GREELEY, Colo. — Learn about the history and culture of Latinos and their impact on American culture and society through the lens of baseball at the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s (SITES) bilingual (Spanish and English) exhibition, “¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas.” The exhibition will be at the Greeley History Museum March 16 through October 5, with an opening reception March 15.
Throughout the 20th century in the United States and Latin America, baseball provided a path for a better future. Workers in agriculture and industry in the United States used baseball to make ends meet and as a socially acceptable space to find community and organize for rights and justice. Greeley and Weld County were no exception. Dimas Salazar started the team that would become the Greeley Grays in 1925, with players from Greeley, Ault, Gilcrest, Gill and surrounding towns. With a focus on community and family and a reputation for top-notch players and great ballgames, the Grays became a semi-professional team in 1942, and they continue to step up to the bat 99 years later with youth and collegiate teams.
The exhibition captures the excitement of the game and helps bring visibility to Latino community histories through baseball. It also incorporates memorabilia and stories from the Grays and the Rocky Mountain League, and from community baseball teams to the Major League, highlighting how the game can bring people together regardless of race, class and gender. It will feature reproductions of historic and personal photographs and a short bilingual video produced by “La Vida Baseball.”
Greeley is one of 15 cities across the U.S. to host the exhibition, which has been made possible through close collaborations with over 30 partners in 14 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Smithsonian curators collaborated with partners and local communities across the country to document and preserve baseball stories at the heart of Latino communities.
Museum at Twilight Offers Early Viewing of Exhibit
Museum at Twilight: ¡Pleibol! offers advance viewing of the exhibition – along with speakers and stadium fare – the night before the exhibition’s official opening. The event will be at the Greeley History Museum from 4-6 p.m. Friday, March 15. All are welcome, and admission is free for the Museum at Twilight event. Wear your favorite jersey!
About the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play.
“¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas” was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Museum of American History. The exhibition received generous support from the Cordoba Corporation and Linda Alvarado, and federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History seeks to empower people to create a more just and compassionate future by examining, preserving and sharing the complexity of our past. The museum's building is currently closed but its online exhibits and learning resources can be accessed at americanhistory.si.edu.
The Greeley History Museum, 714 8th Street, is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
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