The U.S. Latinx Art Forum (USLAF) has appointed artist, archivist, and curator Josh T. Franco as its new executive director, succeeding founding director Adriana Zavala. Under Franco’s leadership and alongside newly promoted deputy director Mary Thomas, the organization is shifting its mission toward fostering "convivial spaces" and organic networking. This new phase includes hosting intimate dinners across major cities to connect artists with supporters and planning a major touring exhibition featuring the 75 recipients of the Latinx Artist Fellowship.
This leadership transition marks a pivotal moment for Latinx art advocacy, moving from a focus on establishing visibility to sustaining a permanent canon. Over the past decade, USLAF has successfully utilized multi-million dollar grants from the Ford and Mellon Foundations to provide direct financial support to artists and stimulate critical scholarship. The organization's evolution reflects a broader maturation of the field, where the primary challenge has shifted from basic representation to building a robust, interconnected community of scholars and practitioners.