Chicago\u2019s buildings, residential homes, railroads and the Illinois and Michigan canal were built by immigrants. And, of course, the city\u2019s immigrant cultures are still prominent in neighborhoods across Chicago, from Rogers Park to Humboldt Park to Pilsen.<\/p>\n
Chicago\u2019s immigrants have also shaped the cultural landscape of the city, with food, music, art, literature and more. Currently there are three shows running in the city that bring the immigrant experience to the forefront. You can see the \u201cCatalyst\u201d exhibit at the Intuit Art Museum, experience Teatro ZinZanni\u2019s new stage show and the hear the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra at Epiphany Center for the Arts on Dec. 21. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/052225-Intuit-Art-Museum-Colin-Boyle-4643-1024x681.jpg\")
Intuit Art Museum, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave., in West Town on May 22, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n
\u201cCatalyst\u201d at Intuit Art Museum<\/strong><\/p>\n Intuit Art Museum, a museum dedicated to self-taught art, reopened its doors at 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. in May with its inaugural exhibition, \u201cCatalyst: Im\/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago.\u201d<\/a> The show brings together 22 self-taught artists who work in a variety of mediums, from sculpture, painting and fiber arts, to explore identity, memory and trauma.\u00a0<\/p>\n Catalyst co-curator Dana Boutin and Intuit chief curator Allison Amick wanted to \u201chighlight and celebrate the city\u2019s artistic heritage and our creative communities.\u201d Boutin previously said immigrants \u201cnot just built the buildings here, but also contributed to the culture here in such an important way.\u201d<\/p>\n One important theme for the show was how artists make space in their lives to practice art, Boutin said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who have migrated and immigrated to Chicago have found a number of different ways to do that in their work through inventive environments in their homes and their workplaces,\u201d Boutin said.<\/p>\n Boutin highlighted the work of exhibiting artist Alfonso \u200b\u201cPiloto\u201d Nieves Ruiz, who transforms clay and discarded objects to make sculptures and other works of art. He displays his work, along with other artists\u2019 work, in his Evanston-based Mexican restaurant, Zentli<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to the show, exhibiting artists have come to the museum to share their expertise, including Carlos Barberena<\/a>, a Nicaraguan-born printmaker and member of the Instituto Graphico De Chicago, who is \u201cinspiring new generations to engage in printmaking as a social force,\u201d Boutin said. While she had not anticipated how timely the show would be when she visited his studio, his work resonates strongly today, she said. He has made his prints available to download on his website and people have been using them in recent protests, she said.<\/p>\n When asked about the importance of the exhibition, especially after the recent assaults on the city, Boutin said, \u201cThese events and these opportunities from organizations all over the city allow us to stand as a community and stand with our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCatalyst\u201d has been extended to March 22. Find out more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Teatro ZinZanni<\/strong><\/p>\n Since opening in Chicago in 2019, Teatro ZinZanni, 32 W. Randolph St., has wowed audiences with its unique brand of circus, chaos and comedy. In October, Teatro ZinZanni debuted its newest show focusing on the \u201cAmerican dream\u201d with acts highlighting performers\u2019 heritages and an upbeat rendition of Woody Guthrie\u2019s \u201cThis Land Is Your Land.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of division and tension going on,\u201d said Joe De Paul, director and cast member. \u201cIt\u2019s important for the public to come out right now and to be together in person around a cultural event.\u201d<\/p>\n People need to feel that empathy and togetherness, which the show helps provide through its performances and close stage proximity.<\/p>\n De Paul said the circus has always been international, featuring performers from all over the globe. This newest show includes performers from Canada, Brazil and Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, the word \u2018immigration\u2019 creates tension and worry,\u201d De Paul said. \u201cI want to help us remember that those stories of immigration stories are actually inspirational.\u201d he said that he wanted to acknowledge that legacy in a fun way through tap dancing, clowning and aerial straps.<\/p>\n This newest Teatro ZinZanni show runs through February. Find out more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chicago Immigrant Orchestra<\/strong><\/p>\n The Chicago Immigrant Orchestra shows the strength of Chicago\u2019s immigrant communities by creating truly unique music.<\/p>\n Founded in 1999 by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra brought together musicians from different traditions until the group dissolved in 2004.<\/p>\n The orchestra reemerged in 2019 when DCASE asked two award-winning musicians, Fareed Haque<\/a> and Wanees Zarour<\/a>, to bring back the ensemble. Since then, the orchestra has has an ensemble of 20 performers from a wide range of world music traditions, including Mongolian throat-singing and Peruvian percussion.<\/p>\n For Fareed Haque, the work of the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra exemplifies the incredible power of immigration. Haque said the group brings together people from different approaches and they find a way to work together to make a larger whole.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re actually playing as a group together and molding orchestrations where you\u2019ll have movements when there\u2019s a reggae groove with a Hindustani singer training with a Mongolian throat singer,\u201d Haque said. \u201cThe reggae groove is being powered by an oud playing the bass line and a Peruvian cajon playing the percussion part.\u201d<\/p>\n Chicago Immigrant Orchestra members also center education in their work, offering clinics and masterclasses at University of Illinois in Chicago, demonstrations at the Merit School of Music and summer immersives in Wisconsin. This year, the group also released an album, \u201cSanctuary.\u201d<\/p>\n On Dec. 21, the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra will perform its winter concert at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave., with special guests Tani Diakate, a Malian kora player; Anna Everling, a Moldovan folk singer; and Joe Rend\u00f3n, a Puerto Rican conguero. Find more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 So much of Chicago\u2019s history and success is tied to the strength of its immigrant populations.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":435803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[648,960,5386,1818,1072],"class_list":{"0":"post-435802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois","12":"tag-things-to-do"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115690180443721925","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Alfonso-Nieves-Ruiz-683x1024.jpg\")
Alfonso \u201cPiloto\u201d Nieves Ruiz, active in the United States, born Quer\u00e9taro, Mexico, 1975. In the Name of Progress, 2017. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/85Mm73DA9CA\/hqdefault.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Mariko-Iwasa-25_26-in-Teatro-ZinZanni-Fall-by-Kyle-Flubacker-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Mariko Iwasa in Teatro ZinZanni. Credit: Kyle Flubacker<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Chicago-Immigrant-Orchestra2-1024x683.jpg\")
The Chicago Immigrant Orchestra performs at the 3Arts Awards on Nov. 10, 2025. Credit: Richard Rankin<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/ryzNp1bTbOY\/hqdefault.jpg\")
<\/p>\n