An Artist’s White House Award Draws Puzzled Look From Latinos

When Laguna Beach artist Orlando A. B. heard that he was to receive the prestigious White House Hispanic Heritage award, “My first reaction,” he said, “was, ‘Why me?’ ”

“Why him?” was also the reaction of some Latinos upon learning that A. B. is virtually unknown to the art world, has no ties to the large Los Angeles Latino community and--most surprising of all--is not an American citizen.

“It’s an insult to the Hispanic artists of this country that they would honor a foreigner who has not participated or contributed to the Latino community,” Rep. Albert G. Bustamante (D-Tex.), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said in a telephone interview.

“Many of our Hispanic artists are second- and third-generation Americans, yet they (the White House) continue to ignore Hispanics in America and go for sort of a false image of the Hispanic community.”

Apparent Commercial Success

A. B., who has enjoyed apparent commercial success and divides his time between studios in Laguna Beach and Oahu, came to the United States 15 years ago from his native Colombia, where he was educated at Jesuit boarding schools.

A. B.--the initials stand for Agudelo-Botero--said he has been a supporter of First Lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign and participated in the Just Say No march in New York last May.

A. B. received his award Wednesday night along with Jaime Escalante, the calculus teacher from Los Angeles’ Garfield High School, and Houston publisher Nicolas Kanellos, whose Arte Publico Press is the oldest and largest publisher of Latino American literature. The three were honored by President Reagan in a Rose Garden ceremony Tuesday.

A. B. was nominated for the award by a member of the White House Hispanic Heritage Awards selection task force, Elaine Bela, who owns, along with her husband, a gallery in San Antonio that sells the works of A. B. and other Latino artists.

The full task force later voted on recipients after viewing their work and their resumes. About a dozen artists were considered, according to a White House aide.

“I have never heard of him,” said Margarita Nieto, a professor with the department of Chicano studies at Cal State Northridge, who observes the Los Angeles Latino art scene and writes occasional reviews for Art Week magazine.

Researchers were unable to turn up any mention of A. B. in the last three years in the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the major news magazines or Art Week magazine.

“Who is this guy?” Bustamante said. “I thought he was a Scandinavian or something. There is an abundance of American Hispanic talent. If they (the White House) can’t find any, let me know and I’ll take them to San Antonio, Los Angeles, Miami, New Mexico.”

There was no mention to the black-tie crowd gathered at the Organization of American States building that A. B. was not a U.S. citizen. In fact, most seemed to think he was.

At the presentation, TV and radio personality Sonny Melendez as master of ceremonies said, “This evening we recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans.”

‘Winners as Americans’

Dale Schaufel, representing corporate sponsor 7-Up, told the crowd: “All week I’ve been hearing Hispanic heritage, Hispanic heritage. I tell you, these three gentlemen are winners as Americans!”

Presenting A. B.’s award, U.S. Treasurer Katherine Ortega said his “fame spread quickly in 15 years,” and his work was “in keeping with the spirit of America.”

She praised a particular piece called “Tribute to America,” which contained a dancer, the American flag and the words to the Bill of Rights and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

“He shows a potential of human spirit, how far we can go as a community and as individuals,” Ortega said.

Why a Non-Citizen?

Rudy Beserra, who helped coordinate the awards from the White House office of liaison, was asked by a reporter why the White House would honor someone who is not a U.S. citizen.

First, Beserra replied that the United States “is a country of immigrants” and that A. B. “has contributed a lot to Hispanic arts.” Later, Beserra tried to convince the reporter that A. B. was an American citizen.

A. B., 42, said in an interview before the awards ceremony that he is not a U.S. citizen but is “contemplating it.”

“The most important event would be the right to vote,” he said. “There is not time to do it before this election but I’m contemplating next year.”

He said he had not been involved in any activities in the Los Angeles Latino community, but hoped to be in the near future.

Other Artists Suggested

Nieto said that in the Los Angeles Latino community alone there were better choices in well-known artists such as Carlos Almaraz or muralist Judy Baca.

Asked if A. B. could serve as a role model for Latinos, Nieto replied: “I think a role model is someone who is well-known. You have to gain some kind of respect and recognition among your own to be a role model.”

Although serving as a role model for Latinos seemed to be part of the point of the award, A. B. said, “It would be very presumptuous on my part to say I’m a role model for anybody.”

A. B. said he was not surprised that the White House would honor someone who is not a citizen, but that he was “overwhelmed” that he was selected for other reasons.

Hopes to ‘Use It’

“I could think of thousands of artists,” he said. “I need to be alone and put this in perspective. Hopefully I will use it well and have a more productive life.”

Some of A. B.’s most recent exhibitions have been in commercial galleries in Boca Raton, Fla.; Bethesda, Md.; Cincinnati, Ohio; La Jolla, Calif.; Kalamazoo, Mich; Long Island, N.Y.; Laguna Beach and Vail, Colo. He has been praised by Millie Wolff, art editor of the Palm Beach Daily News, for his “own process of evolution.”

A publicity brochure on A. B. notes that his work is included in collections at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library. But library archivist David Horrocks said they have no record of anything by A. B.

Horrocks added that the Ford White House received a great many gifts and that record-keeping on them was incomplete, leaving open the possibility that A. B. sent Ford a painting as a present.

Escalante, whose success in teaching Latino high school students advanced calculus has been chronicled in the movie “Stand and Deliver,” was clearly unaffected by his new-found fame.

Escalante circulated swiftly through the tuxedoed crowd in dark business attire and a long striped tie. When the ceremony was due to begin, he had to be paged over the loudspeaker.

He accepted his award first, saluting his students.

“What you saw in the movie is only 5% of how hard they worked,” he said. Receiving a standing ovation, he took his award, a pendant hanging from a red, white and blue ribbon, and left to catch a plane to Los Angeles to get back in time for school the next day.

Kanellos, born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, also accepted his award “on behalf of the authors we publish, like Gary Soto of California,” Latino authors who have trouble penetrating what Kanellos has called the “brown curtain” between them and mainstream publishers.

“We are part of the literary tradition, of the American culture,” Kanellos said.