Ethnicity and Aesthetics in Urban Regions

            Throughout the duration of this course, I would have to say that the National Museum of Mexican Art has been my favorite of the fieldtrips. From age thirteen to seventeen, I assumed that my future career would deal with the arts in at least some capacity, but obviously, that did not pan out. One may assume that it is my appreciation for the arts that helped inform my opinion of our visit to the museum, but really I think my positive experience has just as much, if not more, to do with the fact that sociology has dominated my academic interests over the past few years.

            I am infinitely fascinated how Pilsen, an area that was once host to a number of European ethnic groups such as Bohemians for example, could transform into a location with a population nearly 90% Latin/Hispanic. My interest, however, does not lie in how this transformation took place, but rather the effect of this metamorphosis. It seems that whenever an area has a strong ethnic majority, much is done by its population to display the values of their respective culture. The Latin influence really creates an atmosphere and gives a sense of identity to the area.

            The march to the National Museum of Mexican Art provided a chance for the class to observe the area, which proved to be rewarding as soon as this trek began; along a large massive concrete wall near the train station, there is a gigantic mural with numerous historical figures significant to Latin Americans. If the rain weren't pouring on us and if the wind wasn't gusting at us, it would have been enjoyable to spend more time looking at this piece of work.

            The walking tour following the visit to the museum provided us additional views of the influence the strong Latin presence has on the area. I can recall seeing Our Lady of Guadalupe numerous times during our visit to Pilsen, most notably outside of the Pink Line, which provoked a discussion of not only the significance of her to the primarily Latino community, but also the issue of whether its being on such a building violates the separation of church and state. Similar to the mural mentioned above, we witnessed several buildings with artwork of famous Latinos (I am not sure if they were paintings or tile designs) such as on schools and hospitals, and I was absolutely blown away by the wonderful detail they possessed as well as the their vibrant colors.

            The fact that the National Museum of Mexican Art is in Pilsen says much about its significance as a large Latino community in just Chicago, but one also to be recognized nationally and perhaps even internationally. It was wonderful to view all of the paintings and sculptures that give insight into the values of these artists as they not only represent facets of Mexican culture, but also speak much of the plight Mexicans are confronted with in both the United States and Mexico.

            The former is exemplified by a lawnmower that a Mexican-American artist modified into a mechanical work of art as it combined the hydraulics of a low rider vehicle (popularized by Latino culture in the southwest) with a vehicular lawnmower, thus creating a comedic homage to two aspects he found important in the identity of Latino culture. The fact that this was addressed calls to mind what Koval and company had to say about ethnic division of labor.

            An example of an artist providing social commentary of issues such as globalization and vacationing in Mexico is found in a painting which depicts the Mayan prophecy of the year 2012. Several gods are shown wreaking havoc upon tourists in Mexico due to the claim that American tourism results in the destruction of several Mayan sites of historical importance.

            There was more I wished to discuss, such as my perception of closeness between those in the population as well as the effects of enclaves in general, but this post is already a bit longer than I had originally planned it to be. I will end this post by expressing that as much as I enjoyed witnessing how much Pilsen's population has influenced its aesthetics, it would have been more profound had I seen pictures of it prior to the boom of the Mexican population in the middle of the 20th century.

Bonus!

In a scenario right out of Metal Gear Solid, I stealthily snapped this photo when the security guards turned their backs. While this wasn't my favorite piece, I enjoyed it quite a bit.