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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences History

The Latino Arts Project is all about passion, not profit, in seeking a shared humanity — in Dallas

Dallas Morning News

Originally Posted: April 18, 2018

Jorge Baldorhas a history degree from Southern Methodist University and serves on the Dedman College Executive Board.

The Latino Arts Project is a museum, not a gallery. And the difference is crucial.

Galleries dominate Dragon Street, but the difference is, galleries are driven by profit.

The Latino Arts Project is driven by passion — not profit. The artwork on its walls and floor will not be sold. Instead, it will serve as the driving force of a philosophical mission shared by two men who talk endlessly about art, culture and community, and a shared humanity in Dallas.

The first exhibition in this pop-up museum will open May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) and run through Sept. 22, in an effort to draw as many families as possible. The goal, they say, is families of “multiple ethnicities.”

Jorge Baldor, the founder of the Latino Arts Project, defines its purpose as being able “to create a space where the culture and the history of the art of particularly Latin America and the Americas can be shared with our own communities here and other communities that are exposed to it, maybe for the first time.”

Baldor and executive director Carlos Gonzalez-Jaime envision a Dallas Design District space filled with people of all ages and nationalities seeking to embrace art, culture and history under a single roof.

The opening of the Latino Arts Project comes at a time when immigration and the border are hot-button issues and Dallas’ Hispanic population has soared to 42 percent. Baldor calls the latter statistic “the elephant in the room.”

“We see this as another way to bring us together,” he says. “Once you find common ground, then you can start talking about the more uncomfortable situations that, eventually, must be addressed. What we’re about is commonality.” READ MORE