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OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON LATINA VOICES AND ITS GUESTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF HDV TELEVISION OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.THIS IS LATINA VOICES SMART TALK.
TODAY'S SHOW IS DEDICATED TO OUR COLLEAGUE BRIAN HILL, AS WE REFLECT ON HIS SPIRIT, HIS ENERGY, HIS 10 PLUS YEARS.
WE HONOR YOU TODAY ON LATINA VOICES.
THE CONVERSATION IS ART IMITATING LIFE IS INDEED YES.
IN HOUSTON, THROUGH ALMA ADVOCATES FOR LATINO MUSEUM OF CULTURAL AND VISUAL ARTS, IT IS A MOVEMENT, A CALL TO CREATE A HOME FOR LATINO CULTURE AS A GIFT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AT ITS GENESIS, A STARTUP WITH AN INITIAL FUNDING OF $1 MILLION PLUS TO SHOWCASE THE DIVERSE AND VIBRANT, GREATER HOUSTON'S 45 PLUS PERCENT LATINO POPULATION.
AS A FIRST CLASS INSTITUTION, IT WILL ALTER AND REDEFINE HOUSTON FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS CREATING A DESTINATION.
JOINING US TODAY IS THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD LEADING AT THE HEALTH ARTIST ACCIDENTAL IMMIGRANT FELLOW RICE GRADUATE GO OWLS CAROLINA.
WE AN ACTIVIST PROFESSOR, MEDIA PERSONALITY, EL FOUNDER TRO LATINO WRITERS HAVING THEIR SAY HOUSTON TONY DIAZ, A SHOW ABOUT UNIVERSAL TOPICS FROM A LATINA PERSPECTIVE.
I'M HOST AND PRODUCER, TEXAS SUPER LAWYER.
LATINO VOICES IS ABOUT UNIVERSAL TOPICS FROM A LATINA PERSPECTIVE.
LET'S ENGAGE, EDUCATE, AND EMPOWER WITH SOME SMART TALK.
ECSTATIC TO HAVE TONY DIAZ WITH THIS NEW BOOK, THE TIP OF THE PYRAMID, CULTIVATING COMMUNITY CULTURAL CAPITAL.
YOU HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS WORKING TO EMPOWER COMMUNITY CULTURAL CAPITAL THROUGH INNOVATIVE COLLABORATIONS.
YOU HAVE BEEN FAMOUSLY QUOTED.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT.
AND LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT ART BECAUSE I THINK SOME OF OUR YOUTH HAVE BEEN CONVINCED THAT READING AND WRITING DON'T MATTER AND THEY'RE WRONG.
HERE'S A POWERFUL EXAMPLE THOUGH.
I PUBLISHED THIS BOOK 10 YEARS AFTER ARIZONA LEGISLATORS MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES.
SO I POSED THE QUESTION, IF BOOKS ARE NOT POWERFUL, WHY WOULD ACTUAL LEGISLATORS TRY TO KEEP THEM FROM OUR COMMUNITY? AND I CHRONICAL THAT IN THE BOOK.
WE BECAME BOOK SMUGGLERS, BUT IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THAT.
BUT IT WAS, LEMME SAY BOOK SMUGGLERS, BUT THEN ADVOCATES BECAUSE WHAT DID YOU DO FOR TEXAS? WHAT DOES TEXAS DO NOW? NO E EXACTLY.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY DO THE STUDENTS OF ARIZONA AND THE COMMUNITY HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR HISTORY AND STORIES, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TEXAS DID AS WELL.
AND WHAT'S BEAUTIFUL IS I'M NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA TRY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT THE PLOT.
WE UNITED TO OVERTURN THAT UNFAIR, UNJUST LAW.
BUT IT'S THE COMMUNITY THAT CAME TOGETHER AND, AND WHAT IS THE TIP OF THE PYRAMID? SO THIS IS BASICALLY A METAPHOR THAT ALLUDES NOT JUST TO OUR IKA INDIGENOUS BACKGROUNDS, BUT ALSO AN ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE I HAVE WHERE, YOU KNOW WHAT, SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT SURE THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING MATTERS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1998 WHEN I BROUGHT TOGETHER POETS AND WRITERS AND FOUNDED MUSTA LATINO WRITERS, HAVING THEIR, SAY, SOME OF OUR OWN COMMUNITY THOUGHT, MIRA, THEY'RE LIKE, THE COMMUNITY'S NOT INTERESTED IN READERS, WRITERS, ET CETERA.
AND WE SAID, IF YOU DON'T WANNA COME, FEEL FREE TO COME TO THE NEXT SESSION.
AND THE PEOPLE CAME AND IT WAS PACKED AND WE NEVER LOOKED BACK.
BUT WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT THAT WAS THE FOUNDATION THAT WILL LEAD TO SO MANY WONDERFUL INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE ANTES.
THE BOOK IS MORE ABOUT HOUSTON BECOMING A CENTER, NOT JUST FOR BOOKS AND LITERATURE, BUT FOR ALL OF ART AND FOR ALL THINKERS AND LEADERS.
WELL, AND YOU HAVE BEEN AN ICON IN THE COMMUNITY AS A FELLOW NERD.
I PARTICULARLY APPRECIATIVE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO GATHER 30,000 PLUS FOR ONE OF THE LA I THINK THE LARGEST BOOK FAIR IN TEXAS AT ONE POINT.
NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THAT UP, BECAUSE THAT WAS BACK IN 2000, AND THIS WAS AT THE GEORGIA BOND CONVENTION CENTER.
I THINK WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF OUR COMMUNITY, THEY THINK WE DON'T HAVE ANY INTEREST IN TELLING OUR STORY OR READING OTHER STORIES.
I LOVE IT THAT WE CAME TOGETHER WITH SO MANY OTHER MEMBERS
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FROM OTHER BRANCHES OF THE COMMUNITY TO SHOW THAT WE HAD ABOUT 30,000 PEOPLE LOVING BOOKS ON OUR TIME.AND NOW WE'RE HERE 22 YEARS LATER, WE'RE GONNA BE RIGHT BACK.
THE MOMENTUM CONTINUES AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DELIVER WITH A VENGEANCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
TELL US ABOUT ALMA AND HOW WE ARE HOUSTON AND HOW CAN LATINO VIEWERS BECOME PART OF THE MOVEMENT AND SUPPORT.
ALMA, I KNOW THERE'S A LATINO ARTS CULTURAL CALENDAR, AND I MUST SAY TO THE VIEWERS, I AM A PROUD BOARD MEMBER.
IT IS SUCH A HONOR TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY AND TO BE WITH THE FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS AND TO SHARE WITH YOUR VIEWERS THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL ABOUT BEING HOUSTON.
WE ARE ALMOST HALF OF THE AREA.
WE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE VOICES AND HAVE JOY AND HAVE A VIBRANT PANT CULTURE.
WE ARE DIVERSITY IN, IN, IN THE REGION.
SO WHERE ARE WE REPRESENTED? AND THAT'S WHAT ALMA TENDS TO BE.
WE WANT A HOUSE OF OUR CULTURE.
WE WANT TO SHOW THE REST OF HOUSTON AND LET HOUSTON LEARN ABOUT US.
US WHO RIGHT HERE, A AN ARGENTINIAN, A CHICANO, AND ALREA.
DO WE HAVE TO SAY MORE ABOUT THAT? SO TO REPRESENT HOUSTON, WE HAVE TO SHOW UP, BUT WE WANNA SHOW UP WITH EXCELLENCE.
WE WANNA SHOW UP WITH CREDIBILITY BECAUSE TONY SAID AT THE ONSET THAT WE WANT HOUSTON TO BE THE CENTER OF UNDERSTANDING LATINIDAD IN THE NATION.
WE ARE A FORCE, WE ARE ABOUT TO BE ON THE MARKETPLACE OF THE ART IN THE WORLD, RIGHT? BUT THEN WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE REST OF US HOUSTONIANS NOT ONLY FEEL WELCOME, BUT THEY'RE ENERGIZED TO BE WITH US.
AND THE IDEA IS WE WILL BE EXHIBITING ALL WHEN WE GET THE LUXURY.
SO WE'VE STARTED THIS HIGH-END CONVERSATION.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE COMMUNITY? I KNOW TONY WILL DISCUSS A LITTLE BIT OF THAT GIVEN HIS HIS CONSTANT COMMUNITY ACTIVISM.
BUT AS, AS CHAIR AND OUR LEADER AT THE HELM, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ENSURE THAT AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL WE DELIVER SOMETHING THAT ALL HOUSTONIANS WANT? FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE LISTENING.
SO THE FIRST THING WE'RE DOING, AND TONY IS HEADING THIS UP, THE, THE, UH, LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITIES.
WE ARE GOING THROUGH ALL OF HOUSTON, THE SEVEN COUNTY REGION.
WE ARE, THIS IS IMPORTANT THAT WE REPRESENT ALL OF HOUSTON.
SO WE ARE FIRST LISTENING TO, UH, TO OUR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.
UH, AND WE ARE HAVING GREAT SUCCESS.
YOU MAY WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT TOO, BUT WE REALLY DO WANNA LISTEN TO ALL OF HOUSTON.
WHAT WOULD A FIRST CLASS INSTITUTION BEING BORN NOW LOOK LIKE FOR ALL OF HOUSTON? AN INCREDIBLE, AND I'LL SAY THE FOLLOWING, AND AS I TURN TO YOU, I'M NOW THINKING ON THE EXPANSIVE SENSE OF THE ART AND THE ARTIST, THE NUMBERS OF ARTISTS, WHETHER IT'S THE MURALS, WHETHER IT'S, I'M THINKING GONZO.
THAT, THAT, THAT'S JUST THE COMMENCEMENT OF MANY.
SO FELLOW BOARD MEMBER, TONY, YOU'VE BEEN DESCRIBED AS IMPASSIONED ABOUT BOOKS AND ART.
WE TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, NOTING THE SYNERGIES, PROVIDE YOUR REFLECTIONS AS CAROLINA WAS COMMENCING, WHAT ARE WE DOING AT THE COMMUNITY GRANULAR LEVEL? TELL US ABOUT THE NUMBER OF ARTISTS.
GIVE US A SENSE OF THEIR BREADTH AND SCOPE, AND WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO WITH THE CREATION OF THIS INSTITUTION? SO I, I THINK THE CALL IS FOR PEOPLE TO, TO KEEP TRACK AND GET INVOLVED.
BUT LET ME GIVE A FEW SPECIFIC EXAMPLES.
LIKE HEINA SAID, ONE IS OUR CALENDAR, A CALENDAR OF LATINO ART.
SO LAST HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, WE QUANTIFIED AND DRUM ROLL PLEASE.
HOW MANY LATINO EVENTS FOR ART DO THEY THINK THEY WERE DURING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH? AND WE IFIED A HUNDRED.
IT, IT SIGNIFIES THAT THERE'S A THRIVING COMMUNITY AND AND THAT'S ABOUT A MONTH.
WHAT THE HECK? BUT NOW THAT, THAT'S THE CHALLENGE.
THE CHALLENGE THEN IS THAT HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER? I WANNA TELL PEOPLE IT'S ALL OVER HOUSTON AND THE CO AND ALL THE COUNTIES SURROUNDING US TOO.
THE OTHER THING WE WANNA HAVE IS A DIRECTORY OF LATINO ARTISTS JUST TO START TALKING TOGETHER AND WORKING TOGETHER.
AND THE OTHER THING TOO IS WE'VE BEEN GOING IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND TALKING TO FOLKS AND THE VERY BASIC QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM AN ART COMPLEX? AND LET ME SAY THE FOLLOWING, I STARTED THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF
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THE FAMOUS OR INFAMOUS SAYING, DOES ART IMITATE LIFE OR LIFE IMITATE ART IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING? PARTICULARLY POST THE PANDEMIC, YES,BUT THERE'S THE EVER PRESENT EPIDEMIC WITHIN THE PANDEMIC.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF SUFFERING FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
SO GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT WE CAN DO WITH ART.
AND THIS WILL BE A CONVERSATION THAT WILL CONTINUE BECAUSE WE'LL BE BREAKING SOON.
BUT GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT YOU'VE SEEN.
WHAT IS THE HORIZON? WHAT IS THE HOPE WITH YOU, WITH THE, THAT YOU'VE SEEN WITH THE ARTISTS AND THEIR ART? WELL, WE WANNA FIRE PEOPLE UP.
SO LET ME GET ONE THING CLEAR.
I'M TELLING YOU THAT WHEN WE WORK WITH FOLKS, FOR EXAMPLE IN WINSA LARA, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN DISILLUSIONED BY THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
THEY MAY HAVE BEEN PREVENTED FROM IT.
THEY MAY NOT FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GREAT WRITERS.
THEY MIGHT NOT FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A VOICE WHEN THEY HEAR THEIR STORIES, WHEN THEY ARE INSPIRED TO WRITE THEIR STORIES, WHEN THEY COME ON OUR STAGE, WE BREAK THROUGH ALL THOSE BARRIERS AND WE HELP PEOPLE CONNECT.
WE HELP PEOPLE BE A PART OF SOCIETY, AND WE HELP THEM THRIVE.
AND THAT SPREAD TO THE WHOLE FAMILY.
THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW TO MORE OF OUR FAMILIES AND TO ALL OF HOUSTON.
AND THE WHOLE NATION IS GONNA KNOW THAT THERE IS THIS WONDERFUL FESTIVAL OF NO CULTURA FOR EVERYONE GOING ON IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
AND WE'VE GOT, THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.
ENA, BEFORE WE BREAK, WRAP IT UP, WHAT IS YOUR SENSE OF THE, OF THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF TELLING YOUR STORY? AUTHENTICITY OF SHOWING UP IS GONNA BE SUPER IMPORTANT IN EVERYTHING WE DO.
EXCELLENCE, I CAN'T STRESS IT ENOUGH SO THAT OUR CHILDREN, OUR FUTURE, WE'RE BUILDING THE FUTURE OF THIS NATION.
WE ARE HOUSTON, BUT WE ARE ALSO AMERICA.
WE ARE INTEGRAL, BUT WE HAVE TO SHOW UP IN EXCELLENCE.
BUT WE WITH AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OF OUR CULTURAL AND VISUAL ARTS.
AND THEN IT'S INCLUSION AT THE TABLE.
AND THAT'S OUTCOME DETERMINATIVE.
AND I THINK WE'RE ABOUT TO BE BACK WITH MORE OF LATINA VOICES.
WE ARE BACK ON LATINA VOICES, FIRST OF ALL CAROLINA.
AND, AND TONY, NOW THAT WE ALL THREE HAVE OUR MUGS.
HERE'S TO LATINA AND LATINO VOICES.
SALUD UD
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE COMMENCEMENT AND THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROMOTION, THE PRESERVATION, THE SHOWCASING OF A RICH, NOT ONLY LATINO CULTURAL, BUT OUR ENTIRE CULTURE TO ENSURE INCLUSIVITY OF ALL.
HOUSTONIANS, TAKE US BACK TO THAT MAGICAL MOMENT.
UH, CI LATINOS BECAME SUCH AN IMPORTANT UNDERSTANDING FOR THE BOARD.
ARE WE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? DO WE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF LATINOS? ARE WE REPRESENTING LATINOS? THIS IS AN IMPORTANT THING FOR US BECAUSE WE ARE VOLUNTEERS AND WE HAVE A VISION, BUT WE NEEDED TO KNOW IF WE COULD HAVE THE SUPPORT.
SO WE MADE THE CALL LATINOS, CAN WE GET SIEN LATINOS TO SUPPORT A A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED LATINOS SIEN LATINOS TO SUPPORT ALMA? AND WE DID.
AND THEY CAME THROUGH AND WE CELEBRATED THEM.
WE CELEBRATED THE FACT THAT WE WERE ON OUR WAY, UM, OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR WITH THE MAYOR, WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IT WAS, IT WAS NOT JUST LATINOS AND LATINAS.
IT WAS AN, IT WAS A TRUE CROSS SECTION OF HOUSTON.
EPITOMIZING THE PROPHETIC CITY AT A CUSP OF CHANGING, OF A CHANGING AMERICA.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, THAT MOVED ME ABOUT THAT NIGHT IS, NUMBER ONE, WE STARTED WITH INDIGENOUS DANCERS AND UH, AND WE TOOK IT TO, UH, TO MARIACHI AND TENOR, A TENOR OF OUR OWN PEOPLE.
SO IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EVENT, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE HAD REPRESENTATION OF THE TOP INSTITUTIONS OF HOUSTON.
THERE THEY ARE LOOKING AT US KNOWING THAT HOUSTON HAS HAD A PROBLEM.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A HOUSE OF OUR CULTURE, BUT ALMA IS A SOLUTION.
WE WILL HAVE AN EQUITABLE AND, AND AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OF OUR VOICES.
BUT HOW DO WE GET THERE? RIGHT? THIS IS ALWAYS THE QUESTION AT THE BOARD LEVEL.
HOW DO WE GET THERE? BY LISTENING TO OUR PEOPLE, BY GAINING THEIR TRUST, BY THEN UNDERSTANDING HOW TO REPRESENT THEM SO THAT WE CAN THEN GO ON WITH OUR PLAN.
THERE IS A PLAN HERE, AND THE PLAN HAS TO HAVE
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FUNDRAISING, RIGHT? THIS IS AT THE HELM.WITHOUT MONEY, WE GET NOWHERE.
THE VISION IS, IS OF HAVING A HOUSE OF OUR CULTURE.
THAT IS A GIFT TO ALL OF HOUSTON.
WELL, HOUSTON ONLY DESERVES FIRST CLASS INSTITUTIONS, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHOW UP BIG.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHOW UP ALSO SO THAT THE PANDA CAN FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A HOME.
SO THIS IS, WHAT ARE WE CREATING WITH THIS? AND IT'S JUST, AND IT'S NOT ABOUT LATINOS ONLY, IT'S ABOUT AFRO-LATINOS.
IT'S ABOUT, UH, LITANY A CROSS SECTION OF THE ARTIST.
GIVE US A SENSE, TONY CAROLINA.
AND I STILL REMEMBER THAT NIGHT.
FROM THE INDIGENOUS TO THE MARIACHI TO THE OPERA SINGER, U OF HTSU, RICE, EVERYONE.
TONY, GIVE US A SENSE OF THE BREADTH AND SCOPE OF THE ARTISTS OF WHAT WE'RE ALSO DOING.
THE UPCOMING EXHIBIT OF LATINOS LATINO X.
GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT'S IN THE HORIZON.
AND I THINK ONE THING PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW TOO, IS THEY WILL BE ABLE TO READ OUR FINDINGS.
SO WE ARE ACTUALLY COMPILING A REPORT FOR THE HOUSTON ENDOWMENT.
THEY ACTUALLY LAUNCHED US INTO EXISTENCE WITH A MILLION DOLLAR GRANT.
I WAS VERY HAPPY TO CORRECT THAT WITH OUR CHAIR.
BUT THIS REPORT THEN WILL REVEAL SOME OF THESE THINGS.
AND WE'RE DOING RESEARCH IN A FUN WAY.
SO LET ME TELL YOU SOME OF THESE FUN WAYS.
WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA HAVE AN EXHIBIT WHERE WE HAD SOME OF THE WORLD RENOWNED JURORS SELECT HOUSTON ARTISTS TO DISPLAY THEIR WORK.
THAT'LL BE NEXT YEAR, BUT EVERYBODY WILL BE INVITED TO THIS.
WHAT THAT REVEALS IS WHERE ARE THE HOUSTON ARTISTS THAT HAVE SHOWN BEFORE? WHAT DO NEW ARTISTS NEED TO DO TO SHOW THEIR WORK? HOW DO WE INVOLVE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO MAKE AN IMPACT AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL? THE OTHER THING I WANNA SAY TOO IS THAT AS A WRITER, WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH EVERY OTHER ART DISCIPLINE.
AND THIS IS EXCITING 'CAUSE AMMA PROVIDES THAT.
SO LET GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE CULINARY ARTS AND IF FOLKS THINKS THEY MAY BE LEFT BEHIND, IF THEY LIKE MEXICAN FOOD, IF THEY LIKE TEXAS MEXICAN FOOD, NO ONE CHECKS YOUR PAPERS AT THE DOOR.
THEY DON'T SAY, I'M SORRY, YOU'RE NOT LATINO.
YOU CANNOT ENJOY THE TEXAS MEXICAN FOOD.
HOW ABOUT IF I'M ARGENTINIAN, CAN I GET IN? RIGHT? EXACTLY.
PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
AND SO LORD, THEY'LL GET IN COMFORT IT.
AND JUST LIKE PEOPLE COME ON TOURISM TRIPS TO EAT THE TEXAS MEXICAN FOOD, THEY'RE GONNA ENJOY THE TEXAS LATINO ART.
EVERYONE CELEBRATE AND EVERYBODY WILL WIN.
I'M GETTING HUNGRY
AND TO BE TRULY PROFOUNDLY DIVERSE LIKE WE ARE, WE NEED TO SHOWCASE ALL THAT ART.
WHY? BECAUSE WHEN THEY SEE OUR ART, THEY WANNA KNOW ABOUT OTHER COMMUNITIES.
AND THEN OUR COMMUNITIES CAN HELP SHOW THE WAY AND SHOW THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OTHER ONES.
AND WE WANNA SHARE, SHARE, SHARE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVERYBODY WINS WHEN WE BUILD COMMUNITY CULTURAL CAPITAL.
IT'S MORE POWERFUL AND WANNA MAKE MORE.
AND I THINK I, LET ME SAY HIS FAULT SHARE.
AND YES, ABSOLUTELY HOMAGE TO HOUSTON ENDOWMENT.
THEY WERE AT FROM THE OUTSET, WORKING, WORKING WITH US ALONGSIDE THEY ARE HOUSTON.
AND WE KNOW WE HAVE SUPPORT FORTHCOMING FOR OTHER FOUNDATIONS AND OTHERS THAT WANT TO ENSURE MM-HMM
WHAT'S ALSO, I THINK, POWERFUL TO REFERENCE IS OTHER INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT HOUSTON, WHETHER IT'S THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM THAT AT, AT, AT SOME POINT EXHIBITED AMAZING ART, INCLUDING ART OF, OF YOUR OWN.
UH, YOURSELF, CAROLINA OR THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AT THE OUTSET SAID, WE WILL ALSO ENSURE TO BE WORKING WITH YOU.
SO I THINK WHAT'S THE IMPORTANT MESSAGE IS I THINK FOR ALL AUDIENCES, WE'LL MAKE SURE THE WEBSITE THAT TAGS EVERYTHING, BECAUSE ALMA IS HOUSTON AND WE WANT YOU THERE.
I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO BE COGNIZANT OF WHERE THIS CONVERSATION IS THAT THIS INTEREST IN THIS EXHIBIT, THIS PROMOTION OF LATINO ART AND OTHER ARTS, OF ALL OF ETHNICITIES IS OF INTEREST TO ALL THE INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE ALREADY THERE.
THEY'RE TERRIFIC ABOUT ENSURING THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXHIBIT.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE MESSAGE WE WANT TO DELIVER.
THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO BE A LATINO CULTURAL ARTS CENTER COMPLEX, HOWEVER, IT'S DEFINED.
BUT JUST LIKE THE OTHERS, JUST LIKE THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, THE ASIAN SOCIETY, THEY'RE ALL SEEKING TO BE INCLUSIVE OF OTHERS.
AND I THINK, AND I KNOW THE FIVE A GALA, UH, THE FIVE A MOVEMENT WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS AT THE MUSEUM ARE DOING THE SAME THING.
THEY'VE REACHED OUT TO US ABOUT WANTING TO DO SOMETHING TOGETHER.
WHAT IS THE MESSAGE THAT ART IMITATES LIFE? LIFE IMITATES ART.
I SAID IT A FEW MINUTES AGO, BUT LET'S FOCUS ON THAT HOMAGE TO STEVEN KLEINBERG.
WHAT IS THAT? WE ARE WHAT HUS WHAT THE NATION IS GOING TO BE MANY DECADES TO COME.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WE ARE DIVERSE, WE'RE INCLUSIVE, AND WE'RE INTENTIONAL ABOUT
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HAVING US THERE.WHAT HAVE WE NOT DISCUSSED ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE AT THE HELM OF? UM, PROBABLY WHAT ARE, WHAT IS IT GONNA TAKE TO GET THERE? IT'S GONNA TAKE, IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US.
IT'S GONNA TAKE EVERY VOICE IN THE COMMUNITY.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE DREAMS THAT THEY WANNA LEAVE IN LEGACY? WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOUNG, YOUNG, UH, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS? WHAT DO THEY SEE, UH, FOR THE FUTURE AND HOW THEY SEE THE THEMSELVES REPRESENTED? WHAT DO THEY NEED FOR THE FUTURE? AND I'LL SAY NEED.
AND THEN I GOTTA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO TONY AND I DID NOT REALIZE WE'RE WRAPPING THIS UP.
YOU'VE GOT LESS THAN A MINUTE.
I I WILL ADD THIS AS I SAY IN, IN MY BOOK, ONLY ART CAN SAVE US.
AND WE CHATTED BEFORE I HAVE A LINE IN THE BOOK WHERE I MENTIONED LAWYERS, CONTRACT, LANGUAGE ARTISTS LIBERATED.
THIS IS A CHANCE FOR US TO COMBINE THOSE TENDENCIES, TAKE THE POLICIES AND EXPAND IT SO EVERYONE FITS.
AND ART MAKES US WORK AND THINK AND FUNCTION THAT WAY.
LAWYERS CONTRACT WITH A VENGEANCE FOR THE GOOD
I HAD TO SAY THAT AS A, WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE LATINA VOICES IN A MOMENT.
AND WE'RE BACK WITH A SEGMENT WE CALL SMART TIMES, AN EXPANDED CONVERSATION WITH TODAY'S GUEST, TONY DIAZ AND CAROLINA ANO WISE, GIVEN THE WORD CITY HALL IN OUR STUDIO.
YES, WE WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DID NOT MENTION THE CITY'S CHIEF CULTURAL POLICY ADVISOR, NICOLE IRVIN, WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, MOCA AND OUR STRONG CAN DO INNOVATIVE, RESILIENT CITY WHERE THERE'S SEVEN CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY THAT BECAUSE ART IS A SAFE PLACE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE CAN WORK WITH LEGACY INSTITUTIONS IN HOUSTON THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING THAT SAFE PLACE, HAVE BEEN GIVING TO LATINOS IN FANTASTIC PROGRAMS THAT HAVE, UH, TOUCHED GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN.
WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE THEM BEHIND.
UH, THEY HAVE BEEN UNDERFUNDED, THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN.
BUT WE ARE NOT HERE TO TAKE THEIR MONIES.
WE ARE HERE TO AMPLIFY THEIR PROGRAMS, SUPPORT THEIR PROGRAMS, AND ACTUALLY MAKE THOSE PROGRAMS, THE EXCELLENCE OF THOSE PROGRAMS, BE THE BASIS OF WHAT ALMA WILL BE GIVEN TO GIVING TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE ARE GONNA WORK CLOSELY WITH THESE PEOPLE, BUT CLOSELY ALSO WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES WITH MOCA.
MOCA IS IS AN INCREDIBLE ENGINE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR ARTISTS.
AND SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY KNOW WHO WE ARE AND WE DO, WE ARE TALKING AND THAT, THAT THEY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES THAT, THAT WE CAN'T PROVIDE YET.
AND, AND EVEN WHEN WE CAN PROVIDE IMPORTANT TO BE AT THE TABLE WITH THE CITY WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
WELL, ABSOLUTELY, AND YOU SAID IT BEAUTIFULLY, AND TONY TURNING TO YOU THINKING OUT LOUD, MOCA FOR INSTANCE, HOUSTON AIRPORT, THERE'S A CALL FOR ART.
THERE'S AMAZING ART BEING DISPLAYED.
IT IS THE GATEWAY, IT IS THE COMMENCEMENT POINT.
AND I THINK IT ALSO FURTHER EMPOWERS THE IMPORT OF ART.
GIVE US YOUR SENSE OF MOCA AND WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO COME TOGETHER.
I THINK WHAT'S EXCITING IS THAT PREVIOUS TO THIS, THERE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AN OBVIOUS PLACE FOR OTHER FORCES TO COME TOGETHER WITH THE LATINO COMMUNITY.
WHAT'S EXCITING IS THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS HAS GONE OUT OF ITS WAY TO CULTIVATE A DIVERSE STAFF, CREATE INITIATIVES TO BRING MORE OF OUR COMMUNITY IN WHERE ALMA CAN HELP.
AND OUR JOB IS THEN IS AS WE QUANTIFY THE COMMUNITY, AS WE QUANTIFY COMMUNITY CULTURAL CAPITAL, WE CAN HELP BRING ALL THOSE FORCES TOGETHER SO THAT THEIR EFFORTS THEN MULTIPLY QUICKLY AND EXPONENTIALLY IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE CAN START REALLY MAKING SURE THAT EVERY CORNER OF HOUSTON AND THE SURROUNDING REGIONS HAVE A SAY, KNOW THE PULSE OF WHAT MAJOR INSTITUTIONS LIKE MOCA IS DOING.
BUT THEN I TELL YOU WHAT, IT'S GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE THE ARTISTS MAY NOT KNOW EVERY SINGLE LEVEL FUNCTIONING, BUT PEOPLE WILL SEE MORE ARTISTS, MORE ART, AND MORE HOUSTON THRIVING IN THE ARTS COMMUNITY.
AND MAY I SAY THOUGH, I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THERE'S SO LITTLE TIME.
YOU S TALK ABOUT RI UM, ART BEING A SAFE, THE SAFETY OF IT, BUT YOU'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT BEING A PRIVILEGE TO BE CREATIVE.
END US ON THAT NOTE OF THE, THE TYPE OF WORK YOU'VE, YOU'VE DONE AND REALLY WHAT YOU'VE
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BROUGHT TO THE TABLE IN THAT EFFORT.I, I, I CAN TALK ABOUT ART ALL DAY LONG AND ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE ART THAT I MAKE.
BECAUSE THE ART THAT I MAKE IS AN OWED TO MY PEOPLE, TO MY PROVIDENCE, UH, TO THE MAYA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THAT, UH, THAT THAT WAS LEFT BY OUR ANCESTRY.
AND THERE'S SO MANY OF US IN THE REGION THAT I, THAT MY ART IS A WINDOW INTO EVERY, EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE COME FROM ANCESTRY THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DNA, WHAT IT TAKES TO, TO BE COMPASSIONATE, TO UNDERSTAND OUR, OUR CYCLES WITH THE PLANET.
AND, AND I HAVE TO SAY, AND I HATE TO STOP YOU, BUT I I'M GONNA WANT THE FOOTAGE OF YOU WITH THE BROOM AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
THIS BOOK IS A CELEBRATION OF OUR POWER AND IT REALLY IS A BLESSING TO CONVENE WITH BRILLIANT LATINAS WITH VIEWERS AND CELEBRATE OUR TERMS ON OUR TERMS. THESE ARE TRULY MAGICAL TIMES, AND I WILL SAY IT'S A TIP OF A PYRAMID FOR HOUSTONIANS FOR HOUSTON.
SALU KINA AND TONY, WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, VALENTINA VOICES.
WE'LL BE BACK NEXT TIME WITH MORE INTERESTING TOPICS THAT MATTER TO ALL OF US.