Highlights from the 2023 exhibition program at Hyde Park Art Center include the first survey of work by Edra Soto, the second installment of the only Veterans Triennial exhibition in the United States, and the first solo exhibition of the deeply rooted and socially engaged projects by artist/educator, William Estrada. The Art Center is a free public forum for experimental contemporary art dedicated to supporting innovation, transparency, and equity in the field of art and culture.
The exhibition Destination/El Destino: a decade of GRAFT (April 23–August 6, 2023) concentrates on the ongoing series of artworks by prolific artist Edra Soto, while speculating on the evolution of this work towards establishing public structures that foster healing and emotional transformation. The Chicago-based artist collaborates with curator Allison Peters Quinn, Director of Exhibitions & Residency Programs, to activate the inside/outside quality of the Art Center’s main gallery and create a series of domestic interiors made with her signature permeable ornately patterned walls inspired by quiebrasoles and rejas. Through the GRAFT series of sculptures, wall reliefs, and installations, Soto explores vernacular architecture familiar to the artist’s native Puerto Rico to address the adaptability and hybridity of cultural representation.
From the US “Indian Wars” to the “Global War on Terror,” the Veteran Art Triennial, subtitled SURVIVING THE LONG WARS (March 16–July 9, 2023), presents the multiple overlapping histories that shape our understanding of warfare, as well as alternative visions of peace, healing, and justice generated by diverse communities impacted by war. Inspired by the powerful artwork of Indigenous and Native American artists responding to the US “Indian Wars” and artists of the Greater Middle East reacting to the “Global War on Terror,” the second Veteran Art Triennial focuses on how these artistic responses complicate and entangle with the artistic practices of veterans. The featured artworks, projects, and programs create opportunities for people to deepen their understanding of the impact of war. Artists participating in the Art Center’s exhibition curated by Amber Zora include Mahwish Chishty, Joe DeVera, Sabba Elahi, Rodney Ewing, Rajkamal Kahlon, Ruth Kaneko (Native Hawaiian), Eric Perez, Yvette Pino, Gregory Rick, Dwayne Wilcox (Oglala Lakota), and Yiran Zhang.
SURVIVING THE LONG WARS currently hosts a virtual scholarly seminar series at the nexus of critical ethnic studies, Native/Indigenous studies, and Middle Eastern Studies on the histories and futures of Native rebellion alongside contemporary US militarism and warfare. The project culminates in the second Veteran Art Triennial and Summit, on March 16–18, 2023, at the Hyde Park Art Center, in conjunction with the Chicago Cultural Center, and Newberry Library.
The print-based artist, activist, and educator William Estrada presents twenty years of work in Multiples and Multitudes (July 23–November 19, 2023) curated in collaboration with Mariela Acuña, Exhibitions & Residency Manager. Estrada’s socially engaged practice is rooted in Chicago neighborhoods, where he collaborates with youth, community members, teachers, and artists to reimagine public and educational spaces to unite people and amplify local voices. The exhibition will bring together works by the Mexican artist, his collaborators, and students that exemplify his radical commitment to empowering communities through art-making and agency. Drawing inspiration from the Chicano Art Movement and Taller de Gráfica Popular and spanning print, photography, performance, and video, William Estrada’s work is committed to political advocacy with and for communities of color.
Visit here to learn more about the 2023 Hyde Park Art Center Exhibition Program or email exhibitions [at] hydeparkart.org.
Founded in 1939, Hyde Park Art Center is a unique resource that advances contemporary visual art in Chicago by connecting artists and communities across the city’s diverse landscape in unexpected ways. As an open forum for exploring the artistic process, the Art Center fosters creativity through making, learning about, seeing, and discussing art—all under one roof.
