Madison, Wis. – Overture Center for the Arts celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, with events including a featured gallery, Latino Art Fair, ticketed concert and Kids in the Rotunda performance

“We are honored to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by inviting the entire community to participate in these events,” said Ed Holmes, Overture’s director of diversity and inclusion. “It’s humbling and exciting for us to move forward with equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives at Overture, as the arts truly provide a place where everyone can come together.”

Overture’s Galleries | Fri., Sept. 15 – Sun., Oct. 15, 2017 | Rotunda Gallery | FREE

¿Quiénes somos? (Who Are We?) by J. Leigh Garcia and Evelyn Galindo

• As a seventh-generation Texan and Mexican-American, Garcia’s ancestral connection to Texas land has led her to consider the ethical impact on her Tejano culture. Through the lense of her biracial heritage, Garcia aims to shed light on contemporary issues that current and future undocumented Latinxs face — such as harsh working conditions, the separation of families, and death while crossing the Mexico-U.S. border.
• Evelyn Galindo is a Salvadoran artist living on the 89’ Meridian West, the geographic line connecting San Salvador, El Salvador and Madison, Wisconsin. Galindo migrated to Madison in the 1980’s as part of the diaspora of the most recent war and made her home in Wisconsin ever since. One key symbol that she explores in her work is the image of the nomad or stray. This is a visual way of rethinking how people navigate space and build communities when more traditional understandings of “home” are interrupted or fall short. This consideration of “home” speaks to immigrants, but also to the many who are uprooted at different times because of many personal reasons such as homelessness, divorce, job loss or poverty. 

Latino Art Fair and Gallery Reception | Fri., Oct. 6, 5-9 PM| Promenade Terrace | FREE

Now in its fifth year, The Latino Art Fair is an initiative to showcase the richness of the Latino culture in South Central Wisconsin through an exhibit of local Latino artists’ work. 25 artists will exhibit and sell their artwork, including paintings, photography, pottery, jewelry, dolls, music and more. The event is organized and sponsored by the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County with the support of Overture Center for the Arts, Centro Hispano, and the Latino Professionals Association.

Overture Presents – La Santa Cecilia | Fri., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m. | Capitol Theater | $25+

Grammy®-winning group La Santa Cecilia exemplifies the hybrid of Latin culture, rock and world music, drawing inspiration from their Latin American influences and Mexican heritage. With captivating songs about love, loss and disappointment, the band has become the voice of a new bicultural generation in the U.S. – fully immersed in modern music while utilizing rhythms from cumbia, bossa nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz rock and klezmer music.

Kids in the Rotunda – Ballet Folklórico de María Díaz | Sat., Oct. 14, 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (ASL interpreted) | FREE

KiR welcomes Ballet Folklórico de María Díaz to the Rotunda Stage. The group features young dancers, ranging from K to 12th grade combining elements of Mexican culture, history, folklore, and religion with rhythm and body movement through Ballet Folklórico performances. The group is led by Maria Diaz, an internationally-touring professional dancer. The 1 p.m.performance will be American Sign Language interpreted. Patrons may call 608.258.4144 if they need to be seated within sight of the interpreter. Extra fun: Stop by the Central Library’s Children’s Room from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. for free art activities, special book displays and more, all inspired by the day’s Kids in the Rotunda performance.

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org