We recently connected with Pamela Anne Quiroz and have shared our conversation below.

Pamela Anne, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Latino cARTographies: Mapping the Past, Present and Future of Houston’s Latino Art.

This dynamic but permanent interactive and bilingual digital board contributes to our public knowledge of Latino visual art and culture and helps us to preserve these contributions in a visual digital archive. Through this digital humanities project we can highlight our Latino communities and build bridges between Latino ethnic groups, and the broader Houston community.

We can also serve as a model for underserved communities in Houston and nationally to demonstrate a 21st century mode of experiencing art and culture.

Pamela Anne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in the Midwest and graduated from the University of Chicago with a Ph.D. in Sociology. I’ve been a Professor of sociology at institutions of higher education for twenty-nine years, working at Macalester College, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a research center at Stanford University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. I came to the University of Houston seven years ago to become Director of the Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies.

When the position opened, I guess you could say I was experiencing an intellectual mid-life crisis, wondering whether the research I had conducted and the articles I wrote, were having much impact beyond the academy. And so I decided to engage my profession in a slightly different way, I think what sets me apart from others are two qualities or characteristics: I approach my role or position without fear and I do not contemplate failure when I take on a project. That is not to suggest that I never fail or make mistakes because certainly, I do. But the mind-set that you need when trying something innovative, needs to be one of determination and resilience. You have to believe in the final outcome and you need to be willing to work to achieve it. That means never giving up.

I’m also creative. Since I came to the Center, we have become the headquarters of the country’s oldest national Latino research consortium, which includes 22 university-related research centers from across the country. We have hosted the nation’s premier Latino visual art event [Latino Art Now!] and managed to feature Houston’s Latino artists nationally and internationally, as we expanded the reach of the event exponentially. And we are engaging in some exceptionally innovative research while at the same time we continue to support Latino student achievement through our award-winning academic achiever’s programs. We have even developed a major in Mexican American and Latino/a Studies which will begin in the fall of 2023. But on a personal and professional level, what I am most proud of, is Latino cARTographies.

Latino cARTographies is the city’s (and the country’s) first mobile, bilingual, and interactive digital board that maps the past, present and future of Houston’s Latino visual art. Latino cARTographies is a game changer in how we think about accessing art and culture. It is designed as a public knowledge tool that serves the community, scholars, and visitors to Houston. We have built in activities to engage the public and stories to teach vistors about the contributions of artists and Latinos to Houston and the nation. The board is designed for interaction and touching. There are multiple modes of conveying information (text, audio, video, music, etc). and it can be expanded to include all of the arts and the Latino stories of Houston.

I conceived of the board during the organization of the Latino Art Now! and my team worked on it during the pandemic. I’m excited to know that this can be used by people in a variety of ways, by schools, scholars, art experts, and, unlike museums, it will be made accessible to our communities. Our Latino communities will see themselves in the art and their contributions to this country.
Of course, there is no panacea to address existing inequalities and underrepresentation of so many communities, but this is a tool in which folks can take pride, learn more about who they are, and enjoy and appreciate the incredible artists who have brought this to them.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I worked with ten CMALS graduate students from multiple disciplines (art history, computer science, sociology, history and Hispanic Studies), the internationally renowned Gibson Group, and Juana Guzman, former vice president of the National Museum of Mexican Art and co-founder of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. Our goal was to make visible that which all too often, and for too long, has remained invisible. To provide a vehicle to preserve not only the artwork but also the culture of Latino Houston. Technology allows us to do some really incredible and positive things and Latino cARTographies is one of these things. This digital visual archive is a dynamic yet permanent way to preserve Houston’s Latino visual art. We didn’t have one before this.

We also wanted to create something in which the community could see itself, take pride and learn more about itself, about each other (our Latino groups are quite different and we don’t always know much about other Latino groups). We wanted something that was accessible to our community and where they would be encouraged to touch, explore, and enjoy.

This is just a first step in the development of a system of support for Latino artists. But the digital board extends beyond visual art to tell the stories featured in the art or stimulated by the art. These stories are another way of understanding our Latino communities.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One can never be innovative and expect to find a smooth pathway. You have to expect bumps on the road and sometimes big pot holes, but you just have to believe in what you are doing and see the inherent value of the work in which you engage.

There are so many stories, from having colleagues call my vision a “HORRIBLE IDEA” when first I presented it, to being turned down by a couple of Houston’s primary funding sources and told my ideas were “too outside the box.”

An idea is only an idea unless you can gather the resources and the people who share your vision and are willing to help you turn that idea into a reality. I’m blessed with having supporters of the work. Added to this, many of those who did not fully comprehend what we were aiming for, were still willing to help us and participate in the project. Juana Guzman literally donated her expertise for more than two years. When the project hit a wall, I asked Juana to consult. Given that Juana was my consultant for the Latino Art Now! project, it was natural to turn to her for help. What evolved was a true partnership and without her curatorial leadership, Latino cARTographies would not have become what it is now. We have learned together and I have learned from Juana. 

My Dean at the University of Houston, Dan O’Connor understood the vision and provided enormous support for it. Our ten research assistants, half of whom contracted COVID-19 and worked right through their illness on this project, and videographer/photographer, Enrique Del Valle, who’s excellence and professionalism are unparalleled, was willing to brave the pandemic to provide the necessary materials and images. The International Gibson Group’s technical proficiency and willingness to stay the course through the pandemic helped turn design and ideas into viable activities on the board.

And of course, we all depend on Dr. Marisela Martinez, who has managed and coordinated all of the project’s moving parts. Her comittment to the project is overwhelming and Marisela has also offered substantial creative suggestions that have improved the project.

I do believe that folks who successfully engage these types of activities should record in some way the challenges, the resilience and the outcomes so that future innovators can learn from these lessons. And we intend to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.uh.edu/class/cmas

Image Credits
University of Houston’s Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies