ILS Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of American Studies Jason Ruiz will discuss his collaboration with the Historic Urban Environments Team at Notre Dame and their efforts to create a digital toolkit with information about the hundreds of murals that adorn the walls of Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood.
Latinx artists have been creating public art in Pilsen for decades, making it one the city’s most recognizably Latinx spaces. But, like other historically Latinx neighborhoods across the country, Pilsen is currently experiencing rapid gentrification and, from a demographic perspective, becoming less Latinx than it has been since the 1960s. The project seeks ways to engage both Pilsen natives and newcomers with the provocative, ephemeral, and constantly evolving visions of Latinidad on the city’s streets. To do so, they are creating a digital archive and mobile application that will engage users with complicated questions related to identity, representation, and the politics of urban space. This talk will describe their efforts so far and ask for critical feedback for shaping the future of the project.
Jason Ruiz was the recipient of the 2019 Sheedy Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching honor in the College of Arts and Letters at Notre Dame.
This event is part of a suite of scholarly activities offered by the Institute for Latino Studies throughout Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15, 2020) at the University of Notre Dame.
All events are free and open to the public.
This event recording is available in the Latino Studies ND YouTube channel.