In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Kennedy Center reaffirms a culture of inclusivity.
At the Kennedy Center, all are welcome and safe regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values systems, national origin, political beliefs, and cultures. We believe in celebrating the authenticity of our guests, staff, and artists, and we commit to presenting all stories on our stages. We recognize that every individual deserves respect, dignity, and the right to express themselves through—and see themselves in—art. By embracing and supporting the diversity of our community, we answer our calling to be the nation’s cultural center.
Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity to explore the national impact Latinas and Latinos have had at the Kennedy Center for generations.
Photo by Fletcher Drake, courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
Historia archivada
Photo by Fletcher Drake, courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
Photo by Fletcher Drake, courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
Historia archivada
Throughout the years, the Kennedy Center Honors has upheld a tradition of recognizing our nation’s most prestigious artists’ lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents. Find out more about Hispanic Honorees ranging from:
See more Latin Honorees on the Kennedy Center Honors page.
credit Carol Pratt
Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the Worldwas a one-of-a-kind festival that brought together 450+ Cuban artists from the Island and the Diaspora, 70+ performances and events, 12 installations/exhibits, film and documentary screenings, and an outdoor parade and education events attended by 1,200 students.
The Kennedy Center celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and the Center’s year-long Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy with the October 13, 2016 performance of ¡Viva Cesar, Viva Kennedy!, a tribute to the ideals of Cesar Chavez and John F. Kennedy in the fight for civil rights and social justice in the United States.
Iberian Suite: global arts remix was an unprecedented festival celebrating artists from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East, highlighting the many cultures that comprise the Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking peoples. The festival welcomed some 600 artists from 24 countries and created the festival’s eclectic mix of voice, dance, sound, and texture.
Celebrate Mexico 2010 was a three-week festival that commemorated Mexico’s 200 years of independence and highlighted the vast breadth of Mexico’s contributions to the arts world, including pre-Hispanic, Spanish, modern, and contemporary Mexican art. The festival included El Grito, a civic ceremony echoing El Grito de la Independencia that featured performances by Ballet Folklórico de la Universidad Veracruzana, Mariachi Los Amigos, Tlen-Huicani, and more.
AmericArtes was a three-year festival that highlighted the performing arts of Latin America. With each year featuring a different country or region of Latin America, the festival welcomed many visiting performing arts companies and featured several premieres. Some of these included Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker’s world premiere of Casa and the Washington premiere of Crónica de una Muerte Anunciada, a play based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez.
The vibrant, energetic music of the Andes region of South America is performed in its most authentic form by Andes Manta, professional musicians and natives of the Ecuadorian Andes.
Teaching artist Marcos Napa demonstrates two different rhythmic patterns that can be played on any surface, and then leads the way through a few basic Afro-Peruvian dance steps.
Travel through the diverse cultures of Latin America, as represented by artists from Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, El Salvador, Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Texas and California. Enjoy art rich in both tradition and innovation.
Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream)
SilkBeat
Wed. May 6, 2026
JChris (vocals/piano) and Qi Yu (Chinese zither/Guzheng) take you on a musical journey through Latin America and East Asia. Inspired by Silk Road’s legacy of cultural exchange, SilkBeat infuses the melodies, rhythms, and textures of China and Peru.
Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream)
Embassy of Spain: Galera
Wed. May 13, 2026
Galera is a shared program that brings together two contemporary dance pieces: Un solo día and Uholdeak. Both offer perspectives that engage in dialogue around loss and the urgency of inhabiting the present—the only truly meaningful time.
Explore a video playlist of performances at the Kennedy Center celebrating Hispanic artists, artwork, stories, and culture.
Bronze sculpture by Libero Badii, on the First Tier of the Concert Hall
Libero Badii (1916–2001), one of Argentina’s most celebrated sculptors and painters, was born in Italy but moved to Argentina as a young boy. There he began his instruction in sculpture by learning to carve stone in his father’s marble studio. He later received formal training at decorative and fine arts schools.
By the early 1950s, Badii had received critical recognition for his sculptures. He worked in stone, plaster, wood, and bronze, combining these materials in various and innovative ways.
Despite his accomplishments as a sculptor, Badii gave up sculpting in 1979 to devote himself to painting.
Two oil paintings by Raquel Forner, on the Box Tier of the Opera House
Raquel Forner (1902–1988) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was known for her fascination with outer space and its exploration. Forner’s work can be seen in two phases: human suffering and the mysteries of the universe. After visiting southern Argentina in 1942, Forner felt a strong need to conceptualize her concern for human suffering. The isolated, primitive landscape she saw elicited feelings of war and destruction. Forner’s use of desolated landscape foreshadows her later fascination with moonscapes and planetary exploration.
Forner also painted Return of the Astronaut in 1969 for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
Two tapestries by Leonardo Nierman, on the Box Tier of the Eisenhower Theater
Leonardo Nierman (1932–) was born in Mexico City. In his childhood, he was drawn to the arts and wanted to be a violinist. He played with the Mexico City Symphony before realizing his true passion was art. He began his career in painting when he convinced his former dean to let him paint a mural in the business administration department’s auditorium in 1956.
