The National Museum of the American Latino, a new Smithsonian institution, is still at least ten years away from opening. There is currently no budget. No building. No collection. But it now has its first permanent director, Jorge Zamanillo.
“I am excited to lead an institution that will provide a complete picture of diverse Latino communities,” Zamanillo said in an interview on Thursday. “By sharing those stories and stories, people will learn American history — that Latinos are part of American history. And it’s one that’s been left out.”
Zamanillo, 52, comes to the track from Miami, where he grew up, the son of immigrants from Cuba. Since 2000, he has been associated with the community-based HistoryMiami Museum in a variety of roles, most recently as Executive Director and General Manager. He will start his new position on May 2.
Funding for the physical building, which is expected to open in 10 to 12 years, on or near Washington’s National Mall, has not yet been granted. The same applies to money for the purchase of objects for the collection. It was only recently, in December 2020, that the Latino Museum was approved by Congress, along with a National Museum of Women’s History.
The project comes at a time when museums are discussing how to prioritize stories historically excluded from records of the country’s history. There had been disagreement over whether the best remedy was to integrate Latino history into existing Smithsonian museums or to dedicate a separate museum to represent and recognize the achievements of 60 million Americans.
During Zamanillo’s 22 years at the Miami museum, which had an annual budget of $6.2 million, he curated object collections, helped build a repository that now holds more than 40,000 objects and more than two million images includes and held other curatorial and executive positions. (He said he didn’t know how big the new museum’s acquisitions and operating budgets might be.)
Zamanillo holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Florida State University and a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Leicester in England. He entered Miami Dade College as a music major, a passionate trumpeter and self-proclaimed ‘band geek’. But a trip to Washington when he was 19 changed his life forever, he said.
“I was there alone for four or five days, and all the museums were free,” he said. “There was about two feet of snow and I was wearing my jeans and denim jacket, so I bought a hat and scarf from one of those street vendors for about $5 and just jumped from museum to museum.”
When he returned, he broke the news to his parents: he changed his major – to anthropology – and transferred to the state of Florida. He ended up working in archeology for about ten years before joining the Miami Museum.
“I’ve seen firsthand that museums have the power to change lives,” he said. “They can be transformative in the way they engage communities.”
Under his leadership, the exhibits and events at the new museum will not only serve to celebrate the achievement and resilience of Latinos, he said. The programming will explore the full story of the arrival of Latinos in what would become the United States, discrimination, lynching, stereotypes and the ongoing struggle for integration.
“You want to make sure you’re doing it right,” Zamanillo said. “And that means reaching out to Latinos and communities across the country to make sure their stories are captured.”