Founding director named for National Museum of the American Latino

Secretary Bunch announced this morning the selection of a founding director for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. Jorge Zamanillo’s appointment is effective May 2.

Zamanillo is currently executive director and CEO of HistoryMiami Museum, where he began working in 2000 as the curator of object collections and, over time, organized several key exhibitions and programs, including renovating the museum’s permanent exhibition, “Tropical Dreams: A People’s History of Southern Florida” and curating “Operation Pedro Pan: The Cuban Children’s Exodus” in 2015. Before he was promoted to executive director and CEO, he served in several leadership positions at HistoryMiami—including deputy director, vice president of expansion projects and senior curator.

“Zamanillo has helped transform the HistoryMiami Museum into an indispensable and vibrant community-based museum though exhibitions and programs that reflect the diverse communities of South Florida,” Bunch said. Under his direction, the museum expanded the South Florida Folklife Center, dedicated to documenting, presenting and supporting the region’s traditional arts and culture, and added a dedicated permanent folklife gallery. The museum created the Center for Photography to collect, safeguard and share the photographic images that tell the stories of South Florida communities, and it expanded its Miami Stories initiative that documents life in Miami through written stories, video submissions and audio recordings, which are preserved in the museum’s archive and shared online and through local media outlets.

In legislation establishing the museum within the Smithsonian, Congress stated the purposes of the museum are “to illuminate the story of the United States for the benefit of all by featuring Latino contributions to the art, history and culture of the nation since its early history.”

“Zamanillo’s accomplishments at HistoryMiami Museum highlight his commitment to exploring the full sweep of the American story by bringing to life the complex and profound narratives of Latinos in the United States,” Bunch continued. “His transformational leadership will be invaluable as we build this necessary museum from the ground up, helping us create a robust, dynamic, responsive museum that exemplifies what a 21st-century cultural institution should be.”

Born in New York City, Zamanillo grew up in Miami and earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Florida State University in Tallahassee and his master’s in museum studies at the University of Leicester in Leicester, England.

Since the legislation passed authorizing the new museum, the Smithsonian has named a board of trustees and commenced the site-selection process, conducting a site survey to identify a location on or near the National Mall for the new museum.

Bunch thanked the search committee who helped us identify Zamanillo as an exceptionally qualified person to serve as founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino.

Chaired by Kevin Gover, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, members of the search committee included:

• Eduardo Díaz, director of the Smithsonian’s Latino Center;
• Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History;
• Julissa Marenco, Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer;
• Francisco Torres, assistant director of exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum;
• Kevin Young, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture;
• Taína Caragol, curator for Latino art and history at the National Portrait Gallery;
• Virginia Hough, former member of the Smithsonian Latino board;
• José Luis Prado, member of the board of trustees for the new museum; and
• Danny Vargas, former member of the congressional commission that studied the creation of a Latino museum. 

The committee was assisted by Greg Bettwy, chief of staff for the Smithsonian Secretary, and Victor Arias and Jason Léon, both with Diversified Search Group.

Bunch also offered his personal thanks to Eduardo Díaz, who has served as interim director of the National Museum of the American Latino while leading the development of the Molina Family Latino Gallery, the museum’s first exhibition, scheduled to open at the National Museum of American History later this year. “Eduardo’s leadership and commitment to the Smithsonian and years of service dedicated to telling American Latino stories have helped expand the Smithsonian’s impact and relevance for all Americans,” Bunch said.

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