Smithsonian hires HistoryMiami director to lead new Latino museum in Washington, D.C.

Telling the stories of his community has long been Jorge Zamanillo’s passion. Now, he’ll be sharing that passion with the whole world.

Zamanillo, the executive director and CEO of HistoryMiami Museum, has just been named the first director of the new Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino.

“I was so honored to be selected and to be working on this project from the ground up,” Zamanillo said. “Something of this magnitude is humbling. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It sounds corny and cliche, but it’s true.”

The National Museum of the American Latino is one of two new museums approved by the U.S. Congress in December 2020 (the other is the American Women’s History Museum). The board of trustees includes such luminaries as José Andrés, Emilio Estefan, Eva Longoria, Soledad O’Brien, Sofia Vergara and Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“It’s going to approach what it means to be a museum in a different way,” said Zamanillo, whose appointment begins May 2. “It’s going to be a big task. We’re going to be reaching out to communities across the country and getting their input.”

Zamanillo, who was born in New York City but moved to Miami at age 7, began his work at HistoryMiami in 2000 as the curator of object collections. The Miami High graduate, who has a degree in anthropology from Florida State University and a master’s in museum studies at the University of Leicester in England, went on to act as deputy director, vice president of expansion projects and senior curator. Before joining HistoryMiami, he was an archaeologist at the nonprofit Archaeological and Historical Conservancy Inc. of Miami.

As executive director and CEO of HistoryMiami, he led a $45 million expansion project in 2015 and 2016 that doubled the size of the museum and created four new galleries. He also led HistoryMiami in expanding the South Florida Folklife Center and creating the Center for Photography to collect and display photos of South Florida communities.

The experience at HistoryMiami has been invaluable, Zamanillo said.

“If it wasn’t for this museum, I wouldn’t be anywhere,” he said. “I owe a lot to my colleagues. I worked with so many talented individuals.”

Zamanillo knows there are many challenges ahead for the National Museum of the American Latino, such as finding a location for a building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and — maybe even more difficult — leading a massive fund-raising effort. The groundbreaking on a new building is at least five or six years away.

Kevin Gover, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture at the Smithsonian, praised Zamanillo’s experience in taking on the challenges.

“We were convinced he could recreate a vision for a new physical museum but also a new museum in concept,” he said. “When we thought about what a 22nd century museum should look like and what it ought to be able to do, we were convinced he was someone who could think that through. Probably the most important thing is creating that vision and not only processing his thoughts but also the thoughts of many others. We have an outstanding board of trustees anxious to help him succeed, but they have their own ideas. And then there’s the Smithsonian itself. We have our ways, and they’re not always the best ways. We’re an old organization. New museums are an opportunity to move the entire institution forward, and we felt Jorge could contribute to that.”

The first exhibit of the Museum for the American Latino, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, will open at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History later this spring. It’s a preview of what visitors will find when the new museum finally opens its doors, a vital part of American history, Zamanillo said.

“Sharing those Latino stories and narratives are essential to learning about American history and getting a full picture of our diverse nature,” he said. “It’s so important in a national museum that people see their story being told. If I’m Mexican or Cuban or Puerto Rican or Venezuelan, I can go there and see my story told as part of the bigger picture, and I’ll feel I’m part of the story.”