A citywide exhibition presented by the

A citywide exhibition presented by the
Chicago's Families: Where
Community Begins
The Chicago Cultural Alliance invites you to join as a host of Chicago’s Families, an
unprecedented celebration of the diverse families in the greater Chicago area. Chicago’s Families
is a one-of-a-kind showcase of the rich diversity of families. Teams of community-based cultural
institutions come together to co-create exhibitions. These three exhibits include We Are Family,
Finding Home, and Immigration/Migration are available for traveling jointly or separately.
Target Audience
Each of the three exhibitions will appeal to the following audiences:
- Elementary school students
- High school students
- College students
- Families
WE ARE
FAMILY
We Are Family exhibition is co-curated by the Filipino-American Historical Society of Chicago,
Trickster Art Gallery, and The Field Museum. The We Are Family exhibition, in a series of "Marae
Encounters", explores how family structures and values adapt to changing circumstances. The "Marae
Encounter" is a Maori ceremony from New Zealand designed to build bonds through meaningful
conversations between diverse communities. Come participate in this citywide exhibition addressing
art, food, language, and the everlasting question of creating balance and adapting to changing
circumstances in our daily lives.
What connects families?
Food is one of the most common ways to stay
connected to others. Traditional meals and
recipeies are passed down from one
generation to the next and all families have
different eating practices. Knowing about
these different meals and practices help us to
respect other cultures and also come
together as one family.
Language helps generations stay
connected to its roots by allowing us to tell
stories and help create a cohesive
community. Language customs are
different across cultures, for example, how
you introduce yourself, say good-bye, or
make certain gestures.
Art preserves culture and
showcases cultural identity. The arts
enable participants of We Are Family
to communicate thier culture to
others. Types of art include drawings,
paintings, fashion, dance, theater,
music, and more.
During times of change, creating a sense of culture is important to preserving
family connections and cultural history. By linking ties between generations,
creating culture in new settings becomes a way for people to thrive.
The We Are Family exhibit upholds families' culture and provides a link
to the past.
How do you stay connected to your culture?
Exhibition Elements
- 6 floor stand-alone panels
- Objects as an exhibition extension requiring display cases
- 1 slide presentation
FINDING
HOME
A family can be a group pf people sharing a name and a roof, but it can also extend far beyond
parentage and household. This exhibit reflects on how we negotiate boundaries and links between
the people and places we come from and who we find ourselves living among now. From housing
relocation forced by war and economic crisis to the multi-layering of our identities and the
migrating into new neighborhoods, we find and build community against all odds.
How do communities connect?
Departure
Every journey begins somewhere. Departure can often
help determine the route of the journey toward
belonging. Families settle in new locations and
organizations form to support communities. For
example, the Japanese American community gained a
presence in Chicago when a few immigrants came to
the city to participate in the World's Colombian
Exposition.
Journey
Change and disruption act as catalysts for the
redefinition of home. Families are forced to
relocate, young people leave home for college,
neighborhood boundaries shift and new immigrant
communities continue to arrive. The journey is a
time of reinvention, expansion, anxiety and hope.
Discovery
Throughout the journey, individuals and families
discover different ways of thinking about the ties that
bind them to their home. Sometimes home is found in a
specific location or within a family of origin. For others,
home is created through chosen family and support
networks. Definitions of self and belonging evolve
people travel from where they started and engage with
the people and places they find themselves living
among.
The Finding Home encounters provide an opportunity to learn how
different people integrate into a new environment. Creating a sense of
community is one way for people to find emotional, economic, and social
support, as well as, create an identity in the new environments. The
departure, journey, and relocation enables us to find and build a vital
community against all odds.
How do you promote unity in your
community?
Exhibition Elements
- 6 ceiling-hanging banners
- 15 picture frames
-15 wall-hanging panels
IM/MIGRATION
Im/Migration explores the migrant journey through art and storytelling with over 20 family
stories, bringing to life the vivid memories, hardships, and conflicting views of identity in relation
to the American Dream and border crossing experiences.
Interviewees were asked to identify an object that connected them to their immigration
experience through dialogue, based on four questions: Why did you decide to migrate? How did
you cross the border? How was your integration into American Society? And the last, perhaps,
most important question, was migrating worth it?
Why do people migrate?
People choose to migrate and immigrate for many
reasons. Some reasons include having limited
opportunities and resources, visiting and finding
family, finding work, or simply not having any other
options. Im/Migration showcases why Chicagoans
came to the United States, how their integration
into American society has been, and if migrating
was worth it.
Often new citizens arrive to the United States as the
children of those who im/migrated or were born
after their parents move. Yet, the same questions
apply: How was your integration into American
society? And do you feel that it was worth it for your
parents to migrate?
The twenty portraits making up the Im/Migration exhibit reveal a human
story about immigration.
Whose story moved you the most?
Exhibition Elements
-21 wall-hanging panels
About the Chicago Cultural Alliance
The Chicago Cultural Alliance is a growing consortium of 35 ethnic museums, cultural centers, and
historical societies that work together to effect social change through a greater public
understanding of cultural diversity. We connect our member organizations with flagship arts and
cultural institutions, universities, schools, businesses, and government agencies. Our programs
celebrate diversity, preserve history, and honor tradition while increasing public awareness of
and access to diverse perspectives.
Mission Statement
Chicago Cultural Alliance connects, promotes, and supports centers of cultural heritage for a
more inclusive Chicago.
Vision
Our vision is a Chicago metropolitan area where the collective strength of ethnic museums,
cultural centers and historical societies is leveraged to make a regional impact on cultural and
civic policies that enrich the quality of life in our communities.
Core Members
American Indian Center of Chicago
Arab American Action Network
Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
Bronzeville Children’s Museum
Bronzeville Historical Society
Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields
Memorial
Casa Italia
Casa Michoacán
Chicago Japanese American Historical Society
Chinese-American Museum of Chicago
DANK Haus German American Cultural Center
Dominican-American Midwest Association
Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago
Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago
Haitian American Museum of Chicago
Illinois Saint Andrew Society
Indo-American Heritage Museum
Irish American Heritage Center
Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago
Korean American Resource and Cultural Center
Latinos Progresando
Latvian Folk Art Museum
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
National Hellenic Museum
Polish Museum of America
Puerto Rican Arts Alliance
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
South Side Community Art Center
Swahili Institute of Chicago
Swedish American Museum
Trickster Art Gallery
Turkish American Society of Chicago
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
Ukrainian National Museum
Partner Members
Chicago Architecture Foundation
Chicago History Museum
Chicago Public Media
Chicago Zoological Society—Brookfield Zoo
Children’s Memorial Hospital
Chinese Mutual Aid Association
Choose Chicago
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education
Center
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
North Park University
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
The Field Museum
University of Chicago—Center for
International Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago – Centers for
Diversity
Associate Members
Changing Worlds
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outside Art
National Public Housing Museum
Pullman State Historic Site
Read/Write Library
Become a member today!
To find out about membership benefits, contact Izabela Grobelna, the Strategic Partnerships
Program Manager by email at [email protected] or by phone at
312-846-6814 ext. 100.
Address | 70 E. Lake St, STE 1200,Chicago,IL 60601
Phone | 312­846­6814
Email | [email protected]
Contact Person | Izabela Grobelna
Website | www.chicagoculturalalliance.org