Nordstrom Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With Latino Art Beat Exhibit

SEATTLE, July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Nordstrom is partnering for a second year with Latino Art Beat, a Chicago-based not-for-profit arts organization, to feature art from their "What Hispanic Heritage & Culture Means to Me" contest at Nordstrom stores and online at nordstrom.com.

High school juniors and seniors from Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington D.C. were invited to enter a drawing or painting for the 2009 fine-arts competition that illustrates what Hispanic heritage and culture means to them. Winning artwork from the Drawing and Painting category will be showcased in window displays at select Nordstrom stores and in an

e-gallery at www.nordstrom.com/hispanicheritagemonth during Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated September 15 to October 15, 2009.

"We are delighted to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and partner once again with Latino Art Beat, an organization that recognizes the importance of furthering the value of arts education and Latino culture within our communities," said Amelia Ransom Letcher, vice president of Diversity Affairs for Nordstrom. "We are excited to feature the winning artwork in our windows and share the talents of these five individuals with our customers and employees."

"Young people are our future and this collaboration between Latino Art Beat and Nordstrom, supplemented by the on-going support of all our sponsors, academic partners and friends, is helping make a difference," said Don Rossi Nuccio, president and co-founder of Latino Art Beat. "We will help shape tomorrow's future by offering alternatives to our young people; encouraging higher learning through the award of college scholarships. By profiling these talented young artists through Nordstrom, and publicly honoring them at awards ceremonies being held around the country, we are not only celebrating Hispanic heritage, but encouraging their future success."

Latino Art Beat selected one winner from each region and one national winner, each receiving a scholarship to the college of their choice. Nordstrom will give each regional first-place winner a $1,000 cash prize and make a $20,000 donation to Latino Art Beat to help in their mission to "Celebrate Youth, Art and Hispanic Heritage and Culture."

The exhibit and e-gallery on nordstrom.com will feature winning artwork from the following five artists:

    --  Katherine Ordonez - "Todo Para Ti, Maria Sofia" - Miami, Fla.
    --  Carolina Ibarra - "Mis Primitos" - Chicago, Ill.
    --  Condelo Botello -"Loteria and Self-Portrait" -  Houston, Texas
    --  Jonathan Marquez Mejia -"El Esqueleto de Mariachi" - - Los Angeles,
        Calif.

    --  Christian J. Baez - "India Madre de Ecuador" - Washington D.C.

The e-gallery will also feature the winning film entry from Latino Art Beat's Film and Animation Competition titled "My Life" by Gilbert Anthony Perez-Aguilar, Los Angeles, Calif., who will also receive a $1,000 prize from Nordstrom.

The exhibit will be on display at 19 Nordstrom stores across the country including:

    --  Broadway Plaza - Walnut Creek, Calif.
    --  Dadeland Mall - Miami
    --  Downtown Seattle - Seattle
    --  Fashion Square - Scottsdale, Ariz.
    --  Galleria Dallas - Dallas
    --  Garden State Plaza - Paramus, N.J.
    --  Horton Plaza - San Diego
    --  Houston Galleria - Houston
    --  Main Place/Santa Ana - Santa Ana, Calif.
    --  Michigan Avenue - Chicago
    --  Montgomery Mall - Bethesda, Md.
    --  Park Meadows - Littleton, Colo.
    --  Salem Center - Salem, Ore.
    --  San Francisco Centre - San Francisco
    --  Southcenter Plaza - Seattle
    --  Stanford Shopping Center - Palo Alto, Calif.
    --  The Grove - Los Angeles
    --  Valley Fair - San Jose, Calif.

    --  Village of Merrick Park - Coral Gables, Fla.

About Latino Art Beat

Latino Art Beat is a Chicago-based not-for-profit arts organization that awards scholarships to high school students from Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington D.C. through its arts competition held in May of each year. Since its inception in 1998, Latino Art Beat has awarded nearly $2 million in college scholarships to select competition winners. Winning artwork is displayed at various art exhibits and the top winning artwork is featured in national print media. For more information, telephone: (773) 291-6901; e-mail: latinoartbeat@hotmail.com; or visit the website at: www.latinoartbeat.com.

About Nordstrom

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 175 stores located in 28 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 111 full-line stores, 61 Nordstrom Racks, two Jeffrey boutiques and two clearance stores. Nordstrom also serves customers through its online presence at www.nordstrom.com and through its catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001011/NORDLOGO)

MEDIA CONTACTS: Sydney Haigh
Nordstrom, Inc.
(503) 299-4106

Don Rossi Nuccio
Latino Art Beat
(773) 291-6901

SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.

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