Theatre & Performing Arts
“How Is Migration Woven Into America?” Comes To Chicago With Art Exhibition And Panel Event
In Chicago, one in five people is an immigrant. “How is Migration Woven Into America?” is a free event featuring an art exhibit and panel discussion created to shed light on a defining issue in the United States, past and present. The event takes place from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Friday, August 15, at Bridgeport’s Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St., and includes live music, art viewing, and complimentary drinks and small bites.
Co-presented by the Stanford Institute for Advancing JustSocieties (IAJS), Zócalo Public Square,Zhou B Art Center , and OH Art Foundation, the event will explore and envision new perspectives on migration, America’s diverse communities, and how people come together across differences.
“The U.S. is a tapestry of groups that have collectively created American culture, politics, and society. From across the country and around the world, they have migrated and settled in neighborhoods like Portage Park, the South Side, and Bridgeport, and stitched their customs, skills, and values into the fabric of existing communities,” says Zócalo executive director Moira Shourie. “This event will discuss how this composite of interlaced patterns are woven into the fabric of America.”
The event is inspired by Chicago artist and weaver Kira Dominguez Hultgren’s So, I told her I was half-Indian (2025). Kira is Chicanx (of Mexican descent) and Punjabi (of Northwestern India and Eastern Pakistan regional descent). The piece is commissioned by IAJS and will be on view at Zhou B Art Center from August 12 to September 12, 2025.
Event highlights include:
- Conversation between artist Kira Dominguez Hultgrenand guitarist and Chicago Immigrant Orchestra co-director Fareed Haque, who will discuss the larger themes of So, I told her I was half-Indian, including how race plays out across generations, how public memorials help make hushed histories visible, and how new technology reveals outdated stereotypes.
- Panel discussion moderated by Stanford IAJS faculty co-director Brian Lowery,featuring Yale historian and Pulitzer Prize-winner David W. Blight, Chicago historic preservation leader Bonnie McDonald, and Chicago creative consultant and fashion designer Siying Qu, who will discuss how migrant communities help stitch together ideas of American life.
- Performance by musicians from the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, including Fareed Haque.
- Hosted reception with small bites and beverages.
Agenda
6:30 Check in and art viewing
7:15 Artist Conversation
7:35 Panel Conversation
8:30 Reception
ABOUT THE SERIES
“How is Migration Woven Into America?” is part of the “What Can Become of Us?” series, a collaboration between the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies (IAJS) and Zócalo Public Square, envisioning new perspectives on migration, America’s changing communities, and how people come together across differences. The year-long series activates four regions of the United States and highlights newly commissioned works of art—visual, textile, and dance—to inspire a national conversation through public programs and essays, and to work toward a better future.
ABOUT ZÓCALO PUBLIC SQUARE
Founded in Los Angeles in 2003, Zócalo Public Square is a unit of ASU Media Enterprise. We syndicate our journalism to 290 media outlets worldwide and have hosted more than 700 events in 33 cities in the U.S. and beyond, including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Shanghai, Guadalajara, London, and Berlin. We are a nonprofit organization that frequently partners with educational, cultural and philanthropic institutions as well as public agencies. To learn more, visit zocalopublicsquare.org, or like and follow on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
ABOUT STANFORD INSTITUTE ON ADVANCING JUST SOCIETIES
The Stanford Institute on Advancing Just Societies produces cutting-edge knowledge and bold solutions to realize racial and ethnic justice. We envision a world where race and ethnicity no longer adversely impacts people’s security, health, freedom, opportunity, political self-determination, or life experience. To learn more, visit https://justsocieties.stanford.edu.
####
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jessica Prah
312-953-3257
Anna Gasparyan
818-645-0066
Learn more about the area
Neighborhood
Bridgeport
Home to the Chicago White Sox, this neighborhood has a burgeoning arts scene and excellent dining options.
Learn more about the area
Neighborhood
Bridgeport
Home to the Chicago White Sox, this neighborhood has a burgeoning arts scene and excellent dining options.
