The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) has announced its 2024 Leadership Institute Fellows, including three arts professionals from Texas.
The NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI), which NALAC hosts for its awardees, is a week-long program for nonprofit arts administrators and cultural workers. The immersive learning experience provides insights into arts management and leadership skills.
This year’s institute will feature sessions led by Abel López, Associate Producing Director of GALA Hispanic Theatre; Arnaldo J. López, Ph.D., Managing Director at Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (Pregones/PRTT); Charles Rice-Gonzalez, Executive Director of BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance; Evonne Gallardo, Senior Program Director for Community Partners in Los Angeles; Dr. Maribel Álvarez, the Jim Griffith Chair in Public Folklore at the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona; and Rosalba Rolón, the Artistic Director of Pregones/PRTT. Dr. Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, a Chicano Studies scholar, will be a special guest.
In a press release, Cat Rodríguez, NALAC’s Director of Programs, remarked, “Through the NLI, NALAC shares knowledge, facilitates professional growth, and kindles connections amongst participating fellows and, ultimately, across the field. The NLI also provides NALAC with an opportunity to be in direct community with changemakers; we’re excited to learn from them, too.”
Leti Beno, Jorge Luis Gamboa VIII, and Claudia S. Preza
The Texas-based arts professionals selected for the 2024 cohort are Leti Beno, the Director of Institutional Philanthropy at Nest Austin; Jorge Luis Gamboa VIII, a technologist, cultural anthropologist, and experience producer in San Antonio; and Claudia S. Preza, the Assistant Curator at the El Paso Museum of Art.
Ms. Preza told Glasstire, “I want to give back to the border community that raised me and helped shape my identity. Using art to help convey a narrative is the best way to ensure everyone has access to a relatable story. Throughout my career, I have been passionate about focusing on exhibitions, projects, and programming that serve underrepresented groups and narratives. Through NLI I hope to develop my skills as a curator/museum professional and ultimately better serve my community.”
Learn more about the NLI and see the full list of participants via NALAC’s website.
