1 latinocultural.uic.edu2015 2016 year at a glance

Rafael Cintrn Ortiz

Latino Cultural Center

latinocultural.uic.edu

creating cultural responses to

our visionis a more inclusive campus, where we can respectfully challenge each other to uphold principles of human dignity and ensure the nourishment and protection of cultural diversity

our missionis to engage the UIC campus and local communities to deepen understanding of the diverse cultural heritages and identities of Latinos, issues affecting their lives, and creative solutions they are using to improve community life

social conditions

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During the 2015-2016 academic year, the Latino Cultural Center (LCC) reaffirmed its role as a hub for social change and a forum for democracy in action. The LCC has accomplished this through a rich series of educational public programs, civic dialogues and tours, and an internship program. Students, faculty, staff, and community members increased their understanding of social and environmental issues affecting the lives of Latinos and Latin Americans while making connections across diverse communities and identities.

The Latino Cultural Centers programs and initiatives featured cultural and artistic expressions, intercultural and civic dialogues, scholarly presentations, and first-voice stories, drawing on cultural assets to address contemporary issues. Program series included Zona Abierta (Open Zone), Civic Cinema, Noche de Poetas (Poetry Night), and Telling Our Stories. The LCC hosted the 24th annual UIC Chicago Latino Film Festival, broadened its civic dialogues initiative to address environmental and climate justice, and strengthened its mural tours by training new student facilitators. The LCC initiated an Artist in Residence Initiative to support creative expressions of students intersectional identities, struggles, successes, and hopes for the future.

The Latino Cultural Center is one of six Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) under the Office of Diversity in Academic Affairs at UIC. The CCUSCs collective purpose is to expand understanding of the value of cultural diversity, and connect diverse assets to find creative solutions for common challenges. With the other CCUSC centers, the LCC launched a year-long Peace Project, continued to expand the UIC Heritage Garden and Internship Program, and further developed the Reimagining Masculinities Initiative.

The Latino Cultural Center continued to work closely with faculty, staff, students, and community leaders to reflect their expertise and leadership in support of the arts and culture as tools for learning, self-expression, and social empowerment. Along with the support of the LCCs Ambassadors Group, the LCC staff continued to heighten and disseminate the LCCs work locally and nationally. This year, the LCC broadened its national visibility through presentations by the director in the New Community Visions - a three-year national initiative from Americans for the Arts and the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Visitors who experienced these interactive programs, dialogues, tours, and initiatives reported new learning and greater cultural understanding and appreciation of diversity at UIC. The LCC recorded a total of 14,383 visitations this year.

engaging campus and local communities through arts and culture

Presented 56 public programs

Facilitated 56 civic dialogues and tours

Convened our 47-member Ambassadors Group

Mentored 17 student interns and leaders

Worked with 1 graduate assistant

Employed 4 student educators

Presented programs with 12 faculty and staff

Collaborated with 34 community schools and organizations

LCC programs were co-sponsored by 21 UIC student organizations

What visitors attended

2,647 attendees at LCC public programs 18%

2,677 Gallery space visits 19%

2,131 arts-based civic dialogues and tours 15%

3,663 computer lab visits 25%

2,665 guests hosted for meetings/events via space reservations 19%

600 additional guests via programs held at community partners locations 4%

Who attended LCC public programs

African, African-American, Black 5%

Asian and other Pacific Islander 2%

European Descent, White 5%

Latina/o 53%

Middle Eastern 4%

Mix Ethnicity 8%

No Response 23%

Staff photo: (top image, left to right) Mario A. Lucero, Assistant Director; Dr. Rosa M. Cabrera, Director; and Edith Tovar, Program Coordinator. Not shown, Paula Bui, Program Coordinator. Students photo: (bottom image, left to right) Alonzo Zamarrn, Graphic Design Assistant; Ian Torres, Student Educator; Lena G. Reynolds, Graduate Assistant; James Esparza, Student Educator; and Jocelyn Mungua Chvez, Student Educator.

Arts-Based Civic Dialogues Initiative (ABC Dialogues) and ToursThe Latino Cultural Center piloted a new dialogue project with a grant from the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (Coalition), titled Whats culture

got to do with climate change? This project was designed to create links between environmental and climate justice, cultural heritage, and pressing community concerns to foster broader engagement and incite climate action. The LCC collaborated with Casa Michoacn to engage the Pilsen community and support their interest in environmental issues. Ultimately, the LCC created two How to Guides with different dialogue models one for Coalition members like museums, cultural centers, and historic sites, and the other for Casa Michoacn in Spanish so that they can train additional staff and sustain the dialogues. These guides are available at latinocultural.uic.edu/dialogues-and-tours. Simultaneously, the LCC staff boosted its mural tours capacity by adding and training more student educators to lead the tours.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ABC DIALOGUES:

Open Theme. September 11, October 9, and November 6, 2015.

Activism for Public Education. March 2, 2016.

Student Activism & Storytelling Trump Rally Afterthoughts. March 30, 2016.

Sharing Choco-Stories for Environmental & Climate Justice. April 20, 2016.

ENVIRONMENTAL & CLIMATE JUSTICE ABC DIALOGUES:

Environmental & Climate Justice. October 14, 2015. US 130 Principles of Urban Sustainability.

Environmental & Climate Justice. October 23, 2015. Urban Public Policy Fellowship (UPPF) Program.

Environmental & Climate Justice. December 3, 2015. Instituto Justice Leadership Academy.

ENVIRONMENTAL & CLIMATE JUSTICE OBJECT-BASED CIVIC DIALOGUES:

Environmental & Climate Justice. February 24, 2016 3 sessions. IPCE Civic Engagement Days with CPS: Kelvyn Park, Alcott, Lakeview, and Uplift.

Environmental & Climate Justice. February 26, 2016. US 130 Principles of Urban Sustainability.

Environmental & Climate Justice. February 29, 2016. US 130 Principles of Urban Sustainability.

Environmental & Climate Justice. March 30, 2016. Sustainability Internship Program.

Environmental & Climate Justice. May 16, 2016. Heritage Garden Internship Program.

This year, the Latino Cultural Center devoted more time and resources to expand its Arts-Based Civic Dialogues Initiative (ABC Dialogues) and Tours of its mural, El Despertar de las Amricas (The Awakening of the Americas), as well as its Artist in Residence Initiative.

2015 /2016 initiatives and public programs

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ENVIRONMENTAL & CLIMATE JUSTICE THEME-BASED CIVIC DIALOGUES:

Ofrendas de Semillas (Seed Offerings). October 31, 2015. Presented with FEDECMI/Casa Michoacn.

Limpieza Verde! (Green Cleaning). March 12, 2016. Presented with FEDECMI/Casa Michoacn and the Chicago Coalition of Household Workers.

Maz Transgnico: En vez de alimento, ARTE! (Transgenic Corn: Instead of food, ART!). April 2, 2016. Presented with FEDECMI/Casa Michoacn and Hector Duarte.

LCC MURAL TOURS

Fall 2015: 12 tours / Spring 2016: 19 tours / Summer 2016: 4 tours Total: 35 mural tours / 1,524 participants

Artist in Residence Initiative In the Spring of 2016, the LCC Gallery was turned into an open studio to host two local artists: muralist Hector Duarte and sculptor Alfonso Piloto Nieves Ruiz.

Mobilizing with Art for Social Transformation. February 3 to 19, 2016. Under the tutelage of Maestro Duarte, students and other members of the UIC campus created a collective art piece about the everyday realities of undocumented people and immigrant communities in the US. The canvas was titled, Awakening Hearts, Changing Lives, and designed as a traveling mural in collaboration with the UIC Asian American Resource and Cultural Center and the Fearless Undocumented Alliance student group as part of the CCUSC Peace Project. The traveling mural (cover photo) will move around different public spaces to spark dialogue about contemporary issues, foster a sense of belonging, and imagine a more inclusive society.

Ayotzinapa Lives, the Struggle Continues. April 5 and 6, 2016. The Latino Cultural Center hosted sculptor Piloto for a two-day workshop,

Ayotzinapa Lives, the Struggle Continues. This program was part of the Fifth Biennial Latino Art Now! Conference by the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR) and the Smithsonian Latino Center: it explored the relationship between the 43 student teachers disappeared

in Ayotzinapa, Mexico and Chicagos undocumented students and allies. Through the use of clay and repurposed trash, Piloto worked with participants to create casts of their faces for an art installation.

Heritage GardenThe Heritage Garden and Internship Program is a collaboration between the CCUSC with program infrastructure provided by the Latino Cultural Center, funded by the UIC Sustainability Fee. Student interns

sustain eight satellite gardens, including the Monarch Habitat in front of the LCC. Interns make explicit connections between environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, and social justice through activities like gardening, collecting community stories and recipes, researching the cultural significance of plants, and offering public programs.heritagegarden.uic.edu

Trading Plates: A Recipe Collecting Workshop. October 20, 2015.

Monarchs, Seed Bombs & Migration Stories. November 12, 2015.

Get down and Dirty! November 19, 2015.

Heritage Garden: Spring Seed Swap. March 13, 2016. Presented with the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.

Reimagining Masculinities InitiativeThe Reimagining Masculinities Initiative is a collaboration between the CCUSC that strives to cultivate, support, affirm, and create male allies and advocates. Through dialogues, films, workshops, and personal stories, this initiative unpacks what it means to be masculine and explores issues of masculinity and gender.

Reimagining Masculinity Kickoff! September 15, 2015.

Race, Violence & Masculinity. September 29, 2015.

Masculinity in Relationships, Masculinity & Domestic Violence. October 13, 2015.

Emasculating Masculinity. October 27, 2015.

The Men of Hula Screening & Community Dialogue. November 3, 2015.

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Finding Peace through Reimagining Masculinity. November 17, 2015.

Reimagining Masculinities Kickoff! January 26, 2016.

White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in Comic Books. February 15 and 23, 2016. Presenters: Dr. Jonathan Gayles and Jiba Molei Anderson.

Masculinity in Science Fiction. March 8, 2016.

Exploring Genderqueer Masculinities. March 29, 2016.

Reimagining Masculinities Spring 2016 Closing / Social Wrap-Up! April 26, 2016.

Zona Abierta (Open Zone)Art, Community & Cuban Culture. September 8, 2015. Presenter: Pedro Pulido.

43 Seeds of Consciousness Ayotzinapa one year later. September 23, 2015. Presented with Mexican Students de Aztln. Presenters: NEXOS Collective: Felix Acua, Jos Argello, Celeste Larkin, and Laura J. Ramrez.

First Generation Latina/o Students Making Journeys Around the World. October 1, 2015. Presented with the Study Abroad Office, and the Institute for the International Education of Students. Presenters: Antonio Javier Villaseor and Chris Deegan; and students Roxana Delgado, Ruben Bautista, and Gabriela Reno.

Survivors Testimonies of Imprisonment. October 6, 2015. Presented with the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies. Presenters: Mara del Carmen Sillato, Irene Martnez, and Juan Miranda.

Environmental Justice in the Little Village Community. November 10, 2015. Presented with The UIC Freshwater Lab, the Global Learning Community, and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. Presenters: Dr. Antonio Reyes Lpez and Kellen Marshall.

Testimonios: Roots of National Change. November 12, 2015. Presented with the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, and the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America. Presenter: Lorenzo Mateo Francisco.

Don Julio Trucks Cultural Symbols Affirming Personal & Community Identity. March 9, 2016. Presenter: Sam Kirk.

A Second Chance Central American Minors Seeking Asylum in the U.S. March 31, 2016. Presented with Alianza Americas. Presenter: Oscar A. Chacn.

Violentology: A Manual of the Colombian Conflict. April 13, 2016. Presenter: Stephen Ferry.

Civic Cinema Dont Tell Anyone (No Le Digas a Nadie). September 10, 2015. Presented with the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. Facilitators: Angy Rivera, Dr. Lorena Garca, and Jocelyn Mungua Chvez.

Open Sesame The Story of Seeds. October 15, 2015. Presented with the Heritage Garden Student Group. Facilitator: Stephanie Douglass.

Fed Up. November 19, 2015. Facilitators: Dr. Noel Chvez and Lubna Saleh.

East LA Interchange. January 14, 2016. Facilitator: Betsy Kalin.

The True Cost. March 10, 2016. Facilitators: Stephanie Ochoa and Natalie Cruz.

Tangerine. March 16, 2016. Presented with the Gender and Sexuality Center. Facilitator: Dr. Symone L. Simmons.

Hija de la Laguna (Daughter of the Lake). April 21, 2016. Facilitator: Dr. Rosa M. Cabrera.

Noche de Poetas (Poetry Night) Presented with the Mexican Students de Aztln; Students for the Advancement of Freedom, Equality and Human Rights; Students for Justice in Palestine; and Union for Puerto Rican Students.

Knowing Our Struggles to Unify for Change. September 10, 2015. Featured Poet: Ontonio Tony Jackson-Lucas.

Grim Monsters in Our Society. October 8, 2015. Featured Poet: LaPerish Barnes.

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Say it Loud! November 12, 2015. Featured Poet: Rowida Zaatar.

Power of Solidarity Across Communities. February 25, 2016. Featured Poet: Soraya Elzeibak.

Growing Out of Our Labels. March 10, 2016. Featured Poet: Harmonic 4.

Unpoliticizing Womyns Rights! April 14, 2016. Featured Poet: Mariel Rancel.

Telling Our StoriesPresented with Mexican Students de Aztl, and Heritage Garden Student Group.

Day of the Dead 2015 Communal Altar Installation. October 26, 2015.

Day of the Dead 2015 Calaveras & Cempazuchitl. October 28, 2015.

Day of the Dead 2015 Performance and Storytelling. October 30, 2015. Presenters: J-DEF Peace Project, and Laura Crotte.

Special Public ProgramsOpen House Fall 2015. August 26, 2015.

LCC Affiliated Student Organizations Open House Fall 2015. September 9, 2015.

National Voter Registration Day 2015. September 22, 2015. Presented with the Womens Leadership and Resource Center & Campus Advocacy Network, Social Justice Initiative, and community partner Chicago Votes.

Finals Week & Yoga Fall 2015. December 7 and 11, 2015. Presenter: Paula Bui.

Open House Spring 2016. January 20, 2016.

LCC Affiliated Student Organizations Open House Spring 2016. January 27, 2016.

UIC Chicago Latino Film Festival. Presented with the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago:

In the Game / En El Juego. April 12, 2016.

Dad / Pa Por mis hijos lo que sea! April 13, 2016.

Burden of Peace / Paz y Paz. April 14, 2016.

Finals Week & Yoga Spring 2016. May 4 and 5, 2016. Presenter: Sylvia Gonzlez.

In Memory of Pulse June 14, 2016. Presented with the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change.

Peace ProjectA year-long initiative presented with the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change. Together, the CCUSC committed to catalyzing dialogue and shifting language and actions toward peacemaking through the arts. #UICPeaceProject

UIC Peace Project Kick-off. September 8, 2015. Presented with The J-DEF Peace Project. Presenter: Jeff Maldonado, Sr.

Walk in my Shoes Campaign Painting the Path to ACCESS. November 4, 2015. Presented with the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center, Fearless Undocumented Alliance, and the Heritage Garden Student Group.

UIC Peace Project / On The Table 2016: Awakening Hearts, Changing Lives. May 10, 2016. Presented with the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change, and The Chicago Community Trust.

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UIC campus units: African-American Cultural Center (AACC); Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC); Campus Advocacy Network (CAN); Chancellors Committee on the Status of Latinos (CCSL); Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies; Department of History; Freshwater Lab; Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC); Gender and Womens Studies Program (GWS); Global Learning Community (GLC); Institute for the Humanities; Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR); Jane Addams Hull-House Museum; Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Program; Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES) Program; Native American Support Program (NASP); Office of Diversity; Office of Sustainability; School of Literatures, Cultural Studies and Linguistics; School of Public Health (SPH); Social Justice Initiative (SJI); Study Abroad Office; and the Womens Leadership and Resource Center (WLRC).

UIC student organization co-sponsors: Alpha Psi Lambda; Amnesty International; Fearless Undocumented Alliance (FUA); Health Oriented Latino Association (HOLA); Heritage Garden Student Group; Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE); International Club; Lambda Theta Phi; Latino Association of Business Students (LABS); Latino Educators United for Change (LUCHA); Latino Planning Organization for Development, Education, and Regeneration (LPODER); Feminists United; Latino Pre-Medical Student Association (LPMSA); Mexican Students de Aztln (MeSA); Minority Students for the Advancement of Public Health (MSAPH); Peer Health Exchange (PHE); Pride; Public Health Student Association (PHSA); Sigma Lambda Gamma; Students for the Advancement of Freedom, Equality, and Human Rights (SAFEHR); Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP); and Union for Puerto Rican Students (UPRS).

Community, city-wide, and global engagement: Alcott High School; Alianza Americas; Casa Michoacn; Chicago Fair Trade; Chicago Coalition of Household Workers; Chicago Cultural Alliance; Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN); Chicago Votes; City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington; Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School (PACHS); Elk Grove High School; Enjoy Life Foods; The Field Museum; Garrett Popcorn Shops; Griot Enterprises; Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC); Hernandez Middle School; Hubbard High School; Institute for the Humanities Working Group on Immigration; Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad), International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago; J-DEF Peace Project; Kelvyn Park High School; Lakeview High School; Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO); Lolita Lebron Family Learning Center; Mata Traders; National Museum of Mexican Arts; NEXOS Collective; Peck Academy; The Popcorn Factory; Prensa Comunitaria; Puerto Rican Arts Alliance; Ravenswood Elementary; SkinnyPop Popcorn; Smithsonian Latino Center; Triton College; and Uplift High School.

Latino Cultural Center Ambassadors Group 2015-2016:Ada N. Lopez, Former UIC TrusteeAlicia J. Rodriguez, Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) Amalia Pallares, Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Program Ana I. Ruiz, Undergraduate student Andrea Carrillo, Undergraduate student Aixa Alfonso, Dept. of Biological Sciences Aody Rafati, Undergraduate student Astrid E. Suarez, Enlace Chicago Cesreo Moreno, National Museum of Mexican Art Charu Thakral, Office of Diversity Cynthia Klein-Banai, Office of Sustainability Cynthia Soto, Native American Support Program (NASP) Emily Williams, Social Justice Initiative (SJI) Hugo Teruel, Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES) Program Ian Torres, Undergraduate student Irina Zadov, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum Ivn Arenas, Institute of Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP) James Esparza, Undergraduate student Javier Villa-Flores, LALS Jocelyn Mungua Chvez, Undergraduate student Joe Hoereth, Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) Joel Palka, Dept. of Anthropology and LALS Jorge Flix, Puerto Rican Arts Alliance Karina Reyes, Dept. of Psychology Kendal Parker, CHANCE Program Lorena Garcia, Dept. of Sociology Mark Martell, Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) Marta Ayala, LALS Marty Gutierrez, Public & Government Affairs Melissa P. Hernandez, College of Medicine Molly Doane, Dept. of Anthropology Nilda Flores-Gonzalez, Dept. of Sociology and LALS Paul Callejas, UIC Alum

Phoenix Chen, Undergraduate student Priscilla Vasquez, Graduate student Roxana Delgado, Undergraduate Student Ruben Bautista, Undergraduate Student Sarah Vogt, Disability Resource Center (DRC) Silvia Malagrino, School of Art and Design Sophia Halim, Undergraduate student Symone L. Simmons, Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) Teresa Crdova, Great Cities Institute Therese Quinn, Dept. of Art History/Museum Studies Veronica Arreola, WISE Program William Rodriguez, Student Affairs Xchitl Bada, LALS Yolanda Zorayda Avila, Casa Michoacn

The Latino Cultural Center received grants from the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and USDA Forest Service International Programs. The UIC Heritage Garden received grants from the UIC Sustainability Fee and the USDA Forest Service International Programs.

Rafael Cintrn Ortiz Latino Cultural Center University of Illinois at Chicago 803 S. Morgan Street Chicago, IL 60607-7028 312.996.3095 lcc@uic.edu

a special thanks to LCC partners, supporters and ambassadors

latinocultural.uic.edu

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