Atlanta History Center Hosts Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music
Atlanta, GA – Salsa. Mambo. Rumba. Cha-cha-cha. The very names of these Latin music genres suggest an irresistible, unmistakable rhythm. Through the decades, these distinctive musical styles have continually—and profoundly—influenced American popular music. The music and Latino musicians helped shape many traditional genres of music in the United States, including jazz, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and hip hop.
Beginning November 15, 2014, the Atlanta History Center presents the stirring bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibition, American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music. This traveling exhibition celebrates and savors the musical contributions of U.S. Latinos from the 1940s to the present, while exploring the social history and individual creativity that produced stars like Tito Puente, Ritchie Valens, Celia Cruz, Carlos Santana, and Selena.
Developed by EMP Museum and the University of Washington, and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES), the exhibition, its national tour and related programs are made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund. The show has traveled to 10 cities prior to its stop in Atlanta, Georgia. American Sabor is on display at the Atlanta History Center through February 28, 2015 and is included in the price of general admission.
“Ford Motor Company Fund is proud to support American Sabor as part of our long-standing commitment to Hispanic arts and culture,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “Visitors to the exhibition will experience the many contributions that Hispanic musicians have made to American music and the richness of Latino sounds.”
American Sabor (sabor is the Spanish word for taste or flavor, commonly used to describe good music) documents the roles of post-World War II U.S. Latino musicians as interpreters and disseminators of Latin American genres while highlighting their innovations in various traditional U.S. music genres.
The exhibition focuses on five major centers of Latino popular music production— New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio and San Francisco—that represent the remarkable diversity of this music. Each city section explores the broader histories and cultures that created the music from those areas, including how the musical innovations of Latino youths crossed ethnic and racial boundaries and helped shape American popular music, how immigration and migration influenced Latino and U.S. popular music and the ways in which Latinos have musically voiced their lives as Americans.
“The Atlanta History Center is pleased to host the American Sabor exhibition,” says Atlanta History Center’s Vice President of Public Programs Kate Whitman. “We have been working a great deal on deepening our engagement with the Latino community of Atlanta. Through projects such as Latino New South, and programming partnerships with the Institute of Mexico, Latin American Association, and others, as well as the NEA funded Big Read initiative, featuring Mexican American author Luis Alberto Urrea, we are demonstrating our commitment to programming that celebrates the contributions of Latino Americans in our nation’s history and culture.”
American Sabor is an educational experience for all ages featuring bilingual text panels and engaging graphics and photographs. Two short films bring Latino music and dance to life through performance footage and interviews with artists, and experts and narratives that explore key events in history. Compelling listening stations highlight key artists and music genres—from Santana to salsa to San Antonio R&B—while commentary identifies elements such as ethnic roots, rhythmic patterns, form, texture, instruments, vocal style, and lyrics. An exhibition dance floor provides space to try out new moves while listening to favorite musical selections.
The exhibition is complemented by an interactive website (AmericanSabor.org) that includes expanded content, historic photographs, lesson plans, video oral histories from Latin music stars, a jukebox featuring a special American Sabor playlist and a mixing-board interactive activity.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Atlanta History Center presents a schedule of related programs, lectures, and film screenings designed to enhance the exhibition. For more information about the exhibition, accompanying programs, or to purchase advance tickets, please visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/AmericanSabor.
ABOUT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION TRAVELING EXHIBITION SERVICE (SITES): SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 60 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu
ABOUT EMP MUSEUM: EMP Museum is dedicated to the exploration of creativity and innovation in popular music. By blending interpretive, interactive exhibitions with cutting-edge technology, EMP captures and reflects the essence of rock ’n’ roll, its roots in jazz, soul, gospel, country and the blues, as well as rock’s influence on hip-hop, punk and other recent genres. Visitors can view rare artifacts and memorabilia and experience the creative process by listening to musicians tell their stories. www.empmuseum.org
ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the West Coast and is one of the preeminent research universities in the world. www.washington.edu
ABOUT FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND AND COMMUNITY SERVICES: Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and American heritage and community life. The Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com
ABOUT THE ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER:
Founded in 1926, the Atlanta History Center is an all-inclusive, thirty-three-acre destination featuring the Atlanta History Museum, one of the nation’s largest history museums; two historic houses, the 1928 Swan House and the 1860 Smith Family Farm; the Centennial Olympic Games Museum; the Kenan Research Center; the Grand Overlook event space; Chick-Fil-A at the Coca-Cola Café, a museum shop, and the Goizuetta Gardens, featuring 22 acres of gardens, walkways, paths and trails.
In addition, the History Center operates the Margaret Mitchell House located in Midtown Atlanta. For information on Atlanta History Center offerings, hours of operation and admission call 404.814.4000 or visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com.
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