As a docent at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, artist Ivette Ramos Levy always strives to ensure she’s educating visitors about the history of works and the artists behind them.
But at each stop, she asks tour guests a question: What emotions do you feel from looking at each painting or sculpture?
The question might seem simple, Levy said, but it’s an effective tool she has used to build a bridge with Latino communities that visit the Fort Worth museum for the first time during her Spanish-language tours, a free service offered on the fourth Friday of every month.
“I open a door so that my community cannot only learn to analyze what they’re seeing, but most importantly, that they feel that this museum belongs to them too,” she said in Spanish.
Levy’s dedication to building inclusivity through volunteer work at the Modern has earned her recognition in 52 Faces of Community, the Fort Worth Report’s weekly series spotlighting unsung heroes in Tarrant County.
Welcome to 52 Faces
52 Faces of Community is a Fort Worth Report weekly series spotlighting local unsung heroes. It is sponsored by Central Market, H-E-B and JPS Health Network.
At the end of the year, these rarely recognized heroes will gather for a luncheon where the Report will announce one honoree to represent Tarrant County at the Jefferson Awards in Washington, D.C.
Levy is a multidisciplinary artist originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, who has created abstract paintings and sculptures featured at the Arlington Museum of Art, Fort Worth Art Fair and Art on Main in Dallas.
Although creating art is her primary work, Levy said she has always focused on advocating and supporting North Texas’ Latino communities as best she can.
In 2023, Levy came across the Modern’s docent program, a nine-month training focused on teaching volunteers about the history of art as it applies to the museum’s collection and special exhibitions. Without hesitation, she applied and was accepted.
As soon as she completed the training, Levy set her sights on reviving the Modern’s then-paused Spanish-language tours.
The Fort Worth museum had offered in-person Spanish tours at 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month since as early as 2012, but the service stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Believing the critical service needed to make a return, Levy and fellow docent Cat Muñoz connected with museum staff about reinstating the tours, but this time on Friday evenings when admission is free.
Low-income Latino community members often feel discouraged from visiting art museums due to pricing and language barriers, Levy said.
Spanish-language tours returned to the Modern’s regular monthly schedule in March 2024, said Sarah Theurer Hunt, an assistant curator of education at the Modern. These tours are led by four docents, including Levy, who alternate monthly.
Ivette Ramos Levy discusses the colors featured in Morris Louis’ 1960 painting “Beta Mu” at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. During her Spanish tours, Levy invites guests to describe what emotions they feel from each painting. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)
Levy said her primary focus is educating her Spanish-speaking guests to connect memories from their childhood with the museum’s collection rather than just learning about art. A lot of guests learn to verbalize their emotions during the tours, she said.
“I know my community and I know that we are tireless workers and the last thing we need on a weekend is more information being thrown at us,” she said.
Levy’s work has grown beyond her just serving as a docent, but as an ambassador who has championed the Spanish tours and informs the community about the museum’s inclusivity, Hunt said.
“Ivette is very friendly and very warm. She’s hyperaware of the individuality of each tour group coming into the museum. She wants the Modern to be approachable to everyone.”
Sarah Theurer Hunt, assistant curator of education at the Modern
Getting visitors interested in the Spanish tours has been a slow process, Levy said, but each group now averages between eight to 10 people, she said.
But, she’s not worried. Levy knows with every fourth Friday that comes, more and more people will make their way to the Modern. Her upcoming Spanish tour will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 27.
“We have to be patient, because restarting these tours is like planting a seed,” Levy said.
And each time, she will be ready to greet them with a smile and remind them that art doesn’t pertain to a particular group — it belongs to everyone.
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David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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