Gilcrease Names Inaugural Latin American Curator
Alejandro Garay Celeita joins the Tulsa museum as its first assistant Latin American curator ahead of its March reopening.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Hispanic
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Gilcrease Museum has named Alejandro Garay Celeita its inaugural assistant Latin American curator. He recently moved to Tulsa from California, where he was completing his Ph.D. program.
Why it matters
The appointment creates a dedicated role for the museum's Latin American holdings, which include 125 rare manuscripts, archival materials and works of art. It also signals closer engagement with Tulsa's Hispanic and Latino community ahead of the museum's March reopening.
The Latin American collection holds 125 rare manuscripts, archival materials and works of art, with a core portion donated in 1956 from the library of George Robert Graham Conway. The museum has not yet publicly detailed how the collection will be expanded under the new role.
The players
Alejandro Garay Celeita
Garay Celeita is an academic and curator who migrated to the U.S. from Brazil nine years ago, was raised in Colombia, and previously studied in California.
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis directs The University of Tulsa's Oklahoma Center for the Humanities and will moderate the November 12 conversation introducing Garay Celeita.
The details
Garay Celeita began his community work by visiting neighborhoods and markets and presenting to the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic/Latinx Affairs Commission, where he gave a summary of the collection in October. He plans to build connections within the collection and with initiatives that bring in more voices, while Gilcrease intends to host more local and non-local contemporary Latino artists.
Timeline
1956: Core Latin American collection arrives at Gilcrease from the Conway library.
October: Garay Celeita presents a collection summary to the Hispanic/Latinx Affairs Commission.
November 12, 7 p.m.: Garay Celeita is introduced at 101 E. Archer with a discussion of his book "Constelaciones Visuales."
March: Gilcrease reopens following its closure period.
Cultural Context
The appointment follows a pattern in which Oklahoma's humanities institutions, such as the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at The University of Tulsa, host public conversations that connect regional collections to scholarly research. Garay Celeita's book on 19th century foreign travelers and Colombia extends that work into the museum's Latin American holdings.
Tulsa residents interested in Latin American art and history will have a new point of contact at Gilcrease for exhibits and community programs. The November 12 public discussion at 101 E. Archer offers a direct opportunity to hear the curator speak about his work.
The takeaway
Museums build community trust when curators engage directly with local residents before exhibits open. Attending public conversations like the November 12 discussion is a practical way to learn about regional collections.
What happens next
Garay Celeita will be introduced at a discussion on November 12, and Gilcrease reopens in March with its expanded Latin American programming.
Further reading
For more on the community's cultural life, explore Hispanic coverage in Tulsa.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tulsa Flyer.
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