National Museum of Mexican Art
The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) is a museum featuring Mexican and Chicano art and culture. It is located in Harrison Park in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The museum was founded in 1982 by Carlos Tortolero and opened on March 27, 1987.
Also recorded as NMMA
National Museum of Mexican Art
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- Name
- National Museum of Mexican Art
- Founded
- 1982
- Headquarters
- Chicago
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Documentary summary
The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) is a museum featuring Mexican and Chicano art and culture. It is located in Harrison Park in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The museum was founded in 1982 by Carlos Tortolero and opened on March 27, 1987.
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wikidata · Q3336910 · wikipedia · National Museum of Mexican Art
In this article
Overview
Overview
It is the only Latino museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The museum describes itself as the largest Latino cultural institution in America. Admission to the museum is free.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — National Museum of Mexican Art • Established — 1982 • Location — 1852 W. 19th Street Chicago, IL 60608 US • Type — Art Museum • Founder — Carlos Tortelero • President — Carlos Tortelero • Public Transit — CTA Bus routes: Routes 9 and 50 CTA 'L' (Pink Line): Damen or 18th St. • Website — nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
History
History
Carlos Tortolero and a group of Mexican-American teachers first formed the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in 1982. In 1986, the museum signed an agreement to use a Chicago Park District building. The museum building in Harrison Park opened in 1987 and was expanded in 2001. The design on the façade of the building was inspired by the friezes of Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico. The name of the museum was changed to the National Museum of Mexican Art in December 2006. This name change reflects the status of the museum as the only member of the American Alliance of Museums dedicated to Latino culture.
Radio Arte
Radio Arte
The NMMA ran the radio station WRTE 90.5 FM, called Radio Arte, a non-profit, community station from late 1996 to December 30, 2012. In Spring 2011, the museum announced that the radio station and the building it has been in since the late 1990s had been put up for sale due to financial issues. On June 22, 2012, it was announced that Chicago Public Media had purchased the license of WRTE FM. On December 31, 2012, Chicago Public Media took control of the frequency after FCC approval, thus ending its run as the only Latino-owned broadcast station of any kind in the Chicago area.
Annual Día de los Muertos exhibit
Annual Día de los Muertos exhibit
Every October, the museum has a Día de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead") exhibit which features altars and Día de los Muertos-related art by Chicago-area and international artists. This exhibit is the nation's largest.
Other initiatives
Other initiatives
The NMMA also has a program of arts education, performance and community initiatives. In 1994, the museum created two new festivals, Del Corazon: the Mexican Performing Arts Festival and the Sor Juana Festival, dedicated to an important Mexican scholar and writer, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. In 1997, the museum created the Yollocalli Arts Reach.
Identity
Identity
National Museum of Mexican Art is associated with United States. Recorded from 1982.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
1982
National Museum of Mexican Art established.
1982
National Museum of Mexican Art is recorded from 1982.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Collections
Collections
• Illustration — Part of the museum's 2022 Día de los Muertos exhibit. • Illustration — First Lady Jill Biden visiting the museum in 2021. The museum has a permanent collection featuring prominent works by Mexican artists and artifacts from Mexican history. The permanent exhibit "Mexicanidad: Our Past is Present" explores the history of Mexico in five stages: Pre-Cuauhtémoc Mexico, Colonial Mexico, Mexico from Independence to Revolution, Post-Mexican Revolution to Present-day Mexico and The Mexican Experience in the US.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3336910: National Museum of Mexican Art
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “National Museum of Mexican Art”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- The National Museum of Mexican Art and Pilsen’s Murals, Hour Chicago, 2008
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2008
Literature
Literature
Literature
The National Museum of Mexican Art, Journal of Museum Education, 2010
The National Museum of Mexican Art and Pilsen’s Murals, Hour Chicago, 2008
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Savedra, Madison. National Museum Of Mexican Art In Pilsen Gets $500K To Expand Educational Programs. Block Club Chicago. 20 October 2022.
- 2.V.v.B. Latinos have become Chicago's second-largest ethnic group. The Economist. 5 October 2017.
- 3.Greszes, Sam. 11 Completely Free Things to Do in Chicago. Thrillist. October 28, 2022.
- 4.Villafranca-Guzmán, Nancy. The National Museum of Mexican Art: A New Model for Museums. The Journal of Museum Education. 35. 1. 83–92. 2010. 1059-8650.
- 5.Davalos, Karen Mary. Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum. Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005.
- 6.Hautzinger, Daniel. 11 Latino Architects Whose Work Can Be Found Around Chicago. WTTW Chicago. 29 September 2022.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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