Indiana Latino Heritage Day

State Museum to host Indiana Latino Heritage Day

Celebration to feature Latino music, education and performance arts.

 The Indiana State Museum will host Indiana Latino Heritage Day on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Level 1 of the museum. The free celebration, which evolved from the museum’s annual Latino Festival of the Arts, will help connect young Latinos with their elders.

This year’s event will showcase exciting speakers, tours, spicy performances and activities highlighting the state’s rich Latino history.

“Over the past two years, I’ve enjoyed helping the ISM with the planning of theirLatino Festival of the Arts. I am having the best time leading the challenge to create a focus that is congruent to the mission of the museum and cultivate Latino visitors,” said Carlos Sosa, event partner and local businessman. “This new initiative, Indiana Latino Heritage Day, promises to engage the Latino community, statewide, and grow our collections showcasing Indiana Hispanics.”

In conjunction with the event, the museum will be hosting a special discussion title Between Two Worlds. Using scenes from the documentary Perils and Promise of the Latin Americans film series, professors Monica Medina of IUPUI and Jennifer Jones of Notre Dame will discuss the experiences young Latinos go through as they try to navigate between two or more cultural identities. The audience will have a chance to engage the panelists by adding to the conversation.

“The Indiana State Museum staff is excited to be working on a program that stretches beyond the typical festival, to include a dynamic forum for generations from the same community to come together for learning and sharing,” said Joanna Hahn, manager of School Programs.

Exhibitors that help tell Indiana’s Latinos story will be on hand. Several organizations, such as Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, NOPAL Cultural and AYS (At Your School), will have science and art-based activities for families to enjoy.

Visitors can meet with museum staff currently collecting oral histories and artifacts related to Indiana’s Latino history and heritage. 

Remaining activities include a chance for children to create their own super hero persona and cape, tours of the museum’s second floor gallery and a table providing resources to learn more about Indiana’s Latino heritage.

Also of note is the month-long exhibit of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, Ofrendas. Visitors can see altars, or ofrendas, created by community members, artists, schools and families in Indiana. As in the Day of the Deadtradition, each altar will celebrate the life of a deceased person and symbolically welcome their returning soul. See how these altars are decorated using photos, trinkets, and other items to help personalize and create a tribute to each person. The museum will celebrate the Day of the Dead with a festival onOctober 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Both Indiana Latino Heritage Day and Day of the Dead events are included with museum admission. Admission on September 26 will be half off regular pricing. The altar exhibition will be located in Legacy Theater on Level 1 of the museum from September 26 through November 1.