In celebration of the fifth annual Quetzal Art Fest, EXPO Collective will be partnering with the Latino Organization of the Southwest and Chicago Area Project to highlight the visual arts through workshops, showcases and vendors.

The Quetzal Art Fest will take place on June 22, 2019 at the intersection of 63rd Street and South Karlov Avenue, from 12 p.m.-7 p.m. Activities are designed for people of all ages, from children of 7 years to adults.

Over 15 participating artists who make this event possible are members of EXPO Collective, that has been in existence since 2013. For the past four years, QFest, as it’s known for short, has been hosted in various neighborhoods around the city.

The idea to have a continuous effort to meet communities where they are and share the love and appreciation of art started since the inception of QFest. EXPO Collective’s effort was to take art to where it lacked.

“Latino Organization of the Southwest and Chicago Area Project welcome EXPO Collective to the southwest side,” said Heidy M. Grimaldo, an outreach coordinator with Chicago Area Project. “QFest is something that we have been missing in the community; something that our communities have been requesting.”

Elevating the status of art among communities was always at the forefront of the event. Showing off the process of creating large scale pieces, as well as small detailed works of art was necessary to exemplify the focus and dedication it takes by an artist to create their artwork.

Along with that, allowing for community members to partake and create pieces of art of their own was also an important element to have. This helped to engage the community and made each participant an artist for the day, whether they had previous experience or not.

“I feel that it is important to get our youth involved in various programs and opportunities even though we might not have all the resources and use this collaboration as a way to teach them that together, we can make it happen,” said Grimaldo.

This year, the Quetzal Art Fest will have local food vendors, art vendors, live art, activities and workshops, and a large scale artistic showcase.

History of Quetzal Art Fest
• 2015 — Starting in Pilsen, EXPO Collective donated mobile murals to non-profit and charitable organizations and hosted three workshops for the community.
• 2016 — The second year, a partnership developed with The Miracle Center, an arts incubator on the northwest side of Chicago that allowed the QFest to be hosted within their space.
• 2017 & 2018 — For the past two years, EXPO collaborated with SGA Youth and Family Services to host the event at their Brighton Park location.

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Tags: 5th Annual Quetzal Art Fest!, Chicago, Chicago Area Project Southwest Communities, EXPO Collective, West Lawn