Visiting Artist Series heads to Chicago for Grabadolandia!
We kicked off our new Visiting Artist Series with a trip to Chicago with 18 high school students!
We’ve invited Chicago-based artist Salvador Jiménez-Flores to lead student workshops and public events next September for our new Visiting Artist Series (VAS), so this trip was a great opportunity to introduce students to him and check out his work in Chicago. We began our trip with a mural tour in Pilsen, a neighborhood on the Lower West Side known for its rich Latine cultural and artistic traditions. Several of the murals were collaborative efforts between established artists and the youth arts program Yollocalli Arts Reach, and many represent stories of personal experiences with immigration, violence, & discrimination. The murals also speak of hope, collective wisdom, ingenuity, and the strength of community. After the mural tour, we met Jiménez-Flores for a delicious lunch at 5 Rabanitos Restaurante & Taqueria.
We spent Saturday afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago, where students were thrilled to see so many historical and contemporary works that they’ve studied in school, including the Great Wave, by Katsushika Hokusai. Friday and Saturday evenings, we enjoyed dinner and sights in downtown Chicago, where holiday festivities were in full swing.
On Sunday, we headed back to Pilsen to tour the National Museum of Mexican Art and participate in Grabadolandia Print Festival. Organized by Instituto Gráfico de Chicago (of which Jiménez-Flores is a founding member), Grabadolandia is a 3-day festival that inspires new generations to engage in printmaking as a social force. We connected with dozens of artists who were providing free demos and selling artwork, many of whom also teach through schools or youth art programs. It was also great to tour the special exhibits and the permanent collection at the museum, where we spotted work by some of our favorite artists.
We’re so grateful for the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, MillerKnoll Foundation, and the State of Michigan MiLEAP Out of School Time grants that funded this free educational field trip!
