Olmec Trails in West Chicago
Celebration of Olmec Trails: Culture & Legacy
Welcome to the City of West Chicago's celebration of the vibrant "Olmec Trails: Culture & Legacy" art exhibit!
As a proud Municipal Hub Sponsor, the City is excited to invite residents to explore this unique regional exhibit, featuring 33 stunning sculptures spread across DuPage County, including here in West Chicago. In West Chicago, residents can find four of these eye-catching pieces at the West Chicago Public Library, Reed-Keppler Park, the Kruse House Museum, and Kline Creek Farm.
Olmec Trails: Culture & Legacy is organized by the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, based in West Chicago’s Gallery 200 at 103 W. Washington Street, this exhibit showcases the rich heritage of the Olmec civilization with colorful, hand-painted renditions of their iconic sculptures.
To help community members dive into this cultural adventure, the City has partnered with the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage to offer exciting local initiatives and activities. Pleas use this webpage to discover more about the exhibit, find sculpture locations in West Chicago, and get involved in engaging events that highlight the fascinating world of the Olmecs.
Ultimately, the City and the Mexican Cultural Center want you to enjoy the art and culture right in your own community!
About Olmec Trails: Culture & Legacy
The Mexican Cultural Center DuPage (MCCD), in collaboration with Meztli Mexico, the College of DuPage Public Art Project (COD), and the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB), proudly presents "Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy" in 2024. This vibrant outdoor exhibit features 33 large, hand-painted renditions of iconic Olmec sculptures, displayed throughout DuPage County, IL, until October 2024.
The exhibit highlights the ancient Olmec civilization’s rich cultural heritage, showcasing the work of 33 contemporary North American artists. The original Olmec colossal heads, sculpted between 1400 and 400 BCE from single stones, are celebrated for their artistic mastery and influence on Mesoamerican cultures.
"Olmec Trails" can be explored across various locations in DuPage County, including the City of West Chicago, the College of DuPage, St. James Farm, Mayslake Peabody Estate, and multiple public libraries and parks. Each site provides a unique opportunity to engage with Olmec culture and public art.
More information about the Exhibit can be viewed on the College of DuPage's website.
West Chicago Sculptures
West Chicago Public Library
Artist: Dalia Marina González Garcia
Hometown: Tlaxcala, Mexico
Title: Tradition and Color
Description of Work: For this work I took two elements that represent Tlaxcala: tradition and color. A state that transmits pre-Hispanic culture in its crafts, architecture and traditions such as the vestiges of the Tempo Rojo, murals that portray an ancient Mexico, the roots indigenous people of our town. In contrast to the color that Colonialism gives us with the festivities of the huehues which joyfully enchant these traditions both inside and outside of our country.
Kruse House Museum
Artist: Allán Rodriguez
Hometown: Jalisco, Mexico
Title: Serenade Yellow
Description of Work: Yellow Folklor is an intervention that aligns with a narrative centered around the feeling of love for one's homeland, in this case, Jalisco being the source of inspiration. In the intervention, we can see how patterns characteristic of the design of folkloric dresses are recreated, giving the impression of such attire enveloping and dressing the Olmec head. Additionally, a series of mariachis appear to be emerging from the dress, seemingly playing a serenade. Surrounding them, instead of musical notes, there are patterns typical of Tonalteca crafts. Finally, as one explores the piece, an agave plant is revealed, highlighting the beautifully painted blue tones of the dress's lace.
Reed-Keppler Park
Artist: Yosneidy Espinoza Reza
Hometown: Michoacan, Mexico
Title: Perspectives of my region, Michoacan eye of Water
Description of Work: The main face, which symbolizes the municipality of Uruapan, is presented in blue tones, reflecting the river Cupatitzio that meanders throughout the city. This river, whose name comes from the Purépecha language and means "river that sings", is the source of life of Uruapan, supporting its exuberant flora, especially the floripondio flowers, which descend from the eyes of the Olmec head.
On the back of the Olmec head the landscape of the municipality of Angahuan is represented, home of the Paricutin volcano, the youngest in America. The name, also of Purépecha origin and meaning "on the other side", is fused with skulls that honor the Purépecha culture and the Day of the Dead festivities in regions such as Pátzcuaro and Janitzio.
On one side, the mural celebrates the carnivals of Morelia, especially in Tarímbaro, where they dance with paper mache bulls, some equipped with pyrotechnics, illuminating the sky with flashes and explosions, while enjoying local music and dances.
The fourth side of the mural represents the region of Janitzio and Pátzcuaro, highlighting the Fishermen who keep an ancestral tradition alive in their boats, between the landscapes of the lake and the island of Janitzio.
This work of art seeks to create a metamorphosis of the cultural identities and natural riches of Michoacán. From the emblematic monarch butterfly, which migrates over more than 2,500 miles, crossing Mexico, the United States and Canada, to the landscapes, festivities and traditions that make this region a unique cultural treasure in the world.
Kline Creek Farm
Artist: Joy Hernandez
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Title: Motion
Description of Work: The Mexican-America story of Indiana revolves around motion. The trains that brought early immigrants to the state as transit and jobs, sunflowers hosting migrating monarchs, the race cars and drivers, the fabric twirl of the Ballet Folklorico, and the momentum and hope of the future; Mexican-Americans in Indiana are not sitting still.
WeGolmec Trails
Hit the WeGolmec Trail
Explore the WeGolmec Trail along the Illinois Prairie Path in West Chicago, where you can discover 17 original Olmec sculptures and three of the four life-sized hand-painted replicas featured downtown. This event begins Labor Day weekend and continues through the week of September 23.
Everyone who completes the trail and uploads the images will be eligible to win a throwback shirt from the “Year of the Alebrijes” Exhibit from 2022, created by local artist Giovanni Arellano (a.k.a. Fiendsco).
How To Play
West Chicago residents can join a fun scavenger hunt that starts at the “Serenade Yellow” Olmec sculpture at the Kruse House Museum and ends at the “Perspectives of My Region, Michoacan Eye of Water” sculpture at Reed-Keppler Park. This initiative is free, and is a great opportunity to explore the Illinois Prairie Path, admire the Olmec sculptures, and enjoy the fall weather - best of all its easy to participate!
To join in, simply upload a photo of each sign you find along the Prairie Path from Kruse House to Reed-Keppler Park, as well as a photo of each of the sculptures located in West Chicago.
The City will award commemorative shirts from the "Year of the Alebrijes" community initiative in 2022 to the top 20 participants with the highest scores. If more than 20 participants achieve the highest score possible (21 points), winners will be selected at random. Each photo is worth one point.
Olmec History Comic Book Exhibit
Olmec History Comic Book Exhibit
Join the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage for a delightful art-venture at Gallery 200! Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the Olmec civilization, one of Mesoamerica’s oldest cultures, through a vibrant and engaging comic book art exhibit.
This special exhibit brings the rich history of the Olmec to life with captivating comic book illustrations. Discover the stories behind the 17 unique Olmec sculptures and unravel the mysteries of the civilization that crafted them.
The exhibit is free to the public and can be enjoyed during regular business hours of the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage and Gallery 200. Come experience this artistic journey and explore the wonders of the Olmec in a whole new light!