Smithsonian opens 'Puro Ritmo' exhibition on salsa music and Celia Cruz costumes
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino opened “Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa” on April 18 at the Molina Family Latino Gallery, located within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The bilingual multimedia exhibition explores salsa music’s rhythm, movement, and shared heritage in the United States. It spans four thematic sections and features nearly 300 objects, tracing salsa’s roots from Havana dance halls to clubs in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and beyond. The exhibition contextualizes salsa within major U.S. historical moments, including Caribbean migration, the evolution of jazz, and Afro-Cuban rhythms’ influence on rock ’n’ roll, disco, and house music. Iconic costumes of Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, are prominently displayed.
Key facts
- Exhibition opened April 18 at Molina Family Latino Gallery
- Located in Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
- Presented in English and Spanish
- Nearly 300 objects across four thematic sections
- Traces salsa from Havana to New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles
- Explores salsa’s connection to Caribbean migration, jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms
- Features Celia Cruz’s iconic costumes
- Organized by National Museum of the American Latino
Entities
Artists
- Celia Cruz
Institutions
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino
- Molina Family Latino Gallery
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Locations
- Havana
- Cuba
- New York City
- United States
- Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles