The comunidad y herencia cultural will create a series of traveling exhibits to engage with rural communities across oregon where participants can learn about the mexican equestrian tradition known as…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Comunidad Y Herencia Cultural $397,391 on September 1, 2026, under the Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture program (CFDA 45.033) to create traveling exhibitions on charreria, the Mexican equestrian tradition, for rural communities across Oregon.

The recipient will develop and install traveling exhibits featuring authentic attire, saddlery, ropes, books, photographs, and multimedia displays illustrating charreria's cultural legacy rooted in history, family, artistry, connection to land and animals, and community identity. Project activities include developing exhibition materials, collaborating with local schools to design interactive educational programming, and installing the traveling exhibit in partnership with up to six local communities each year. The project implements professional handling protocols, protective display cases, and secure transport methods to preserve fragile museum collections. Public programming will feature live demonstrations and storytelling emphasizing charreria as a living tradition sustained by families today. Through this work, students, families, and community members will gain historical understanding of charreria and Latino Americans in Oregon while strengthening cross-cultural connections in rural communities.

The award runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029, with place of performance in Springfield, Oregon.

The comunidad y herencia cultural will create a series of traveling exhibits to engage with rural communities across oregon where participants can learn about the mexican equestrian tradition known as charreria. The traveling exhibition will feature authentic attire, saddlery, ropes, books, photographs, and multimedia displays that illustrate the rich cultural legacy of charreria rooted in history, family, artistry, connection to land and animals, and community identity. Project activities include developing exhibition materials, collaborating with local schools to plan interactive educational programming, and installing the traveling exhibit in partnership with up to six local communities each year. This project will enhance the care and use of the museum collections by implementing professional handling protocols, using protective display cases, and maintaining secure transport methods to ensure the preservation of fragile materials. The project includes public programming with live demonstrations and storytelling emphasizing that charreria is a living tradition actively sustained by families today. As a result of this project, students, families, and community members will gain increased historical understanding of the story of charreria and latino americans in oregon while strengthening cross-cultural connections in rural communities.