By Gillian McGhee (Final project for Spring 2013)
West-side neighborhood Humboldt Park is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican communities outside the small Caribbean island itself. The neighborhood, especially along Division Street, is marked with flags, murals, street art, and cultural centers that boast Puerto Rican pride.
“Where Preservation Meets Inspiration,” is the motto of the Institute of Puerto Rican Art and Culture. Located in the park, the institute is the only museum in the country that honors the culture and history of the Puerto Rican people. There are rotating exhibits and galleries filled with art straight from Puerto Rico and work of local artists of Puerto Rican descent.
Former Alderman Billy Ocasio is a life-long resident of Humboldt Park and now serves as CEO of the Institute. He says that the museum not only helps to preserve a Puerto Rican identity in the city, but it also educates a new generation about their ethnic roots.
However, the community did not always reside in Humboldt Park. Ocasio explained that Lincoln Park had been the initial Puerto Rican hub in Chicago, but due to gentrification and development, the community was pushed further west to their current home. Some of the street murals speak to the struggles this community has seen over the years, he said.
Whether the art is inside the Institute or on the concrete outside, it serves as a uniting thread for this community’s identity and sends a message about the importance of preserving and remembering where we come from.
Note: Photos taken inside the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture feature work from Miguel Bayon’s “Caricatura Urbana,” Santiago Flores-Charneco’s “Mascarada Carnal,” Ramon Mirand’s “Puerto Rican Youth 2010,” Col. Jose Hernandez Castrodad’s “Veterano,” and other artwork on display in April 2013.