This exhibition will showcase some of the works of art by Mexican and Chicago artists who participated in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and will examine their similar narratives of identity during the Gilded Age. The intentions during Mexico’s Porfiriato era were not unlike those of Chicago’s leaders, twenty-two years after the Great Fire: both realized the World’s Fair was an opportunity to parade on a global stage and be recognized as a modern, culturally rich society, worthy of tribute and investment. The fine arts displayed at the “White City” fairgrounds was one way this narrative was proudly expressed. National identities were on display, painted through landscapes and scenes of a romanticized history along with notions of industry, modernism, and progress in the Americas. Many of the ideals set forth at the World's Columbian Exposition set a path for the 20th century Modern Era. 

The second part of the exhibition will display present-day Mexican artists working in the Chicagoland area. Their artwork depicts contemporary ideas of identity, innovation, or Midwest expressions from a Mexican point of view – though many have been in Chicago since childhood. This section will illustrate how our immigrant city of neighborhoods fostered a creative spirit for many who made their home in the urban Midwest.

The exhibition is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the Chicago’s artistic heritage and creative communities.

Curated by Cesáreo Moreno

Artists:

Pilar Acevedo (b. 1954, CDMX)
Cleofas Almanza (1850–1916)
Enella Benedict (1858–1942)
Carmen Chami (b. 1974, CDMX)
Juan Ángel Chávez (b. 1971, CHI)
Javier Chavira (b. 1971, SLP)
Héctor Duarte (b. 1952, MICH)
Daniel Folger Bigelow (1823–1910)
Charles E. Boutwood (1860–1937)
Charles Francis Browne (1859–1920)
Luis Coto (1830–1891)
Oliver Dennett Grover (1861–1927)
Gabriel Guerra (1847–1893)
Lydia Purdy Hess (1866–1936)
Pilar de la Hidalga García (1843–1901)
Angélica Icaza (1819–ca.1900)
Leandro Izaguirre (1867–1941)
José María Jara (1867–1939)
Salvador Jiménez-Flores (b. 1985, JAL)
Rodrigo Lara Zendejas (b. 1981, EDO)
José María Obregón (1832–1902)
Cristino Ramírez (GTO)
Marcos Raya (b. 1948, GTO)
Lorado Zadok Taft (1860–1936)
Alice Kellogg Tyler (1862–1900)
Adrián Unzueta (1865–1919)
Georgina Valverde (b. 1962, CDMX)
John H. Vanderpoel (1857–1911)
José María Velasco (1840–1912)