Pilsen Latina Legacies Teach-in #2: Queer Chicanas and Latinas in Pilsen Making History

The Chicago Monuments Project aims to address the city’s unacknowledged histories. One of the eight projects will highlight histories of Latinas in the Pilsen neighborhood through monuments and education. Utilizing the concept of teach-ins, a gathering of people interested in expanding their knowledge about a topic that is often marginalized, Pilsen Arts and Community House will host three teach-ins titled Pilsen Latina Legacies. 

Pilsen Latina Legacies will lead participants in exploring the histories of Latinas political organizing to understand the powerful impact they made in Pilsen. As well as larger questions about how leaders are memorialized and why in the case of Latinas, of which some were also part of the LGBTQ+ community, are often left out of the public memory despite their integral role in shaping Chicago histories. The teach-ins will be moderated by Liliana Macias, a Chicago raised queer DACAmented public historiadora pursuing her Phd in history at the University of Illinois Chicago. 

The teach-ins will include local artists who will engage participants in reflecting and celebrating the legacies of Latinas in Pilsen through art. While also having the unique opportunity to share their input in the planning and creation of an upcoming monument that will honor these Latinas. 

Participants can attend all or as many of the teach-ins as they like!  

FREE BOOK! While supplies last we will be giving away copies of the book Chicanas of 18th Street to participants who wish to read the book before the teach-ins. You can pick up your FREE book at Pilsen Art and Community House during operation hours Wednesday through Friday from 12-6pm.

Pilsen Latina Legacies Teach-in #2:  Queer Chicanas and Latinas in Pilsen Making History

Join us for our second teach-in as we discuss how queer Latinas enacted change across Pilsen. Together, we will explore the challenges they faced as women, Latinas, and as queer people. We will dig into how they shaped Pilsen and their practice of organizing. We will then discuss why queer Latinas in general are not more present in the public memory of Chicago. For this teach-in we will engage with archival materials that will help us understand the impact of queer Latinas in Pilsen.

Co-moderating this workshop with Liliana Macias, a Chicago raised queer DACAmented public historiadora pursuing her Phd in history at the University of Illinois Chicago, will be Stephanie Herrera from Amoxtli, a Latin American founded book club in Pilsen which strives to promote literature and education through book discussions encouraging members' dialogue to acquire the transfer of knowledge amongst each other. Amoxtli’s mission is to engage the Latin American community members as well as members of different communities to continue to exchange knowledge through dialogue resulting in true solidarity.

After our discussion, Pilsen raised artist Victoria Martinez, who honors her Mexican-American ancestry through textile-based abstraction art, will engage participants in honoring Pilsen Latinas Histories through site-specific street art. Utilizing the images of archival material Victoria will lead us in working with washes of color, and creating paper flowers. Afterwards, we will wheatpaste the photos on an outdoor site on 18th Street and install the flowers as a way of publicly remembering the impact of Latinas in Pilsen!

While reading the book to participate is encouraged it is not mandatory to attend. Come learn and create with us! 

Date: Saturday October 21, 2023

Time: 3pm-5:30pm

Location: Pilsen Art and Community House (1637 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608)

Cost: Free

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The Chicago Monuments Project intends to grapple with the often unacknowledged – or forgotten – history associated with the City’s various municipal art collections and provides a vehicle to address the hard truths of Chicago’s racial history, confront the ways in which that history has and has not been memorialized, and develop 
a framework for marking public space that elevates new ways to memorialize Chicago’s history.

Pilsen Arts & Community House is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization offering space and resources through exhibitions, art instruction and mentorship. We believe in fostering positive relationships with artists and community members to ensure continued growth and service in Pilsen while providing creative opportunities for all.

Chicago Monuments Project: Pilsen Latina Histories, is a part of the Chicago Monuments Project which is supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. Partnerships and additional support include, Pilsen Arts & Community House (PACH), University of Illinois Press and University of Illinois Springfield.