The Dallas Museum of Art appoints Dr. Mark A. Castro as the first Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art
Dr. Agustín Arteaga, The Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), announced today the appointment of Dr. Mark A. Castro as the DMA’s first Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art, a new position created earlier this year. With more than a decade of experience as a curator, scholar, and educator in Latin American art, Dr. Castro is recognized as a leader in the field, and his appointment signals a dynamic new chapter in the DMA’s collection, presentation, and study of Latin American art. Dr. Castro will begin at the DMA on September 3, 2019.
The Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art was established with a multi-year gift from Mr. Baldor, a Dallas-based entrepreneur and civic leader. This is a newly created position, whose purview encompasses art from North America, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, from the viceregal to the modern centuries.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Mark Castro to his new role. Dr. Castro’s combination of experience in the museum setting, contributions to scholarship, and background in education distinctly position him to create thought-provoking and engaging experiences for our audiences, anchored by the outstanding Latin American art collection here at the DMA.” Arteaga said.
For over a decade, Dr. Castro was an integral member of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s (PMA) curatorial team, serving in numerous roles, including Consulting Curator for Latin American Art, and contributing to major exhibitions. Among the major Latin American presentations he spearheaded is Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950. He also oversaw numerous PMA exhibitions of Spanish and European art, including Journeys to New Worlds: Spanish and Portuguese Colonial Art in the Roberta and Richard Huber Collection, for which he was co-curator, and El Greco in Focus, for which he was curator, in addition to supporting the development of many other exhibitions during his tenure.
Dr. Castro has contributed to numerous scholarly publications, including the Whitney Museum of American Art’s forthcoming Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 (2020), and the exhibition catalogue for Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950 (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2016), which he co-edited. Previous teaching roles include adjunct positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph’s University, and Arcadia University.
Dr. Castro received his masters and doctorate degrees in history of art from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, and his undergraduate degree in archaeology and studio art from Hamilton College in New York.
“I am exhilarated to join such a dynamic institution as the Dallas Museum of Art,” said Castro. “It has a long history of engagement with Latin American art, and this new position represents a deepening of that commitment. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues at the DMA and to engaging with Dallas’s vibrant Latin American and Latinx communities.”
