Humboldt Park Horse Stables Copy by Carlos Flores and Eduardo Maldonado Photo Exhibition by Carlos Flores: June 9 - July 16, 2000

CHICAGO

This exhibition presents over 60 photographs of the work of Carlos Flores, long time Chicago resident and the unofficial chronicler of Chicago's Puerto Rican community. Flores' black and white and color photographs cover over thirty years of community history beginning with the Puerto Rican neighborhood in the De Paul area. During his teens, Flores used 35 mm and 4 X 5 cameras to photograph friends and neighbors, local streets and businesses, as well as a variety of community, social, and political events. As Flores developed his photographic skills he also created a large body of documentary photographs that trace the demographic shifts following the displacements of Puerto Ricans from the De Paul community to the west side neighborhoods of the Humboldt Park area. Flores images provide us with revealing and sometimes poignant moments of a community whose contributions to the history and cultural life of Chicago, have been systematically uprooted due to neighborhood redevelopment, economic downturns and gentrification. Flores' straightforward documentary style provides viewers with a range of themes that includes street-life, leisure, political activism, music performances, celebrations, and individual portraits that, together, give a visual history of our community. Many viewers will recognize some of the events that have taken place over the years to which they were part. Other young adults, students and new residents hopefully, will begin to understand the length and breath of the Puerto Rican involvement and participation in evolution of Chicago's neighborhoods. Puerto Rican migration to Chicago began in earnest after World War II when we were asked to become part of the industrial workforce in the United States. Centers like New York, Connecticut, Philadelphia and Chicago were held out as promising economic opportunities to those individuals searching for jobs and prosperity. The subsequent realities that followed economic upturns and downturns, the collapse of U. S. industries, and racial tensions all mark the social milieu to which Puerto Ricans became part of during the second half of this century. Throughout, Puerto Ricans strove to maintain a sense of community and culture that would sustain them over the years. Flores images provide us with a glimpse into the everyday life of so many who were part of this history. Most importantly, his photographs are a rich and lasting document of a community who has survived and made a permanent mark on the cultural landscape of Chicago. Carlos Flores was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico and moved to Chicago in 1959. Flores initially was introduced to photography through a special program for high school dropouts held at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. Flores received a BA in Primary Education in 1977 and an MA in Criminal Justice in 1990, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Along with his photographic work, Carlos Flores has had a longstanding interest in Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean music. Flores was the former coordinator for Project Kalinda organized by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago. Project Kalinda was a special research initiative to explore the common origins and characteristics of Latin American, West Indian and U.S. Black music. His artistic talents include performing as a musician with a local Latin jazz groups and was one of the founding members of the Chicago Afro-Caribbean Music Society. Carlos Flores has a history of community activism and public service which stems from the late 1960's, when he became a member of the Young Lords Organization, and later, as an administrator overseeing the development of Affirmative Action programs in the Chicago Public Schools and the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission. His photographic work has been reprinted in various publications including Dialago, published by the Latino Research Center at De Paul University. Carlos Flores also has a long history of community activism which began in the 1960s when he became a member of the Young Lords Organization. Organized by the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, This exhibition marks the beginning of a long-range project to create a permanent archive of the Puerto Rican community of the Puerto Rican community of Chicago. Flores, photographs, along with articles, essays and ephemerals material covering the history of Puerto Ricans in Chicago, will become the basis for the establishment of record of the community. The exhibition has been partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Eduardo Maldonado, Associate Curator, Chicago Clarke House, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, President, Puert Rican Arts Alliance

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