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National Museum of Mexican Art

National Museum of Mexican Art
front door of a one-story brick building
Museum entrance.
Map
Established1982 (1982)
Location1852 W. 19th Street
Chicago, IL 60608 US
Coordinates41°51′22″N 87°40′23″W / 41.856162°N 87.672948°W / 41.856162; -87.672948
TypeArt Museum
FounderCarlos Tortelero[1]
PresidentCarlos Tortelero
Public transit accessCTA Bus routes:
Routes 9 and 50

CTA 'L' (Pink Line):
Damen or 18th St.
Websitenationalmuseumofmexicanart.org

The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) is a museum featuring Mexican and Chicano art and culture. It is located in Harrison Park in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The museum was founded in 1982 by Carlos Tortolero and opened on March 27, 1987. It is the only Latino museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The museum describes itself as the largest Latino cultural institution in America.[2]

Admission to the museum is free.[3]

History

Carlos Tortolero and a group of Mexican-American teachers first formed the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in 1982.[4] The museum building in Harrison Park opened in 1987 and was expanded in 2001. The design on the façade of the building was inspired by the friezes of Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico.[5]

The name of the museum was changed to the National Museum of Mexican Art in December 2006. This name change reflects the status of the museum as the only member of the American Alliance of Museums dedicated to Latino culture.

Radio Arte

The NMMA ran the radio station WRTE 90.5 FM, called Radio Arte, a non-profit, community station from late 1996 to December 30, 2012. In Spring 2011, the museum announced that the radio station and the building it has been in since the late 1990s had been put up for sale due to financial issues. On June 22, 2012, it was announced that Chicago Public Media had purchased the license of WRTE FM. On December 31, 2012, Chicago Public Media took control of the frequency after FCC approval, thus ending its run as the only Latino-owned broadcast station of any kind in the Chicago area.

Collections

Photo of museum exhibits. At left, a brightly colored three-tiered altar featuring reminders of lost loved ones like food, sculptures, and photographs. At right, a skeleton wears a dark dress and bright flower hat.
Part of the museum's 2022 Día de los Muertos exhibit.
First Lady Jill Biden visiting the museum.

The museum has a permanent collection featuring prominent works by Mexican artists and artifacts from Mexican history. The permanent exhibit "Mexicanidad: Our Past is Present" explores the history of Mexico in five stages: Pre-Cuauhtémoc Mexico, Colonial Mexico, Mexico from Independence to Revolution, Post-Mexican Revolution to Present-day Mexico and The Mexican Experience in the US.

Annual Día de los Muertos exhibit

Every October, the museum has a Día de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead") exhibit which features altars and Día de los Muertos-related art by Chicago-area and international artists. This exhibit is the nation's largest.

Other initiatives

The NMMA also has a program of arts education, performance and community initiatives. In 1994, the museum created two new festivals, Del Corazon: the Mexican Performing Arts Festival and the Sor Juana Festival, dedicated to an important Mexican scholar and writer, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. In 1997, the museum created the Yollocalli Arts Reach.

See also

References

  1. ^ Savedra, Madison (20 October 2022). "National Museum Of Mexican Art In Pilsen Gets $500K To Expand Educational Programs". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  2. ^ V.v.B (5 October 2017). "Latinos have become Chicago's second-largest ethnic group". The Economist.
  3. ^ Greszes, Sam. "11 Completely Free Things to Do in Chicago". Thrillist. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  4. ^ Villafranca-Guzmán, Nancy; Tortolero, Carlos (2010). "The National Museum of Mexican Art: A New Model for Museums". The Journal of Museum Education. 35 (1): 83–92. ISSN 1059-8650. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  5. ^ Hautzinger, Daniel (29 September 2022). "11 Latino Architects Whose Work Can Be Found Around Chicago". WTTW Chicago. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
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