Posted by Jeremy. Last updated on August 21, 2024.
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The Latin American Cultural Center is part of an outreach initiative undertaken by the Latin American Studies Association that has called Pittsburgh home since the 1980s.
The group’s headquarters can be found in a beautiful and historic building right in the heart of Oakland, and features a modest exhibition space that shares the history and culture of Latin America, a theater space for performances, periodic temporary exhibitions and more a lot!
So while a visit to this can be quite short, if you’re looking for a unique museum right in the heart of the city, don’t miss this one!
A quick dive into all things Latin America
The Latin American Cultural Center features two permanent exhibition rooms that span a modest theater space in the center of the building right on Bigelow Boulevard.
The exhibit takes a holistic look at all things Latin America and the Caribbean with exhibits that focus on the history of the region during early migration, the cultures that developed, colonization and warfare, the variety of arts, architecture and more over the centuries.
As you make your way through the museum, you’ll notice that they do a very good job of highlighting many places in Latin America and feature the mines of Potosi, Bolivia, the amazing sanctuary of Las Lajas in Colombia, art by Frida Kahlo in Mexico, and much more. rather.
While the museum mainly features text-based and image-based exhibits that adorn the museum’s walls, each themed section features several exhibits, such as fossils, art, musical instruments, and more in their respective sections.
That said, despite the museum covering a large portion of all things Latin America, a visit can be quite short. Even with reading every piece of text found on site, I got through the museum in less than 20 minutes. However, for those who want to get even more out of the experience, plan a visit when the museum hosts a temporary exhibition!
Plan a visit around a temporary exhibition
For those who want to get even more out of a visit to the Latin American Cultural Center, be sure to check out any temporary exhibits. These shows usually run around nine months of the year (often from September to late spring) and offer a great opportunity to see even more on your admission ticket.
Touring shows have included shows like Maya Spirituality (2022-2023), Mexican Masks (2023-2024) and Haiti (2024-2025) to illustrate a few.
Unfortunately, on my first visit I was at the museum during the short break between shows in the summer, and was unable to see a special exhibit. So be sure to check out the exhibit schedule on the Latin American Cultural Center website to see what might be showing now, or, at worst, very soon!
Overall, while the Latin American Cultural Center may be one of the smaller museum exhibits in Pittsburgh, it makes up for it by packing a lot of history into its modest space. By the time you leave, you’ll have caught a glimpse of Latin America’s long history, from early migration and settlement to modern growth, life, and the challenges facing the region.
While you’ll do well to visit during a touring show, those in need of a quick museum escape in the heart of Oakland should consider this for a short visit if it’s open!
The Latin American Cultural Center is located at 4338 Bigelow Boulevard in Oakland.
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