AHA’s programs and services have always been synonymous with empowering Latino artists. AHA was founded in 1975 during the first wave of new arts groups to be created after the birth of the National Endowment for the Arts in 1967. Puerto Rican and Cuban artists based in the East Harlem El Barrio neighborhood built an organization to advocate for increased appreciation, funding and presenting opportunities for Latino artists. AHA became one of the first organizations in the nation to focus its services on Latinos at a time when both the work and careers of and representation by Latino artists were underserved by mainstream public and private institutions.
AHA’s program focus shifted from general advocacy work to providing professional development assistance and a range of information services. Professional development assistance consisted of one-to-one or small group consultations in fundraising, grant writing, and planning for media coverage. AHA also began to offer workshops for artists interested in teaching in public schools.
In 1988, AHA won the New York State Governors Art Award in recognition of its service commitment to artists and art organizations as well as its efforts to increase public awareness of and for Latino art.
In 1991, AHA received the New York City Mayor’s Award of Honor for Art and Culture from Mayor David Dinkins for its commitment in recognition of its overall services to the Latino cultural community in September 1992. In 1994, with support from the Joyce Mertz Gilmore Foundation, AHA began to regrant funds to Latino arts organizations to address management and program needs.
AHA had to downsize its programs and staff in response to a series of financial and leadership challenges that occurred during the mid-1990s. Yet, despite its limited resources, AHA continued to create programs such as its Resume Writing for Artists series and partner with other organizations such as the Bronx Council on the Arts to present the New York International Latino Film Festival. By the 2007, AHA was able to offer 110 programmatic events, including its highly successful women’s writing series called Latinas in Literature, that attracted over 2,145 artists, community members and arts aficionados. With financial support from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and other funders, AHA has forged ahead with a new focused mission, strategic vision and plans to make it all happen.
AHA’s new vision is to serve 12,000 artists and arts administrators by the year 2012.
