Myrna Salazar, co-founder of CLATA has passed away

Chicago, August 4, 2022 – It is with tremendous sadness that the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) announces Myrna Salazar, its beloved Co-Founder and Executive Director, passed away on Thursday, August 3, 2022, two weeks after celebrating her 75th birthday.

Over the years, I have worked with Ms Salazar in promoting the arts that her organization has brought to Chicago. Our city was so fortunate to have this woman bring her talent to our stages, museums and galleries. For me, it was always a pleasure to attend one of the functions that she was part of. I will miss her greatly, but will have many great memories.

Salazar will always be a Chicago legend, leaving a legacy as a Latina trailblazer who shattered glass ceilings throughout her career. To her last day, Salazar advocated for equity and representation of Latino artists in mainstream media and Chicago’s live theater stages.

“It is with profound sadness and shock that we share with you the sudden passing of our beloved Myrna Salazar,” said Marty Castro, CLATA Board President and President and CEO of Castro Synergies, LLC. “To say that Myrna was a force of nature would be an understatement. She has been a leader, advocate, change maker, and a strong voice for the Latino community on issues from education to the arts. She was and always will be part of our family and we mourn her loss. CLATA is part of her legacy and we will continue to work in her memory to ensure its continued success.”

Carlos Tortolero, President, CEO and Founder, the National Museum of Mexican Art, said, “Myrna was an amazing, once in a lifetime, super arts activist. In just a few years, she made the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance into a cultural force in Chicago, across the country and throughout Latin America. She was an amzing, once in a lifetime ,super arts activist. Funeral information is forthcoming.