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The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
(Mexican Fine Arts Center Website)
1852 W. 19th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60608
312.738.1503
MEXICANIDAD: Our Past Is Present
COLLECCIONES: Mexican Art from
50 Private Chicago Collections
March 11 – May 29, 2005
Susan Weinrebe
March 25, 2005 Be sure to have your sunglasses with you when you visit the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum. Color, design and content transport visitors to the atmosphere of tropical warmth in the country this museum celebrates. An important note is that MFACM is the only Latino museum with accreditation from the American Association of Museums! This puts it into a unique class and enables it to curate work that other institutions would not be able to display.
Located in the heart of Pilsen, a neighborhood with a large Mexican population, the architecture of the MFACM pays homage to ancient design motifs and forms. Though private residences surround the building, it seems fitting that this museum should be nestled exactly where it is. It revels in both the ethnicity of its neighborhood and reaches out to draw those neighbors in.
A fine meld of educational material, craft, and art fills the first exhibit, MEXICANIDAD: Our Past Is Present. Indigenous cultures are sited on a map of Mexico. One might be surprised to see which ancients are still alive and present. Thus, visitors are introduced to some of the peoples whose work is represented in the galleries. The installations are divided into historic periods from Pre-Cuahtémoc to Present-day Mexico.
Throbbing with the intensity of color and layers of design, an immense mural, The Ancient Memories of Mayahuel’s People Still Breath, by Mario Castillo, personified ancient cultural memories. Staring into the pupil of an eye in this magnificent work, I felt drawn in, swirled around, tripping between past and present. The duality of life and death, (think of Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos), ancient and modern, animal and human, and fertile cultural and ethnic symbolism abounded. This work is a brilliant introduction to the rest of the exhibit.
In the rooms that followed, several other astounding works created an unforgettable impression. One, a massive altar piece (Retablo), seemingly cast in gold, turned out to be a variety of papier mâché! Upon it, tales of plant and animal life, old and new, memory and conquest were embedded in the horizontal and vertical levels of sculpture and art.
Eighty beaded panels assembled by more than twenty workers over 17 months blend into a massive and brilliant composition of Huichol inspiration, The New Awakening. Traditionally, the Huichol have used peyote in their spiritual observances, but the Mexican government banned this practice and thus, this art project was created as a protest. Symbols and references abound in each panel and it’s easy to become mesmerized, gazing at the intricacies of the piece. As part of the protest, and again, symbolism, wax, used to set the beads on their panels will eventually deteriorate, and the work will return to its parts. Thus, one guesses the Huichol are also commenting that eventually they, too, will be as they ever were!
Remembering that this is a museum for, of, and in the midst of the people, in each room, visitors are educated to break possible stereotypes. Who those people are, is brought into focus time and again, especially in a large placement, composed of photographs of “typical” Mexicans.
Work by artists whose names are popularly recognized such as Siqueiros, Rivera, Kahlo, and Zúñiga are placed along the timeline continuum of the exhibit. Also, artifacts from holidays, and political activism are represented.
Stimulated by the coup of a recent display of a 3,000 year-old Olmec carved head, private art collectors have loaned their treasures for the current exhibition, COLLECCIONES: Mexican Art from 50 Private Chicago Collections. It is well worth a visit to this installation alone, to enjoy the treat of these usually hidden gems. A gorgeous catalog memorializes the ephemeral nature of this show, which, perhaps, will inspire some of these generous patrons to make contributions to the permanent collection.
One of the best tours I’ve ever experienced was going through the rooms during my visit.
The young man who was leading it, Luis Tubens, informed and engaged the group in a way that engaged them as “consumers” of art. This was true active learning. Conducted in Spanish and English, the bi-lingual nature of the tour added to the sense of being immersed, if only for a little while, into the culture of Mexico.
With 13 computer stations, The Interactive Resource Center promised to offer activities in a multi-sensory format. Alas, it didn’t deliver because only one or two of the machines were working properly.
The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum makes me think of a somewhat gangly adolescent. It is still growing into itself and defining who and what it is. Along its path to becoming a mature institution and a Chicago treasure, art workshops, holiday celebrations, lectures, films, concerts, and dance events abound. For instance, The 8th Annual Chicago Día del Niño festival at UIC Pavilion is scheduled for April 17 and includes a multitude of activities to engage any age.
Don’t be afraid to take children into the beautiful gift shop. There are small items that will satisfy them as well as representative crafts, books, gourmet foods, clothing, and jewelry for all price ranges.
The New Awakening / El nuevo amanecer - Santos Motoaopohua de la Torre de Santiago (Art Direction) with assistance by Graciela de Santiago Gonzalez, Cecilia de la Torre de Santiago, Ofelia de la Torre de Santiago, Catarino Roblez Cocio, Felipa Molina Valdez, Mariano Carrillo Rolando and Guadalupe Carrillo de la Cruz, El nuevo almanecer, 2003, chaquira beads in campeche wax, 94 3/4" x 118 3/4" x 1/2" (overall dimension), Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, 2004.7, Purchase made possible by Davis Bancorp
Photo courtesy of Michael Tropea, Chicago
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