Metropolitan Museum's MetTodays to Highlight Latin American Culture, Today

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be filled with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Latin America on Friday evening, September 18, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Organized in conjunction with National Hispanic Heritage Month, and part of the MetFridays series, ¡Noche en el Met! Celebrate Latin America will offer a range of activities in both English and Spanish, all free with Museum admission. The event also marks the Metropolitan Museum's growing commitment to art from Latin America, including new acquisitions, exhibitions, and increased public programs. MetFridays-"New York's Night Out"-offer visitors wide ranging programming on Friday evenings, when the Museum is open until 9:00 p.m.

MetFridays: ¡Noche en el Met! Celebrate Latin America is made possible by the Great Circle Foundation.

The Latin American-themed program on September 18 will feature music and dance performances, hands-on art making, collection chats, and other activities related to the Museum's collection.

Highlights of the program are:

• Performances by Mariachi Real de Mexico (rousing melodies in various locations throughout the evening), New York City's own YerbaBuena (traditional Caribbean music with a contemporary twist), and Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (a fusion of color, rhythm, and music)
• Ongoing instruction in festive flower crown-making, led by staff from the New York Botanical Garden and inspired by its exhibition Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life and works from the Metropolitan Museum's collection
• An interactive history of chocolate-making by Roger Rodriguez, Head Chocolatier at Cacao Prieto
• Chats between Museum curators and local artists, curators, and Latin American experts about works of art in the Met's collection that are currently on view in the galleries
• A specialty margarita and tacos al pastor available for purchase in the Great Hall Balcony Bar

Schedules and floorplans for MetFridays: ¡Noche en el Met! Celebrate Latin America will be available on September 18 at the Information Desks located near Museum entrances. The event is free with Museum admission.

Related Works of Art in the Metropolitan Museum's Collection

These noteworthy examples of Latin American art from the Metropolitan Museum's collection are currently on view:

• In the Joyce B. Cowin Gallery in The American Wing, the installation Collecting the Arts of Mexico features more than two dozen works of art in diverse media from colonial Mexico, including recently acquired paintings that have never beforebeen exhibited (through August 2016). (Gallery 749)
• A dazzling display of more than 100 gold pendants and ornaments, created between the 11th and 16th centuries in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, and Peru, is the centerpiece of The Jan Mitchell Treasury. (Gallery 357)
• Recently crafted stringed instruments and historical gourds from Puerto Rico are displayed in The André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments. (Gallery 683)

MetFridays: ¡Noche en el Met! Celebrate Latin America programming will be featured on the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org/celebratelatinamerica, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #MetFridays.

About MetFridays at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum is open every Friday night until 9 p.m. During MetFridays, evening visitors may view exhibitions, take a drop-in drawing class, enjoy a concert, or catch up with friends over drinks or dinner. A listing of what's happening at the Met each Friday evening is available on the MetFridays webpage on the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org/metfridays.