ALEBRIJES Exhibition at Cantigny Adds Magic to Hispanic Heritage Month

Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World,” the blockbuster outdoor exhibition of this summer at Cantigny Park, is adding a special magic to this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, taking place Sept. 15 - Oct. 15. The exhibition features 49 sculptures created by artists from Mexico especially for the show. Alebrijes (pronounced ah-leh-bree-hehs) refers to imaginary creatures that possess elements from different animals. As of Labor Day, park attendance has surpassed 300,000 for 2022, a 40% year-over-year increase from 2021.

Special events taking place at Cantigny Park during Hispanic Heritage Month:

• Alebrije Saturday Art Walks. Every Saturday through Sept. 24 and on Wednesday evenings through October;

• “Cantigny de Noche.” The park’s Wednesday evening series offering family-friendly activities every week, including flashlight tours of the alebrijes;

• Day of the Dead displays. Indoor and outdoor ofrendas (altars) and colorful garden characters will complement the alebrijes exhibit during its final weeks.

Admission to these events is covered by the parking fee ($5 weekdays/$10 weekends). For more information, visit Cantigny.org/Alebrijes.

Cantigny Park is located in DuPage County, known as an outdoor oasis with robust arts and culture. “Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” is an example of the one-of-a-kind experiences found only in DuPage. Other events taking place in the community in September and October:

At the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage (MCCD), 103 W. Washington St., West Chicago, Ill.:

• As a precursor to Hispanic Heritage Month, MCCD’s “Viva Mexico” Independence Day Festival, Sept. 10 - 11. Programming includes performances by Dancing Horses with Tamboraso, Groupo Rimel, Rosalba Valdez and Chalaveras (Sept. 10); and the dedication of Juan Chawuk’s “Vision of a Dream” mural, a special art installation curated by the MCCD to commemorate the art exhibit at Cantigny Park and the “Year of the Alebrijes” proclamation of West Chicago (Sept. 11). Also on Sept. 11 there will be an El Grito Ceremony and performances by Ballet Folklorico, Xochipitzahuatl, Nueva Era, and Los Gigantes, plus a Pinata opening ceremony.

• In Gallery 200: “Juan Chawuk: Iridescenicia Cultural, Oct. 7 - Dec. 31. Chawuk, an indigenous Maya Tojobal artist, invites viewers to experience his home city of Chiapas, Mexico through his paintings, sculptures and murals. As part of an ongoing series, this work shines light on the multicultural citizens of Chiapas, how they have coexisted for centuries, and how conflict there has fostered new ways of creating.

For more information visit mccdupage.org. Follow Discover DuPage on Facebook on Sept. 15 as they release their spotlight video on the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage.

In the City of West Chicago:

• “Alebrijes at Night,” 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13 at the West Chicago Public Library,

118 W. Washington St.;

• Screening of the Disney film “Coco” (2017) 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 on the West Chicago Public Library lawn. The artistic tradition of alebrijes gained popular exposure in the United States with “Coco,” this Disney/Pixar film;

• Downtown Alebrijes Murals (Ongoing). West Chicago has declared this to be “The Year of the Alebrijes.” To honor the artists who created the sculptures at the “Alebrijes” exhibition, the City installed six temporary murals throughout the downtown, showcasing a preliminary drawing created by each of the artists that were used for their final sculptures.

For more information visit westchicago.org/year-of-the-alebrijes.

Also taking place in DuPage County: Mariachi Herencia de Mexico with Special Guest Lupita Infante in “Herederos” at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 2. Chicago’s own Latin GRAMMY-nominated Mariachi Herencia de Mexico teams up with GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominee Lupita Infante, granddaughter of Mexican icon Pedro Infante, in a new show that is part of the 2022-2023 “Herederos” tour honoring legacy. For tickets and more information visit AtTheMAC.org.

For ideas on pairing a trip to one of these events with other DuPage destinations, visit “DuPage Road Trip - Where Nature Meets Art” at DiscoverDuPage.com.

“Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” (June 1 - Oct. 31) is a partnership of Cantigny Park, the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, and the City of West Chicago. The Chicago-based Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Cantigny’s parent organization, awarded a grant to the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage to help make “Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” possible. Additional support was provided by the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, Illinois Office of Tourism, National Museum of Mexican Art, Ciudad de México, and College of DuPage. Telemundo Chicago is the exclusive Media Sponsor.