The National Museum of the American Latino isn’t even open yet but it’s having its first gallery
“It will take 10 to 12 years to open a museum building, but the gallery gives the public a preview of the museum’s potential"
The Smithsonian’s new National Museum of the American Latino isn’t expected to open for at least a decade and they haven’t even announced a site yet, but the future museum will hold its first gallery beginning this summer in a sister museum.
¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States opens June 18 in the National Museum of American History’s new Molina Family Latino Gallery. The gallery will cover historical eras and include figures ranging from César Chávez to drag queen José Sarria.
Museum director Jorge Zamanillo called the gallery “the first iteration” of the museum, which is expected to announce a permanent site this December.
“It will take 10 to 12 years to open a museum building, but the gallery gives the public a preview of the museum’s potential,” he said in a statement.
The National Museum of the American Latino was approved by Congress in 2020 along with the American Women’s History Museum. Opening a new Smithsonian is a years-long process but the legislation allows the museum to begin planning for a permanent site.