This study examines how Lancaster City’s Latinx residents have carved out spaces for self-determination and expression in the arts. I examined how the Latinx community views their inclusion (or exclusion) in the burgeoning arts and culture sector of Lancaster City. This study revealed that the Latinx community believes that there is little Latinx representation in the mainstream arts and culture sector in Lancaster City despite the high concentration of Latinx. The history of segregation and discrimination in Lancaster City have impacted how the Latinx community conducts acts of placemaking and belonging. This study is the first to document ways in which the Latinx community have attempted to create spaces for expression since their arrival in Lancaster City. The study confirms that the Latinx community has a rich arts and culture sector of its own despite periodict loss of critical cultural resources over time. Research conducted in the study sparked exciting conversations about what inclusion and placemaking in the Latinx community looks like, what the Latinx community wants/needs, and tangible ideas for moving forward. [Latinx is a gender neutral term used in place of the traditional Latino or Latina. Latinx avoids the gender binary by using an ‘x’ instead of the gendered ‘a’ or ‘o.’ Usage of the term Latinx was a deliberate choice. Hispanic, a commonly used identifier and identifier used by the US Census, only includes countries who have been occupied by the Spanish. This usage excludes Brazil and some Caribbean countries. Latinx includes countries that are part of Latin America and the Caribbean without referencing the history of colonialism that can be offensive to individuals that identify as Latinx. Latinx is a more preferable term because it is more inclusive geographically and socially.]M.S., Arts Administration -- Drexel University, 201
