Bringing a Smithsonian traveling exhibition to Phoenix through institutional coordination, grant stewardship, and community-based cultural programming.
Client
Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center
Jeffrey’s role
Consultant · Project Director · Grant Writer
National partners
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) Ford Motor Company Fund
The assignment
A national story, grounded in a local community.
When the Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center (ALAC) hosted American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music, Jeffrey was hired to guide its local delivery. Phoenix was the final stop of the exhibition’s four-year national tour, with the presentation running April 11 through July 5, 2015.
The exhibition traced Latino influence on U.S. popular music through five cities: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Its themes of migration, musical innovation, and cultural exchange created an opportunity to connect a national narrative with the artists and audiences of Phoenix.
Developed by EMP Museum and the University of Washington, the exhibition was organized for travel by SITES. Ford Motor Company Fund supported the national tour and related programs.
Local host: Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center, downtown Phoenix.Scope of work
From funding to the final report.
Jeffrey’s responsibilities connected the institutional, financial, and public-facing sides of the project. The work extended beyond presenting an exhibition to supporting the organization, its partners, and the community around it.
Funding & grant stewardship
Wrote and administered grant funding for the exhibition and related programming, connecting funding objectives with the practical work of delivery.
National partner coordination
Served as liaison among ALAC, Smithsonian/SITES staff, and Ford Motor Company Fund, keeping the host organization and national partners aligned.
Exhibition readiness
Coordinated the host organization’s readiness for Smithsonian operational, installation, and presentation requirements.
Marketing & public relations
Developed and implemented a communications plan to build public awareness and encourage attendance.
Community programming
Designed engagement activities responsive to grant objectives and local audiences, and engaged Latino musicians to extend the exhibition’s themes beyond the gallery.
Reporting & closeout
Managed final reporting, documentation, and project closeout as the exhibition concluded and departed Phoenix.
Community connection
Make room for Phoenix’s own musical voices.
Local Latino musicians were central to the complementary programming. Their participation connected the exhibition’s national story to the creativity and cultural life of the surrounding community.
The engagement plan created several ways for people to encounter the exhibition: a First Friday open house, music and dance activities, school outreach, and programming beyond the gallery. These were designed to serve local audiences and support the grant’s education and community-engagement objectives.
The exhibition was free and open to the public. Communications and outreach helped connect that invitation with schools, downtown partners, and audiences interested in Latino arts and music.
Exhibition materials
A visual journey through Latino music.
Exhibition map connecting the five cities at the heart of American Sabor.
American Sabor book cover, exploring Latinos and Latinas in U.S. popular music.National tour material: the Los Angeles presentation, November 2013 through February 2014. Phoenix hosted the exhibition in 2015.
The result
Institutional standards. Community relevance.
The Phoenix presentation brought national partnership requirements, funding administration, public outreach, and local cultural programming into one coordinated initiative.
For ALAC, the work supported delivery of a Smithsonian traveling exhibition while giving Phoenix-area Latino musicians a place within the wider story. For prospective partners, it demonstrates Jeffrey’s ability to carry a complex cultural project from planning and funding through presentation, documentation, and closeout.
