With artist microtalks and a reception, Aurora University’s Schingoethe Center museum opened “Mapping Territories: The Art of Exile in Pilsen-Chicago,” an exhibit of 59 works by 32 printmakers, January 13.
The free exhibit will be at the museum at the Hill Welcome Center, 1315 Prairie St. in Aurora through May 15.
The reception included microtalks by exhibiting artists. They were René Arceo, Carlos Barberena, Arturo Barrera, Dolores Mercado, and Eufemio Pulido.
Museum hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m..
The exhibit features linocuts, etchings, woodcuts, serigraphs and dry point in three sections–“The Journey,” “Inhabit the City” and “Memory, Identity, Disjunction.”
Natasha Ritsma, museum executive director, said “This exhibition demonstrates the social and political struggles migrants face and the resilient cultural neighborhood they created. The artists showcased were selected because of their extraordinary ability to share stories, trace histories, assert presence, challenge boundaries and reveal overlooked narratives.”
Rene Arceo, Chicago-based artist, educator and curator, organized the exhibit. He stated, “These prints provide an opportunity to visualize the evidence of collective struggles, stories of migration and the building of community away from home. All this resonates with current spirited struggles of Mexican and other Latino communities in Chicagoland.
Call 630-844-6157 or visit aurora.edu/museum for more information.
—Al Benson