Amy Rosenblum-Martin (center) and the artists and community leaders of behind "Nuestro Vaiven". Provided photo.

Flipping the hierarchy of knowledge may sound like a complex concept, but for independent curator Amy Rosenblum-Martin, it’s a straightforward thought process that guides her work. “I’m really interested in this question of who is listening to who and who’s talking to whom,” says Rosenblum-Martin. “A lot of times museums can try to teach the general public things they don’t know, when in fact the general public knows things that we as curators do not.”

This idea was a guiding principle in Rosenblum-Martin’s curation of The Ringling Museum of Art’s latest exhibition Nuestro Vaiven (Our Sway). Nuestro Vaiven, which opened on October 4, is not only one of the museum’s largest ever displays of contemporary Latin art, it is also one of The Ringling’s more unique exhibitions in its season. Curated by Rosenblum-Martin with the guidance of Puerto Rico-born, Sarasota-raised architect Javi Suarez, the exhibition features the work of 22 Latin artists, representing 11 Latin American nations and 11 Florida counties. Eight of these artists were paired with four Latin community leaders in Sarasota: Ada Toledo, a Dominican salon owner; Dr. Manuel Gordillo, a Peruvian doctor; Diana Gonzalez, a Mexican radio personality; and Gloria Noemy Lopez Herrera, a Nicaraguan organizer of immigrant entrepreneurs. The artists paired with the community leaders then created site specific installations for them, to serve as art for the public exhibition as well as backdrops for the leaders’ private celebrations later in the year.

“We had eight artists plus the four community leaders at this hinge meeting at The Ringling back in January—we called it a hinge meeting because the whole project hinged on this,” says Rosenblum-Martin. “The community leaders told the artists about themselves, their communities, their joys, sorrys and challenges in life and then the artist pairs started brainstorming in front of these leaders what their newly commissioned installations would look like.”

It was also important to Rosenblum-Martin to create an exhibition-within-the-exhibition of 14 works by 14 other Latin artists highlighting the diversity of people and artforms found within the vast landscape of contemporary Latin art. “There’s painting, sculpture, photography, conceptual art, there's sort of architectural intervention, there's abstract art, there's representative art, to name some of the mediums. These artists range in range from their mid-20s to their mid-60s,” says Rosenblum-Martin. “It’s a very diverse group in every possible way—it’s racially diverse, it’s half men and half women and there is LGBTQ content as well.”

Nuestro Vaiven, October 4 to March 22, 2026, The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, 34243

Amy Rosenblum-Martin (center) and the artists and community leaders of behind "Nuestro Vaiven". Provided photo.

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