The Long Island Museum (LIM), a Smithsonian Affiliate, has announced that it has been awarded the prestigious Engaging Communities Award of Distinction for its groundbreaking exhibition SOMOS/WE ARE: Latinx Artists of Long Island.
The LIM was part of a group of selected museums, museum professionals, industry partners, and legislative leaders that were recognized for their exceptional achievements at MANY’s 2024 annual conference “Giving Voice to Value” in Albany on April 8. The fifteen awards celebrated unique leadership, dedicated community service, transformational visitor experiences, community engagement, and innovative programs that use collections and resources to support museums and to tell stories of everyone who calls New York home.
The Engaging Communities Award of Distinction recognizes organizations that demonstrate exceptional and resourceful methods in engaging their communities and cultivating new audiences. The LIM’s exhibition, SOMOS/WE ARE, stood out for its immersive approach in showcasing the rich cultural heritage and artistic contributions of the Latinx community on Long Island.
“This was such an important and institution-changing exhibition for us,” says Co-Executive Director, Joshua Ruff. “It helped us collaborate and connect with community partners such as the Latino Arts Council of Long Island. We were able to make some significant new accessions for our art collection from some of the artists involved. And this project confirmed that LIM is a museum dedicated to the history and culture of all people across our region, including the more than 20% of Nassau-Suffolk’s total population that has Hispanic heritage.”
On view during the fall of 2023, SOMOS/WE ARE was guest-curated by Mexican-American artist Kelynn Alder and curator Nina Sangimino of the LIM. This collaborative exhibition with associated programming focused on the rich cultural heritage and artistic contributions of the Latinx community on Long Island, featured 82 regional artists and explored their diverse styles, media, personal stories, and familial national origins.
In addition to bilingual exhibition text, the museum’s education staff published a bilingual Family Gallery Guide and offered Spanish language tours, including one for the Long Island Latino Teachers Association which contributed to an increase in school tours from school districts on Long Island with a high percentage of Latinx students, including Hempstead, Springs, Copiague, Tuckahoe, North Babylon, and Brentwood.
The museum also hosted a ¡ESTAMOS! symposium that featured an artist discussion and performances as well as a free Family Fun Day in October which set a record 600 person attendance for Día de los Muertos, many of whom were first-time visitors.
The LIM’s SOMOS/WE ARE: Latinx Artists of Long Island exhibition exemplifies the power of museums to connect, inspire, and celebrate diverse voices and communities. For more information, visit www.longislandmuseum.org.
