The Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) at the University of Notre Dame has opened a new, off-campus facility to serve as an art studio and provide office and classroom space in support of the community outreach initiatives that are central to its mission.p. The facility is located in a one-story annex at 1024 Notre Dame Ave.? three blocks south of campus in the heart of South Bend’s Northeast Neighborhood. Four ILS staff members now occupy the annex, which the institute shares with the University’s Department of Psychology.p. “The institute’s main work will continue on campus, and our research efforts will expand in Chicago and throughout the country,” said Gilberto Cardenas, director of the institute and assistant provost for institutional relations and diversity. “Meanwhile, at the annex we have a great space in which to develop new, collaborative programs ? mostly related to the arts ? that strengthen our ties to the South Bend community.”p. The institute’s projects for the annex will build on initiatives to strengthen University-community partnerships elsewhere in the neighborhood, including those of the nearby Robinson Community Learning Center, according to Jose Juarez, the ILS art collection coordinator.p. “Working with Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History and Design, the Snite Museum of Art, and South Bend schools, the institute will organize classes and workshops aimed at giving area youths hands-on learning and mentoring opportunities,” he said.p. One such partnership already underway is The Young Artists’ Workshop (YAW), which gives talented middle and secondary school art students an opportunity to interact with museum, art department and ILS staff and graduate students, as well as learn about career opportunities in the visual arts.p. The annex will provide a new venue for YAW initiatives.p. The ILS was established in 1999 to promote understanding and appreciation of the Latino experience in the United States through research, education and outreach. Its areas of study include Latino spirituality, art, culture, literature, history, politics and socioeconomic conditions.
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