Please join us in welcoming the newest Core Member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, South Asia Institute! Core Members are first-voice, community-driven organizations that preserve a specific cultural perspective, experience, and living history through programs, exhibits, or collections work.

South Asia Institute joins an active alliance of 45 other cultural heritage institutions spanning over 25 Chicago neighborhoods and 9 suburbs and representing more than 30 cultures from around the world. Let’s learn more about SAI!

The main gallery at South Asia Institute. Photo courtesy of South Asia Institute.

South Asia Institute’s History and Mission

SAI’s Mission: South Asia Institute cultivates the art and culture of South Asia and its diaspora through curated exhibitions, innovative programs and educational initiatives. We collaborate locally and globally to engage diverse communities in enriching creative experiences, support artistic production by emerging and established artists and foster cultural appreciation for the South Asian diaspora.

SAI grew out of the love of its founders, Shireen & Afzal Ahmad, for collecting South Asian art. After 50+ years of collecting, they had one of the largest collections of South Asian art in America and wanted to share it with the community. They established South Asia Institute in a landmark building in the Motor Row district of the South Loop and lovingly restored it. (pictured at left, photo courtesy of South Asia Institute)

SAI has grown to share not only art, but also music, films, book readings, and all aspects of the culture of South Asia.

The main gallery at South Asia Institute. Photo courtesy of South Asia Institute.

Visit SAI!

Their beautiful space hosts a gallery with rotating exhibitions that you can visit. Through March 5, 2022, the gallery is hosting the exhibition “Ravi Shankar: Ragamala to Rockstar: A Retrospective of The Maestro’s Life in Music.”

You can also check out their schedule of events for ongoing cultural programming!

Upcoming events:

Online Talk: Oliver Craske Discusses “Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar”
Saturday, February 19, 2022
4:00 PM-6:00 PM

REGISTER HERE

Film Screening | Ravi and Anoushka Shankar Live in Bangalore
Saturday, March 5, 2022
4:00 PM-6:00 PM
1925 South Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60616

REGISTER HERE

We’re so excited to welcome the newest Core Member of the Alliance and looking forward to working with them in the coming years! Check out South Asia Institute’s programming and gallery.

Marie Rowley, Marketing and Communications Manager

It’s time to celebrate Lunar New Year in Chicago!

Get ready to kick off the Year of the Tiger! Lunar New Year starts on February 1 this year, and it’s time to celebrate! Lunar New Year is a great time to reflect on the past, welcome the changing of the seasons, get ready for the year ahead, and learn a little more about the diverse communities that call Chicago home.

What is Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in many cultures across East Asia, and to people of East Asian descent across the world. While in America the new year starts on January 1, as determined by the Gregorian calendar, many cultures instead mark time by moon cycles. Lunar New Year always falls on the first New Moon to appear between January 21 and February 20.

Lunar New Year is a major holiday in China, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Tibet, Vietnam, and Mongolia, and many other countries celebrate as well. Specifically in China, it is known as the Spring Festival. Though it occurs in the coldest time of year, it is a hopeful time of looking forward to the new year and the coming of spring.

How to Celebrate Lunar New Year in Chicago

Because we have diverse communities across the city and suburbs, of course there are going to be some Lunar New Year celebrations in Chicago! Check out some events where you can learn more about this holiday and the cultures that celebrate it:

Chinese New Year Online Celebration

The Chinese American Museum of Chicago is hosting a virtual Lunar New Year celebration this year! Join them on Wednesday, February 2 at 6pm for a free event where you can learn about the holiday, hear musical performances, enjoy the lion dance, and lots more. Register here.

Korean Traditional Furniture Exhibition

The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago is doing something a little different for Lunar New Year– an exhibition celebrating the beautiful decorative arts of traditional Korean furniture. It’s a fun and interesting way to learn more about Korean culture in a more relaxed setting. Learn more here.

Argyle Lunar New Year Celebration and Parade

The diverse neighborhood of Uptown has hosted a Lunar New Year celebration in Chicago for over 40 years! This year is no different, with a parade and other festivities kicking off on February 5th. Learn more here.

Have fun! Hoping the Year of the Tiger brings you health and happiness. 

Marie Rowley, Marketing and Communications Manager

The Chicago Cultural Alliance observes Juneteenth —also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day—as an official holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.

On that date, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after the end of the Civil War, Union Major General Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in Galveston Texas, where some Black people were still enslaved. Granger issued a proclamation to the people of Texas re-affirming that based on President Lincoln’s order, all enslaved people were free.

There are currently forty-seven states, and the District of Columbia, that recognize Juneteenth as either an official or ceremonial holiday. A bill to recognize Juneteenth as a paid state holiday was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly and passed this week. We ask that you join the Alliance in observing Juneteenth so it is recognized by more citizens of the United States and internationally. 

Dear Chairman Tunney and Members of the Committee,

Recently, Landmarks Illinois and the Alphawood Foundation informed the Chicago Cultural Alliance about a proposed zoning amendment that would restrict establishing cultural exhibits and the housing of museums in “R” zoning districts and require special use permits. This proposal is in stark contrast to the mission of the Chicago Cultural Alliance. The Alliance is an arts advocacy organization that provides professional services to 42 ethnic museums, historical societies, and community centers, which we call our Core Members. Our members operating in “R” districts are active and central meeting places that contribute to stabilizing and improving their blocks and neighborhoods.

The Alliance was founded by and for Chicago’s neighborhood-based cultural institutions. Our mission is to promote, support, and connect centers of cultural heritage for a more inclusive and equitable Chicago. Our members represent 30 different cultures around the world and are all based in 30 of the 77 Chicago neighborhoods and 10 suburbs.

These institutions protect and highlight Chicago’s history, foster economic stability through partnerships with local businesses and family-owned restaurants, and address residents’ needs in your wards and throughout the city. The Chicago Cultural Alliance strongly opposes this proposed zoning amendment. It will harm neighborhoods and create more uncertainty for these vital community institutions who are already a vulnerable class of small businesses because of the pandemic. It would also curtail other organizations who are planning to establish new museums and cultural exhibits, including the former home of Muddy Waters and a museum dedicated to Emmett Till.

The Alliance and our members provide cultural activities, education opportunities for teachers and students, and stimulate local business in neighborhoods. We also actively connect and partner with Alderman and Chambers of Commerce to emphasize how these institutions strengthen and rebuild our city. If members of the zoning committee want to learn more about our work, we invite you to join our monthly virtual town halls on the first Fridays of each month. If the Zoning Committee chooses to participate, please contact me at [email protected].

We urge you to vote against any change in the zoning code that will disallow and discourage our members’ operations. The proposal will seriously jeopardize the stability of neighborhood institutions that tell inclusive, equitable, and honest stories about this city and its people.