Lunch and Learn: Natalia M. Febo and Gabriela Ríos Villegas

Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights

This summer, grab your favorite lunch at noon and tune in to virtual conversations with the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System on topics from repairing the effects of racial injustice to fighting for equitable access to recovering from exile and loss. Let’s learn together!

Lunch and Learn returns with special guests Natalia M. Febo and Gabriela Ríos Villegas in conversation with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System discussing their work as members of the staff of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino. 

Registration not required. Click on the YouTube video linked below to stream the program live or watch the recording later.

About the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino:

The National Museum of the American Latino is one of two museums created in 2020 by an act of Congress, establishing it and the Smithsonian National Women’s History Museum as part of the Smithsonian. Although there is no building yet for the American Latino Museum, founding director Jorge Zamanillo and his staff are working on exhibitions, programs and fundraising while operating a 4,500-square-foot gallery in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The museum is integrating and building on programs previously managed by the former Smithsonian Latino Center. It will continue to advance the representation, understanding, and appreciation of Latino history and culture in the United States. The museum also provides resources and collaborates with other museums to expand scholarly research, public programs, digital content, collections and more.

The National Museum of the American Latino opened the Molina Family Latino Gallery, the Smithsonian’s first gallery dedicated to Latino contributions to America, in June 2022 at the National Museum of American History. The 4,500-square-foot gallery offers temporary exhibitions and educational programs in the decade or so leading up to the grand opening of the museum’s own building.

“¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States” is the museum’s first exhibition in the gallery. It introduces visitors to critical concepts, moments and biographies that shine a light on the historical and cultural legacy of U.S. Latinos. It will be on view until Nov. 30, 2025, at the National Museum of American History. A companion website highlights select oral histories, 3D objects, historical biographies and objects. To plan a visit or learn more, click here.

The museum's next temporary exhibition, “¡Puro Ritmo: The Musical Journey of Salsa,” is slated to open in spring 2026.

About our guests: 

Natalia M. Febo is a museum educator and a visual artist born and raised in Puerto Rico. She is the Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C., where she established the museum's first volunteer program. Natalia is passionate about visual arts, history, and cultural programs and has worked in museum education and arts programs for over fifteen years. Before joining the Smithsonian, she worked as an arts integration educator at Carlos Rosario School International Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., where she developed and co-taught arts integration programs for adult English Language Learners and Spanish literacy classes. Natalia’s experience includes working as a lead facilitator at Spark! Lab at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and a Maker Educator at the KID Museum in Maryland. Natalia holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from George Washington University and a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Fine Arts from the University of Puerto Rico.

From Caguas, Puerto Rico, Gabriela Ríos Villegas is a museum professional currently working as Volunteer & Community Engagement Program Assistant at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. She holds a bachelor’s degree in both Art History & Marketing from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from the George Washington University. Before joining the Smithsonian, Ríos Villegas conducted data collection at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, the U.S. Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. Prior to arriving to D.C., Gabriela gained experience in Puerto Rico’s art museums and galleries through internships and volunteering. She’s currently working on making her curatorial debut in Puerto Rico and is interested in honing more curatorial skills in the future. Gabriela Ríos Villegas hopes to make art museums more accessible and inclusive, especially back home in Puerto Rico.