Latino Cultural Center celebrates 40 years of art, social change

The Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center is celebrating 40 years on the UIC campus with an event Wednesday and a two-day open house.

UIC’s first cultural center was born of a mid-1970s movement that also sparked the emergence of the Latin American and Latino Studies program in 1974, and the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services program in 1975. Thanks to the vision of Latina/o students, faculty, staff and community members who fought for a cultural center to support the academic growth of the increasing Latina/o student population on campus, the center became the third pillar of the movement.

All events are free.

The celebratory event takes place from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the cultural center, Lecture Center B2. Participants can meet the Social Pollinator Project’s artists and hear musical performances, taste food from the center’s “40 Recipes Cookbook,” on sale to benefit the center and bid in the Aerial Advocacy Auction to benefit the Fearless Undocumented Alliance scholarship.

An open house from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday showcases 40 years of archives and the Social Pollinators Project in process with 10 Latina/o artists.