Mar. 23-Aug. 29, 2018-Exhibit Showcases Mexicans at the 1893 World’s Fair

An upcoming exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago features the early artistic involvement and influence of Mexican immigrants in Chicago beginning with the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. Arte Diseño Xicágo: Mexican Inspiration from the World’s Columbian Exposition to the Civil Rights Era opens on Friday, March 23, 2018, with a reception from 6–8 pm, and continues through August 19, 2018, in the Main Gallery.

One of the earliest proponents of holding a world’s fair to mark the quadricentennial of Columbus’ arrival on the continent was a Mexican physician, Dr. Carlos W. Zaremba, who proposed that Mexico City might host the event. Although Mexico had planned to construct a Mexican pavilion on the Chicago fairgrounds, the economic crisis of the 1890s limited their presence to smaller—yet award-winning—displays in the exhibition halls of the Columbian Exposition.

Arte Diseño Xicágo (Art Design Chicago) is curated by Cesáreo Moreno, Director of Visual Arts at the National Museum of Mexican Art. The exhibit is part of Art Design Chicago, an exploration of Chicago’s art and design legacy, an initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art with presenting partners The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and The Joyce Foundation.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is located at 1852 W. 19th Street in Chicago and has free admission.