Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
Encyclopedia
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
, and Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
art and culture. The museum was founded in 1982 by Carlos Tortolero. Located in the neighborhood of Pilsen in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the current building in Harrison Park opened on March 27, 1987. The museum is the only Latino museum accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
. The mission of the museum is to display Mexican culture as one sin fronteras (without borders).
Collections
Mexican art
Mexican art consists of the various visual and plastic arts which developed over the geographical area now known as Mexico. The development of these arts roughly follow the history of Mexico, divided into the Mesoamerican era, the colonial period, with the period after the gaining of Independence...
and artifacts from Mexican history. The permanent exhibit "Mexicanidad: Our Past is Present" explores the history of Mexico in five stages: Pre-Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521...
Mexico, Colonial Mexico, Mexico from Independence to Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, Post-Mexican Revolution to Present-day Mexico and The Mexican Experience in the US.
Annual Día de los Muertos exhibit
Every October, the museum has a Día de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead") exhibit which features altars and Día de los Muertos-related art by Chicago-area and international artists. This exhibit is the nation's largest. The 2005 exhibit was dedicated to three Chicago artists, Carlos CortezCarlos Cortez
Carlos Cortez was a poet, graphic artist, photographer, muralist and political activist, active for six decades in the Industrial Workers of the World....
, Ed Paschke
Ed Paschke
Edward Francis Paschke was a Polish American painter. His childhood interest in animation and cartoons, as well as his father's creativity in wood carving and construction, led him toward a career in art...
and Allen Stringfellow.
Other initiatives
The National museum of art also has a program of arts education, performance and community initiatives. In 1994, the museum created two new festivals, Del Corazon: the Mexican Performing Arts Festival and the Sor JuanaSor Juana
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz , fully Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, was a self-taught scholar and poet of the Baroque school, and nun of New Spain...
Festival, dedicated to an important Mexicana scholar. In 1998, the museum created the Yollocalli Youth Museum. It also runs the radio station WRTE
WRTE
WRTE is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish bilingual Variety and community format. Licensed to Chicago, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Chicago area and some nearby suburbs such as Cicero, Berwyn, Stickney and nearby areas...
90.5 FM, Radio Arte, a non-profit, community station that serves the Pilsen/Little Village area but is heard throughout the Chicago metro area. Recently the radio station and the building it has been in since the late 90's has been put up for sale due to financial issues.
Name change
The name of the museum was changed to The National Museum of Mexican Art in December 2006. This name change reflects the status of the museum as the only member of the American Association of MuseumsAmerican Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
dedicated to Latino culture.
See also
- Radio Arte - WRTEWRTEWRTE is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish bilingual Variety and community format. Licensed to Chicago, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Chicago area and some nearby suburbs such as Cicero, Berwyn, Stickney and nearby areas...
- Pilsen, Chicago
- List of museums and cultural institutions in Chicago
External links
41.856162°N 87.672948°W