SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The McNay Art Museum is one of 19 arts organizations across the U.S. to receive a grant through the Leadership in Art Museums (LAM) initiative. This funding will support the creation of a new curator of Latinx art position with the goal of expanding the Museum’s growing collection of Latinx artworks, and curating exhibitions featuring works by artists of Hispanic and Latinx descent.

“We are grateful to the Leadership in Art Museums partners for their transformational commitment to advancing the diversity, relevance and resonance of museums by better reflecting the communities they serve,” said Matthew McLendon, McNay director and CEO. “Latinx artists are historically underrepresented in museums across the country, and it is our responsibility to strengthen the reflection of the San Antonio community in all that we do.”

LAM is an over $11 million initiative created to support more racial equity in art museum leadership over the next five years. A partnership between the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation and Pilot House Philanthropy, the initiative provides funding to museums to increase leadership roles such as curators, conservators, collections managers, community engagement staff and educators in a manner designed to advance the goal of racial equity.

As an addition to the McNay’s robust curatorial team, the curator of Latinx art will promote equity and inclusion of the Latinx community in the Museum’s exhibitions and programs. This position will also help implement portions of the Museum’s strategic plan by maintaining community partnerships with cultural organizations to collaboratively celebrate Latinx culture and contributions to San Antonio and beyond.

The 19 awardees are:

• Arizona State University Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
• Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida
• The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts
• Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan
• MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts
• McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
• Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi 
• Museum of the City of New York, New York, New York
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois
•Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California
• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
• The Newark Museum of Art, Newark, New Jersey
• Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California
• Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts
• Perez Art Museum, Miami, Florida
• Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon
• Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, California
• Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri
• Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, Seattle, Washington