Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com Diciembre 2021 17 By David Steinkraus M any museums are about the past — what used to be. Not so the National Museum of Mexican art, which is very much looking to the future. Located at 1852 W 19th St. (about a block from the corner of 19th and South Damen Avenue), the museum has been in its current building for about 33 years, said Carlos R. Cárdenas, chair of the museum's board. It was founded in this Pilsen neighborhood before Mexican immigrants became the presence they are today, he says. "It's always been an immigrants' neighborhood, kind of an entry point for many before us," Cárde- nas said. Many local people visit the museum, as well as people from Chicagoland, from around the United States, and from 60 other countries. The pandemic brought an end to visits for a time. FINDING FRIENDS "What the pandemic did, it kind of forced us to do more virtually than we were in the past," Cárde- nas said. The museum staff took that mission to heart, and used the internet to produce podcasts, mini music concerts, virtual tours, the Day of the Dead Ball, and they launched Listos Para Leer, a program of website recordings in which museum trustees read books in English and Spanish to help children learn to read. In total museum staff produced more than 200 events that reached more than 100,000 people, Cárde- nas said. "We found that we have a much broader audience across the country than we thought," he said. Although not hit as hard as larger cultural institutions that have large staffs and depend on ticket reve- nue, the museum still felt the effects of closing its doors to the public. There museum has no admission fee. One-third of its revenue comes from the city park district, one-third from foundations and corpora- tions, and one-third from an annu- al gala and individual donors. The gala, which is the museum's largest fund-raiser, didn't happen because of the pandemic, Cárdenas said. But financial help came from unexpected sources. Near the end of 2020, the Ford Foundation rec- ognized the museum with one of its America's Cultural Treasures designations, he said. That honor came with a $3.6 million grant with few restrictions. It was this money that prompted the museum to redo its website, and that project increased the museum staff's abil- ity to produce online programs and resources. This past summer, MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon found- er Jeff Bezos, posted a surprise in her blog: The museum would be among 286 organizations receiv- ing a share of $2.7 billion. For the museum, that share was $8 million. What was especially gratifying, Cárdenas says, was the absence of restrictions on Scott's money. "Because we believe that teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the money to good use, we encouraged them to spend it how- ever they choose," Scott wrote in her blog post announcing the gifts. A BUSY FUTURE As the pandemic hopefully recedes, the museum is open again and is preparing to be busy. In 2022 there will be an exhibit of significant pho- tos by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Also, a benefactor of the muse- um decided to leave his collection of Mexican art, and his large house in the Yucatan near Cancun, to the museum. The hope is to make this into an artists' retreat, Cárdenas says. Beyond that, he says, the muse- um must remain relevant by host- ing thought-provoking exhibits. Some people come to see what art- ists have to say, he said, and some may find their beliefs questioned. "We're always going to be chal- lenged with that dynamic. You don't want to censor. You want to be open." As it once changed, the neighbor- hood around the museum is chang- ing again as new immigrants flow in from not very far away. The Wicker Park area about 3 miles north had been an artists' community, but as the area has become more affluent over the past decade, artists moved into Pilsen, Cárdenas said. The population is still primarily Mexican, but now there are differ- ent bars and restaurants on 18th Street, he said. "I wouldn't say it's negative. I just think it's a natural progression." Whatever happens in the neigh- borhood, he says, the museum will stay as a symbol of one large part of the city's ethnic and artistic heritage. National Museum of Mexican Art anchors Hispanic heritage The National Museum of Mexican Art is located at 1852 W. 19th St., in Pilsen. Carlos Cardenas

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