For the months of September and October, the Museum of Latin American Art is celebrating Hispanic Heritage with the exhibition of more than 300 works of contemporary Latin American art.
Hispanic Heritage month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

Some of the pieces will be up for auction on Oct. 20. The exhibition, however, closes on Oct. 19.

“This is our big thing,” museum spokeswoman Susan Golden said. “The auction is the museum’s big fundraiser for the year.”

Artists from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela will all be represented in the auction.

According to a museum flyer, the auction will include live and silent auctions of over 300 paintings, sculptures, prints and photography by over 150 artists.

The exhibition is more than just a preview of the auction – it is also a competition for the MOLAA Awards, which can include prize money totaling $50,000.

“In the MOLAA Awards, the top four winners get put up in the permanent collection,” Golden said.

The other submissions become part of the auction, which will be web-cast on www.molaa.org/auction.

All proceeds from the live and silent auctions will go towards the museum’s exhibition and education programs.

The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday. Admission to the museum is free every Friday. For students admission is $5.

The Museum of Latin American Art is located in the East Village Arts District of Long Beach.

For more information on the auction or museum visit www.molaa.org.

—Maria J. Velasco