Last week marked the official start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual commemoration that recognizes the contribution and influence of those American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Hispanic Heritage Week was established by legislation and signed into law by President Johnson in 1968. A month-long expanded celebration was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, and since 1989, all U.S. presidents have given a Presidential Proclamation to mark National Hispanic Heritage Month.
This month we celebrate not one single Hispanic culture, but a range of traditions, identities, and cultural expressions. In recognition of the complexity of human experience, we use the gender inclusive term Latinx to acknowledge racial diversity and to make visible those black and Indigenous Latinx people whose identity falls on the periphery of the Hispanic experience.
At NYU Steinhardt, we are dedicated to promoting racial equity and healing as a critical part of our mission to advance the education, health, and well-being of people and communities around the world. In research, scholarship, and artistic creations we strive to better represent the human condition by integrating cultural awareness into our work.
In that spirit, we honor
Felix Gonzalez-Torres who was born in Guáimaro, Cuba and earned an MFA from NYU in 1987. An openly gay man during the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Gonzalez-Torres navigated intersectional forms of discrimination and merged his activism and art in sculptures and installations. Using common materials and flea market-finds, he addressed gender and sexuality, love and mourning, sickness and recovery. His
“Untitled” (Placebo) 1991, exhibited on World AIDS Day (December 1, 1991), was a response to the AIDS epidemic and the untimely death of his partner, Ross Laycock.
“Untitled” (Death by Gun) 1990 now feels especially prescient given our long, distressing history of gun violence in America.
Though his career was brief – Gonzalez-Torres died from complications from AIDS in 1996 – his legacy endures. We proudly celebrate his life and art.
In closing, I want to thank the Latinx members of our administrative, professional, and clerical staff, and our Latinx faculty, whose work enriches our community and underpins our success. We are grateful for their many outstanding contributions to our school and the broader society.
Jack Knott, Dean
Gale and Ira Drukier Chair