Pilsen Day Art & Experiences
About the Event:
Alberto Aguilar is proud to be the first Chicago Humanities Artist-in-Residence with curated programs that will give audiences a chance to encounter art in new and exciting ways and inspire viewers to make their own active connections. Engage with unique programs during a full day in Aguilar’s home neighborhood of Pilsen, on Sunday, September 29th.
RSVP Includes:
- 10:30am - 12:00pm | Museum Church with Starting Sermon
- 12:00pm - 6:00pm | Asco Exhibition Gallery On View at Pilsen Arts and Community House*
- 12:00pm - 1:30pm | Harry Gamboa Jr. – The Chicano Arts Movement
- 12:30pm - 5:00pm | Film Screening of Ritual #1 Encounters by Fernando Saldivia Yáñez
- 1:30pm - 2:15pm | Walking Parade* to Asco Tour (PACH) with Nancy David Sánchez Tamayo
- 2:00pm - 7:00pm | Auto Portrait Spectacular, with 50 Ingredient Molé Food Truck
- 2:30pm - 3:00pm | Acidix music set at Auto Portrait Spectacular
- 4:00pm - 4:45pm | Joey Nebulous music set at Auto Portrait Spectacular
- 6:00pm - 6:45pm | Avantist music set at Auto Portrait Spectacular
The Artist in Residence is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
The Artist in Residence is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
*Walking Parade is approximately 0.4 miles
Photo Credit: Film Still Ritual #1 Encounters by Fernando Saldivia Yáñez
Alberto Aguilar
Artist in Residence
Alberto Aguilar is a Chicago-based artist that uses life stuff as a pliable material to create a meaningful connectio...
Event Details
Pilsen Day Art & Experiences
This program is presented with the support of:
Program Sponsor
Program Partner
Program Partner
Media Sponsor
10:30am - 12:00pm
Museum Church with Starting Sermon
National Museum of Mexican Art – The Courtyard
To ground and center the day, Aguilar’s curated programming will begin with a Museum Church at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Educator and artist Jorge Lucero will give a public etymological sermon for those assembled. This sermon or oration explores language's origin, study, or connection to knowledge, expression, learning, and practice. Along with the sermon, Chicago-based artists Jesse Malmed will lead a performative wedding ceremony; Mauricio López F, and Veronica Anne Salinas will create ethereal music; and a ritualistic short film by Fernando Saldivia Yáñez will be screened.
Join us before and after the sermon for refreshments.
Participating Artists
Veronica Anne Salinas, Jorge Lucero, Fernando Saldivia Yáñez, Mauricio López F, Jesse Malmed
Photo Credit: Ritual #1 Encounters (Film Still) by Fernando Saldivia Yáñez
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Harry Gamboa Jr. – The Chicano Arts Movement
National Museum of Mexican Art – The West Wing
Harry Gamboa Jr. is a pivotal figure in the Chicano protest art scene. This conversation is a unique and privileged opportunity for multidisciplinary artists and scholars interested in gaining insights into a significant period of art history—and is particularly relevant when protest is needed, and artists of color seek visibility and equal treatment. The conversation will begin with an image presentation by Gamboa of the groundbreaking work made while in Asco, followed by a panel discussion with Harry Gamboa Jr., Diego Torres-Casso, Gloe Talamantes and Maria Gaspar moderated by Deanna Ledezma.
After the program, join the artist Walking Parade (0.4 miles) to the Acso Exhibit at PACH led by Nancy David Sánchez Tamayo starting at 1:30pm!
Participating Artists
Harry Gamboa Jr., Diego Torres-Casso, Gloe Talamantes, Deanna Ledezma, Maria Gaspar, Nancy David Sánchez Tamayo
Photo Credit: Harry Gamboa Jr. - First Supper (After A Major Riot), 1974 - from the ASCO era - ©1974, Harry Gamboa Jr.
l-r: Patssi Valdez, Humberto Sandoval, Willie Herrón, Glugio Gronk Nicandro
12:00pm – 6:00pm
Asco: A Call to Response – Acts of Protest from L.A. to Chicago
Pilsen Arts and Community House
Join the artist Walking Parade (0.4 miles) to PACH led by Nancy David Sánchez Tamayo starting after Harry Gamboa Jr. at 1:30pm!
Asco: A Study on Response showcases works by seven Chicago-based artists responding to the influential East Los Angeles Chicano performance art collective Asco (1972-1987). Asco's work addressed socioeconomic and political issues affecting the Chicano community, notably spray-painting their names on LACMA to protest lack of representation.
This exhibition, curated by Alberto Aguilar in consultation with Isabella Aguilar, is particularly relevant in today's climate of social justice and historical reflection. It explores contemporary impacts on artistic territories, memory, voice, and innovation.
Participating artists respond to iconic Asco works, including No Movies, Spray Paint (LACMA), First Supper (After a Major Riot), Walking Mural, Instant Mural, Decoy Gang War Victim, and Stations of the Cross. Through their artistic practices, they explore the complex relationships and themes present in Asco's groundbreaking work.
Available September 29th, the exhibition catalog created by Madeleine Aguilar at bench press with an essay by Isabella Aguilar.
PACH in September
Asco: A Study on Response will also be on display at the Pilsen Arts and Community House during the month of September. Celebrate the opening with participating artists and Chicago Humanities on September 6th. Then join curator and Artist in Residence Alberto Aguilar on September 14th (3pm - 5pm) for a conversation on the exhibit and the legacy of Asco.
Participating Artists
Alberto Aguilar, Josh Rios, Diego Torres-Casso, Gloe Talamantes, Maria Gaspar, Ariella Granados, Nancy David Sánchez Tamayo, Madeleine Aguilar
Photo Credit: Alberto Aguilar, Instant Youth Mural (After Asco), 2023
Bodies and duct tape on a brick wall
12:30pm - 5:00pm
Ritual #1 Encounters - Short Film Screening
National Museum of Mexican Art – The Courtyard
View the 20-minute film screening of Ritual #1 Encounters shot in June during a day-long artist walk led by Alberto Aguilar with Chicago artists Jess Bass and Yue Xu as documented by Chicago filmmaker Fernando Saldivia Yáñez.
This screening will loop continuously during the scheduled event time.
Participating Artists
Jess Bass, Yue Xu, Fernando Saldivia Yáñez, Alberto Aguilar
Photo Credit: Film Still Ritual #1 Encounters by Fernando Saldivia Yáñez
2:00pm - 7:00pm
Auto Portrait Spectacular: Automobile as Artwork
National Museum of Mexican Art – The Parking Lot
Auto Portrait Spectacular, a one-day exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art, will transform the museum's parking lot into an unconventional art space. Curated by Alberto Aguilar, this event showcases multidisciplinary artists using their vehicles as integral parts of their installations.
The exhibition aims to spark curiosity and imagination, pushing boundaries between the familiar and unfamiliar. Artists present innovative works that engage audiences in unique ways, potentially including pop-up workshops, multimedia presentations, and live performances by Acidix, Joey Nebulous, and Avantist. Also, Juan Angel Chavez will transform his pick up to a second stage with sound and music performances by Dorothy Carlos, Juan Eduardo Flores, and Suni Sonqo Vizcarra Wood. The parking lot will serve as a dynamic hub for art production, networking, performance, and non-traditional exhibiting. This collaborative effort between curator, artists, and space promises to deliver a boundary-pushing, avant-garde experience for visitors.
50 Ingredient Molé
Alberto also partners with El Jefe Food Trucks to serve his 50 Ingredient Molé, a community-inspired concept that revolves around the notion of a shared meal. Through this communal experience, influence transpires, transitioning strangers into friends.
Participating Artists
Jess Bass, Erin Hayden, Eugene I-Peng Tang, Alessandra Norman, Edra Soto, Zespo, Vanessa Viruet, Sculpturelandia, Brick Cassidy, Gabriela Estrada Loochkartt & Pablo Lazala Ruiz, Maria Burundarena, Juan Angel Chavez, and Yue Xu and Fenzee Yang, Regin Igloria, Andi Cristi and Jesse Malmed
Photo Credit: Vanessa Viruet
Please note that these events will take place rain or shine.
