The fourth annual Chicago Latino Arts and Culture Summit took place Monday, May 19, 2025. The summit is a meeting of the leaders of Chicago’s Latino art and culture organizations in theater, film, music, youth arts, and fine arts institutions. Pistocelli Services was there as a participant as well as convening supporter. Bearing the theme, Raices and Resiliency: Raising Latino Arts Voices, the full day event focused on issues of visibility, marketing, funding, and surviving as an arts group in our challenging times. From presentations to panel discussions and special mini-meetings between organizations and local arts funders, it is an opportunity for camaraderie, learning, networking and amplifying the voice of this special sector of the city’s cultural makeup. This was the third year that the summit has been held at the beautiful Omni Chicago Hotel on Michigan Avenue.
The summit was created in 2022 by local Latin-American leaders Carlos Hernandez (Puerto Rican Arts Alliance), Myrna Salazar (Chicago Latino Theater Alliance), Carlos Tortolero (National Museum of Mexican Art), and Pepe Vargas (International Latino Cultural Center). Realizing that their combined communities provided a huge amount of the city’s cultural content yet was under appreciated and under funded, these four took the bold step of approaching the various different Spanish speaking communities of the city (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Columbian, Caribbean, and more). The theory was that forming a combined community with a unified voice would help address the inequities they face.
This year’s summit was co-hosted by Steering Committee members, Ignacio Lopez of the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance and Mary Santana of the Miracle Center. In the photo at right, the Steering Committee members are, left to right: Pepe Vargas, Barbara Engelskirchen, Audra Yokley, Ignacio Lopez, Mary Santana, Vanessa Dalpiaz, Kailin Rodriguez-Lumley, Marcela Muños, Jorge Valdivia, and Mike Angell.
Presentations
A powerful morning sessions was the presentation by the Great Cities Institute of the University of Illinois Chicago. Titled Creative Roots, Equitable Futures: Latino Arts in Chicago, and presented by researcher, Katherine Faddish, the report showed data indicating that, while Latinos now comprise 1/3 of Chicago’s population, it garners far less than 1/3 of the funding and media presence from area funders and media. The report was commissioned by the summit, itself, with support from the MacArthur Foundation. Details can be found here.
Another compelling presentation was Storytelling in the Digital Age, by Cristina Vera Bridges, founder of Vera Creative, a creative agency specializing in marketing. Vera gave valuable information to attendees on how to get one’s message out and uses of different social media tools.
Money Matters
Barbara Engelskirchen, Chief Development Officer of the National Museum of Mexican Art, gave a terrific talk on effective grant-writing.
There was also a panel of local arts funders who discussed approaching institutional funders in the current national climate. In the photo below, the panel consisted of, left to right, J.C. Aevalotis (Richard Driehaus Foundation), Joe Panganiban (Lloyd Frye Foundation), and Michael Angell (Pistocelli Services).
Mini-Meetings
A signature element of the summit is the mini-meetings. Its model is borrowed from speed dating. Several local arts and culture funders sit down, face-to-face, with leaders of organizations for ten minute discussions. This format allows multiple interactions for both parties. Over the seventy minutes of the session, a full schedule allows for seven mini-meetings.
We at Pistocelli Services had a full schedule and have already followed up for further discussions. Three grants have already resulted from these initial interactions. The mini meetings are one of the most popular sessions among surveyed summit attendees. They are a tremendous tool for exposure on both sides of the table.
Special Presentation – Carlos Hernandez
The summit made a special presentation to Carlos Hernandez, founder of the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance. PRAA has taught generations of Chicago youth how to play the cuatro, the Puerto Rican guitar which is tuned in fourths and has a distinctive, plaintive tone. PRAA has also hosted the annual Cuatro Festival, the popular Noche Caribeña on Navy Pier, and more. Carlos also hosted the 2023 Summit and was on the steering committee its initial three years. Carlos has done a tremendous amount for Chicago’s Latino community. We congratulate and salute him and his amazing work.
Live Performances
Pistocelli Services’ support enabled live performances of three local Latino groups: Performance artist, Flaco Navaja, who got the summit off to an inspiring start; all-woman musical ensemble, Mariachi Sirenas, which closed the event with jubilant energy; and a cuatro-led ensemble which serenaded participants during lunch.
From Summit to Network
Over the four years of its existence, the summit has grown in attendance, broadened its activities, and provided data and focus for these organizations and their leaders. What about the future? It was announced that the organization behind the summit is changing its identity to the Chicago Latino Arts and Culture Network. This entails an increased commitment to mission. Two follow-up workshops are being scheduled in the coming months. Details are forthcoming, but the topics will concern the ongoing needs of Latino arts and culture organizations.
We at Pistocelli Services are proud to have provided support for the 2025 Summit and look forward to its continued activities. Its constituent organizations and their work is critical to their neighborhoods, their artists, and the city. Best wishes to you all!
Great recap of the Chicago Latino Arts and Culture Summit. Thanks for sharing this important information on your social media platform.