and Associate Artistic Director, Pregones Theater in The Bronx, New York; Juan Dies, musician and Executive Director, Sones De Mexico in Chicago, IL; Paul Flores, Poet and Spoken Word Artist and former Program Director, Youth Speak in San Francisco, CA; Michael John Garcés, theater director and Artistic Director, Cornerstone Theatre in Los Angeles, CA; Rigoberto González, author and Associate Professor of English, Rutgers University in New York City; Lillian Jiménez, Executive Director, Latino Education Media Center and Producer/Director of ¡Presente!: Antonio Pantoja documentary in New York City; Tey Marianna Nunn, Director, Museum and Visual Arts Program, National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM; German Pérez, visual artist in New York City; Sofía Quintero/Black Artemis, author and President of Sister Outsider Entertainment in New York City; Ramón Rivera-Servera, Assistant Professor/Performance Studies, Northwestern University in Chicago, IL; Merián Soto, choreographer, dancer and Associate Professor/MFA program/Temple University in Philadelphia, PA; and Yosvany Terry, musician & composer in New York City. The three “brown” papers will be written by the acclaimed journalist, Elizabeth Mendez Berry, whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Vibe, the Village Voice, Smithsonian, The Nation and Time, among many others. The papers will be edited by Dr. Maribel Alvarez. Charles Rice-González served as the NALAC National Conversations Coordinator. NALAC Board Members, Dr. Alvarez, Ms. Rolón and Abel López, served on the projects advisory committee. The National Conversations Project is one of the many services to the field provided by NALAC. The organization also offers two grant programs, the NALAC Fund for the Arts and the Transnational Cultural Remittances Grant Program, that to date have given nearly $1 million dollars to Latino artists and arts organizations; conducts The National Leadership Institute to train emerging and transitioning leaders and artists; publishes EL AVISO, a national newsletter and magazine; organizes Regional Training Conferences which offers workshops on fundraising, board development, marketing and other elements needed to build and sustain strong Latino organizations and artists’ careers; and presents it’s national conference which attracts 400 Latino artists, leaders, funders and practitioners for several days of panels, speakers, performances and community building. | In-Depth Conversations 
Receptions in New York, San Antonio and Philadelphia  Photo by Luis Acevedo
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National Conversations 
