Persistence|Persistencia

Opened: July 20, 2024

Persistence|Persistencia examined the migration of Puerto Rican artists to Chicago to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) from the 1930s to the 2020s. Spanning painting, works on paper, and mixed media, the exhibition foregrounded how successive generations engaged politics, colonial legacies, and diasporic identity while contributing to both Chicago’s and Puerto Rico’s art histories.

The curatorial thesis framed 'persistence' as both endurance and creative insistence—artists pursuing advanced study amid shifting institutional trends and unequal access. Wall texts traced educational pathways, mentorships, and community networks that supported Puerto Rican artists in Chicago. The installation design balanced historical breadth with close looking, enabling audiences to see technique, materials, and recurring motifs across decades. Together, the works articulated an evolving visual language that is at once Puerto Rican and distinctly Chicagoan.

By situating Puerto Rican artists squarely within Chicago’s art ecosystem, the exhibition invited new scholarship and recognition. For community viewers, it affirmed a multigenerational lineage of creative practice—evidence that Puerto Rican art persists and thrives in conversation with the city’s institutions and neighborhoods.

Presented as part of Art Design Chicago, the exhibition connects PRAA’s work to a citywide initiative and complements contemporary narratives like La Mudanza (2025).