By: Daniel Nardini

This year Latino Art Beat will celebrate its 15th anniversary for holding its art competition. Since it began as a dream by Don Rossi Nuccio’s nephew Daniel Cisneros of holding an artwork competition for artistically inclined high school students, Latino Art Beat has expanded from being an art competition in Douglas Park held every summer to a nationwide art competition held in many different high schools and institutions in such major cities as Chicago, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Latino Art Beat has become one of the most prominent organizations of its type, and it has made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of high art ability high school students. Since its inception, Latino Art Beat has awarded $3 million in scholarships, monetary prizes, college credit courses, and Spanish language courses.

In recognition of its accomplishments, Latino Art Beat has received official recognition from Jose Rico, executive director of the White House Initiative on Excellence in Education for Hispanics. Latino Art Beat also received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. This recognition from the White House is significant because it means that Latino Art Beat has indeed not only made a difference to a growing number of Latinos, but it has helped define an outlet and means for those who show artistic promise and wish to develop their art skills as well as explore their Latino heritage. Few organizations have had such a meteoric rise, and few have had such a strong impact on the lives of so many young people in this country as has Latino Art Beat. On my behalf, and on behalf of Lawndale News, we extend our congradulations to Latino Art Beat for its success, and this well-deserved recognition.