America Latina: Beginnings The America Latina Art Gallery was started in 2005 by Carito and Dario Wright while they were on their honeymoon in Lima, Peru. They began collecting original oil paintings and alpaca scarves for themselves and eventually decided that the craftsmanship was so beautiful that they had to share it with others. Their idea was to be able to offer affordable art, clothing, and literature normally unavailable outside of Latin America to a larger, international community. Beyond the typical tourist souvenirs, the majority of these creations remains undiscovered by persons in other countries. The range of styles, textures, and colors found is truly astounding and deserves greater recognition. The plight of many of the talented artists that Dario and Carito met during their numerous trips to Latin America is, to say the least, disturbing. Many of the craftsman are college graduates with degrees in art, yet are not adequately compensated for the quality of their craftmanship. In many cases, their works are purchased by other merchants for little to nothing and then sold to tourists at much higher prices. America Latina seeks to pay better prices directly to the artists as well as provide a larger international market for their handiwork. Our mission is to promote the culture and art of Latin America and to improve the standard of living for many struggling artists. When we first opened at a mall in Maryland, we sponsored one of the artists, Santiago Perez Cubas, to travel to the United States where he performed a live painting demonstration for our customers. Additionally, we sponsored an exhibition of his art at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C. By purchasing an America Latina original you:
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America Latina Art Gallery: About Us
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