The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) of Chicago and Sueños Music Festival, in a special collaboration with the Cervantes Institute Instituto Cervantes of Chicago, are pleased to invite you to From the Galleries to the Streets: Contemporary Art and Urban Music in Latin America and the United States, an exclusive conversation between MCA’s Carla Acevedo-Yates (Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator) and Sueños Music Festival’s Co-Founder, Aaron Ampudia on May 22 at 6:30pm.

This conversation—in Spanish—will center around the sociocultural importance of music and art in Latin America and the United States, as a vehicle to support and elevate local Latin communities and their contemporary artists. Telemundo’s Chicago news anchor Hernán Fratto will be the moderator.

About the panelists:

Carla Acevedo-Yates was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and has worked as a curator, researcher, and art critic across Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. She serves as the Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the MCA Chicago, where she recently curated Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora 1990s – Today (touring to ICA Boston and MCA San Diego), the MCA’s presentation of Duane Linklater: mymothersside, and entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico, now on view. Previous exhibitions at the MCA include Carolina Caycedo: From the Bottom of the River and Chicago Works: Omar Velázquez.

Aaron Ampudia is the president of La Familia Presenta and co-founder of Sueños Music Festival and Baja Beach Fest. La Familia Presenta showcases Ampudia’s deep love for Latin Trap, Reggaeton, and Mexican Regional music, which came about because of his upbringing between San Diego and Ensenada.

Aside from bringing the joy of Latin music to fans, La Familia Presenta’s festivals and shows have an immense economic and philanthropic impact on the communities in which they take place. La Familia Presenta’s festivals generated over $310 million in positive economic impact, and their community giveback initiatives provided charitable donations and helped build communal spaces to support the youth of underserved Latino communities.

About the moderator

Hernán Fratto is a news anchor for Noticiero Telemundo Chicago, the station’s local weekday newscast that airs from Monday to Friday and on the weekends, serving the Spanish-speaking community in the Chicago area. Emmy Award winning, Fratto is also a member of the Board of Directors of ISEP (International Student Exchange Program), a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., where advocates work to articulate the policies necessary for the growth of communities through education and the cultural enrichment of studying abroad.

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Tags: A conversation featuring Carla Acevedo-Yates, Aaron Ampudia, Carla Acevedo-Yates, Chicago, Hernán Fratto, Instituto Cervantes of Chicago., MCA Chicago, Near North Side, Sueños Music Festival