mexico en chicago

wet dreams (2008) by juan carlos macías (acrylic on canvas 24" by 84")

though i seldom visit my hometown chicago (the place i immigrated to, like many mexicanos), i still subscribe to the e-newsletter that the national museum of mexican art puts out. call it nostalgia. call it (academic) curiosity. the NMMA was--when it was called something else--the place where i first began to build my interest for mexican and chicana/o performance art, this was through the 'del corazón' and 'sor juana' festivals. that's where i first saw luis alfaro, jesusa rodríguez and liliana felipe, maris bustamante, ofelia medina (and others) perform and got into this mess that will result in a book (unsettling comforts)...that's another story though.

the museum has gone through some changes, for better or for worse. but in its mainstreaming, it's maintained a certain level of edginess. i got the e-newsletter a few days ago announcing that today (btw happy fourth) opens an exhibit that is part of a three-year commitment to immigrant centered programs.

the museum and the city of chicago are not the only ones paying attention to the presence of mexicanos in chicago, so is the new york times. from their travel section.
i liked this pic so much (by sally ryan for the new york times) that i lifted it from the multimedia slide show. it's the 'new' maxwell street market. we used to ago to maxwell street market when we were kids (my dad made us), when it used to be on maxwell street, before the gentrification there.