ABOUT US
MUSEO HISTORY
Colorado has long been home to a thriving community of Latin American artists, yet mainstream arts organizations in the 70s and 80s did not hold space for Latin American artistry and culture. So in 1991, a group of dedicated Latino artists and arts administrators got together to create Museo de las Americas, a place where Latino Art, Culture and History would be put on a pedestal and celebrated for generations to come.
Museo de las Americas opened its doors in April 1991, and has spent the last three decades shining a spotlight on our community’s creative achievements. Each Executive Director brought their own vision and growth goals for Museo, helping build us into who we are today.
HISTORY OF OUR DIRECTORS
JOSE AGUAYO 1991 – 2001
The Art World at this time was not welcoming to communities of color, including Latinos in Denver. Fed up with being marginalized, a group of passionate Denver artists including Jose Aguayo, Magdalena Aguayo, Ramon Kelley, Ramona Kelley, Emanuel Martinez, Maria Lupita Martinez and Rebecca Arellano teamed up to found Museo de las Americas, a space that would celebrate and honor Latino art and culture with exhibits that showcased our community’s tremendous creative talent. Jose Aguayo became Museo’s first Executive Director.
In 1994, Museo purchased 861 Santa Fe Drive, creating a home for decades of Latino art and culture to come. Six years later, Museo received an extensive collection of Latin American Folk Art donated by Irving G. and Eleanor D. Tragen, which would become the seed of our collection which would grow to include over 4,000 items. A $10 million expansion plan included building safe collection storage in Museo’s basement, and constructing a research library with over 1,000 books on Latin American Art, History and Culture.
PATTY ORTIZ 2003 – 2009
Patty Ortiz, former Director of Programs for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, is hired as Museo’s second Executive Director. Museo received the Mayor’s Design Award for improvements to the facade and exhibition space, as well as the Martin Luther King Community Service Award, which recognizes the exemplary services and achievements that have positively impacted Denver in the spirit of the teachings and example of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
MARUCA SALAZAR 2009 – 2017
In 2009, Maruca Salazar became the third Executive Director of Museo. Under her leadership, we received multiple awards and recognitions, including substantial funding to expand engagement with our community. Maruca launched the first Summer Arts + Culture Camp, a life-affirming annual summer program that strengthens youths’ connections to their culture and heritage.
CLAUDIA MORAN 2017 – PRESENT
In September of 2017, Claudia Moran became Museo’s fourth Executive Director, and ushered in many “firsts,” including our first STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) exhibition and our first contemporary latinx exhibition. In 2020 and 2021, the world was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit cultural institutions especially hard. Despite significant challenges, Museo made it through.
