Día del Niño | Celebration of Children

About the Event

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago announces its Día del Niño (Day of the Children) celebration, a neighborhood program that encourages participation in the arts beyond the museum.

This free event in the Little Village neighborhood will showcase local vendors and art at Saucedo Elementary School on April 27, 2024 from 11am–2 pm. Families are invited to partake in a day of art and fun while learning about migrant experiences and the many communities that call Chicago home. Don’t miss the Chicago White Sox’s mascot, Southpaw, who will join the event from 1–2pm. Drawings will take place during the celebration, with prizes including two pairs of General Admission tickets to the Sueños Music Festival.

This event is free and open to the public with registration. Walk-ups are also welcomed.

Learn more about our family-centered programs at the MCA, like our monthly Family Days, Sensory-Friendly Mornings, and more.

Programming

These all-day events and activities will be available throughout the school.

 1st floor 

Gymnasium

• Bouncy houses and sports activities by the Chicago White Sox

2nd floor 

Cafeteria

• Free food from Los Comales presented in partnership with the Little Village Chamber of Commerce
• Performance by Payasito Guapetin

Classrooms

• A collaborative installation with found objects, discarded food materials, and handpress with Salvadore Andrade
• A Sueños-led workshop that focuses on participants’ own hopes and dreams
• Kaleidoscope-making inspired by artist Maryam Taghavi’s sculptures
• A story quilt activity inspired by artist Faith Ringgold
• Make-your-own flag activity inspired by the entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico exhibition
• Zine-making (small, DIY magazines)

About the Artists

Salvador Andrade was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in the Chicagoland area. He is a trained printmaker who works primarily in painting, drawing, and installation. As a fourth-generation migrant laborer, he contends with the erasure and commodification of his family’s culture, history, and traditions due to economic duress imposed by neoliberal policies and draconian immigration policies. His work draws potency from ancestral influences connected to intergenerational knowledge, folklore, hand crafts, syncretic belief systems, and vernacular traditions.

Stephanie Manriquez is the executive producer and educator at Yollocalli Arts Reach, where she leads the Your Story, Your Way audio journalism program for youth and produces the organization’s radio programs. A Mexico City native, Stephanie has also reported on issues including adult education, literacy, housing, mental health and migration. While rooted at the National Museum of Mexican Art, her work involves close partnerships with many community organizations, including: Casa Aztlán, Frida Kahlo Community Organization, Elevarte Community Studios and the Resurrection Project.

Organizers

Organized by the MCA alongside the Chicago White Sox, Sueños Music Festival, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, the Pilsen Chamber of Commerce, the Consulate General of Mexico, Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and support from Choose Chicago.