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Errol Ortiz, Astronaut Targets, 1965.
Photograph: Courtesy Corbett vs. Dempsey GalleryErrol Ortiz, Astronaut Targets

‘Arte Diseño Xicágo’ explores Mexico and Chicago’s creative connection

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art explores the work of Mexican artists who came to Chicago (and vice versa).

Zach Long
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Zach Long
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More than a century ago, 101 artworks by Mexican artists were shown in Chicago as part of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. In March, two of those pieces—paintings by José María Velasco and José María Jara—will return to the city for the first time in a National Museum of Mexican Art exhibition that explores the creative connection between Chicago and Mexico.

Part of the yearlong Art Design Chicago initiative celebrating the city’s creative legacy, “Arte Diseño Xicágo” surveys work created between the exposition and about 1970, when the Civil Rights era ended. “It is important to showcase how the arts from Mexico have been a part of our city since the railroads connected the urban Midwest to the Mexican border,” says chief curator Cesáreo Moreno, who sourced pieces by Mexico-based artists who spent time in Chicago and Chicago artists who spent time in Mexico.

Some of the earliest work included in the collection was made by Mexican immigrants who came to Chicago in the early 1900s to work in union-organized factories. “The big draw for many of the early [Mexican] artists was the politics here, the union organizing and collective bargaining,” Moreno says. “An industrial manufacturing center like Chicago where workers had a voice really enticed them.”

Many of these Mexican artists were already skilled ceramics producers and metalworkers, and some honed these artisan talents at Little Italy’s Hull House, where free arts education and social resources were provided to the working-class neighbors. “[Hull House founder Jane Addams] realized that you can’t just teach immigrants how to speak a language and then expect that they will become productive members of society,” Moreno explains. “You need to nurture their souls and let them continue with things that they’re familiar with.” Several ceramic pieces included in the exhibit were made in Hull House kilns and feature bright colors and decorations that reflect traditional Mexican styles.

Chicago artists who were interested in cultures south of the border are also in the exhibit, such as Robert Natkin, a photographer hired by the Mexican Tourism Bureau in the late 1940s to capture images for a campaign aimed at enticing American travelers. The pictures he brought back—including photos of a costume maker and a ceramicist whose works are on display in “Arte Diseño Xicágo”—were ultimately rejected by the bureau but furnish a candid look at the people of Mexico. “Lucky for us, they hired the wrong guy,” Moreno notes.

The show doesn’t neglect the work of contemporary artists, such as Chicago Imagist Errol Ortiz. The son of artist Luiz Ortiz, who attended the Art Institute of Chicago after serving in the United States Army during World War II, Errol initially pursued a career in martial arts before deciding to follow in the footsteps of his father. The bold, vivid imagery of Errol’s 1965 painting Astronaut Targets still looks futuristic today, prefacing the innovations of modern Mexican-American artists.

“It’s not one linear history,” Moreno says about the show. “It’s the experiences of different individuals who are linked together because of their talent and their culture.” While it’s grounded in two places that are geographically and politically separate, “Arte Diseño Xicágo” argues that creativity knows no borders.

“Arte Diseño Xicágo” is on display at the National Museum of Mexican Art from March 23–August 19.

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Our city is home to world-class museums that are filled with something for everyone. While the Art Institute makes us an international destination, our science, history and nature institutions make up some of the best attractions in Chicago. 

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