A new exhibition titled “entre Horizontes: Art and Activism between Chicago and Puerto Rico” opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Featuring 18 artists of diverse mediums, the exhibition’s goal is to address social and political issues facing the Puerto Rican community, from housing discrimination and immigration to bilingual education and health care issues.
“Much of the conversation about Puerto Rican immigration typically focuses on states like New York and Florida. So part of the discussion surrounding this exhibition is to re-center Chicago in that conversation and It’s about positioning,” said MCA curator Carla Acevedo-Yates. “Many people don’t know that Puerto Ricans have been immigrating to Chicago since the 1940s. As a result, men were sent to work in steel mills.”
Acevedo-Yates sees Chicago as unique.
“There is no place in the world like Humboldt Park, and there is no place like Paseo Boricua. It is because of the organizations that have fought and struggled to make Division Street and Humboldt Park truly an enclave of Puerto Rican culture. ,” Acevedo-Yates said.
“entre Horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico” is on view at MCA until May 5th.