Over the last decade, I’ve visited the City of Dallas’ Latino Cultural Center (LCC) numerous times. Designed by renowned and prolific Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta and his son Victor, the building’s dramatic geometric lines are accentuated by its bright orange facade and deep purple stepped tower. In an otherwise dreary city, the LCC is a beacon. Inside its galleries, I have exhibited work, curated a show, moderated an artist talk, and seen various artists’ exhibitions that have transformed the space time and again. On a recent visit, I was surprised to find that the LCC is home to two commissioned works by iconic Latina artists. How had I never seen these before? I’m ashamed to admit it’s because I’ve never attended a performance in the institution’s theater, which is home to resident theater companies Cara Mía and Teatro Dallas.
Visitors to the LCC’s theater enter the building through the rotunda doors (rather than the side doors that lead to the galleries). Benches made of wood and stone curve around the circular space. The white walls are bare, but look up and you are transported by a color-changing digitally composed mural by Celia Álvarez Muñoz. The floor below your feet, a simple earth-toned compass, is also part of the installation. Despite being familiar with Muñoz’s expansive oeuvre, which includes photographs, writing, book arts, and sculptural and mixed media installations, Orientaciones (2004) took me by surprise as it is unlike any of the artist’s work I have seen.
