Rhode Island Latino Arts is a statewide organization based in Providence and Central Falls, and acknowledge that we are on the traditional homelands of the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples, the original stewards of the territory now called Rhode Island. We honor their ancestors, we offer our respect to the Elders past, present, and future, and recognize their continued existence and contributions to our society.
RILA envisions a Rhode Island where Latino arts, histories, heritage, and cultures are not on the margins, but at the center of our shared cultural life—visible, valued, and carried forward by the communities who live them every day.
Showcasing the rich and diverse voices within the Latino community, including artists of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences.
Removing barriers to arts participation and providing resources, opportunities, and funding for underrepresented Latino artists, creatives, and cultural bearers.
Creating welcoming spaces where all community members—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, ability, or immigration status—can engage in the arts and share their stories.
Through our programs, public art, storytelling initiatives, and educational efforts, RILA ensures that Latino culture is preserved, celebrated, and amplified for future generations.
We are committed to:
We are largely a mixed-race people due to the various colonial histories of our countries and encounters between Europeans, indigenous people, and Africans. Our cultural heritage and who we are today is a result of an unprecedented history of transcontinental migration, when after 1492, 60 million Europeans, 11 million Africans, and 5 million Asians arrived in the Americas to inhabit a land that once belonged to what was once the Aztec Empire, now wiped out and non-existent.
Latinos come from regions of the world that span two continents: North America (including Central America and the Caribbean) and South America. This includes 19 sovereign nations and one non-independent territory, Puerto Rico. Most people from these regions speak Spanish or Portuguese, although French, English, Dutch, and Kreyol are also spoken in parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Would you like to support the mission of Rhode Island Latino Arts? Please consider making a donation. Your contributions will support our programming and help us maintain this website — the only one of its kind in Rhode Island that provides the most comprehensive free cultural and educational information that features Latinos in the arts.
This work is ongoing—and it depends on community support.
This work is ongoing—and it depends on community support.
WORDS: Latinx and Latiné are pan-ethnic terms used to describe people who are of or relate to Latin American origin or descent. They are regarded by some as gender-neutral or nonbinary alternatives to Latino, Latina and Hispanic.
Language matters deeply to us because it reflects how people see themselves, their families, and their histories. At Rhode Island Latino Arts, we primarily use “Latino” and “Latina” when referring to our community, as these are the terms most widely used and recognized by the people we serve and work alongside.
We also recognize that language continues to evolve. Terms such as “Latinx” and “Latiné” have emerged in recent years, particularly in academic and activist spaces, and may resonate with some individuals—especially younger generations. When appropriate, we use “Latinx” in reference to contemporary or youth-centered contexts.
At the same time, our approach is guided by how our community speaks and identifies in everyday life. Our work centers lived experience, and we choose language that reflects that reality across generations.
We also recognize that language continues to evolve. Terms such as “Latinx” and “Latiné” have emerged in recent years, particularly in academic and activist spaces, and may resonate with some individuals—especially younger generations. When appropriate, we use “Latinx” in reference to contemporary or youth-centered contexts.
At the same time, our approach is guided by how our community speaks and identifies in everyday life. Our work centers lived experience, and we choose language that reflects that reality across generations.
Our Commitment to Equity & Inclusion We are committed to creating a space where all people feel respected, safe, and valued.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, class, color, sexuality, gender, gender expression, religion, age, nationality, disability, marital status, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. We value diversity. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all visitors, members of our staff, artists-in-residence, contracted artists and vendors.
We acknowledge our areas of privilege and how they interact and potentially impact our audiences and oppressed identities. We recognize the power dynamic that is evident by virtue of the art that is created by and sponsored by RILA and the arts participant. While we do not put this responsibility on our audiences or visitors to La Galería, we do welcome and encourage your feedback if you have ever been discriminated against or experienced micro-aggressions by a board member, our staff, or any artists representing RILA.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, class, color, sexuality, gender, gender expression, religion, age, nationality, disability, marital status, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. We value diversity. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all visitors, members of our staff, artists-in-residence, contracted artists and vendors.
We acknowledge our areas of privilege and how they interact and potentially impact our audiences and oppressed identities. We recognize the power dynamic that is evident by virtue of the art that is created by and sponsored by RILA and the arts participant. While we do not put this responsibility on our audiences or visitors to La Galería, we do welcome and encourage your feedback if you have ever been discriminated against or experienced micro-aggressions by a board member, our staff, or any artists representing RILA.
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