The Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago Museum
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The Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago Museum presents:
Foundations of a Community's Memory
Pundasyon para sa mga Alaala ng Komunidad
Curation: Grace deVega and Primrose Pataras
Art Director: Ashley Dequilla
Foundations of a Community’s Memory
is curated-inspired by the legacy of the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago’s founder, Estrella Ravelo Alamar (1936-2022); it is also a celebration of the Archival Collection’s new beginnings at the Mana Contemporary Chicago. The FAHSC’s impressive collection—housing more than 400 boxes of photographs, documents, cultural artifacts, audio recordings, film, and more—emerged out of Estrella’s longing to preserve and uplift the largely undocumented histories of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in Chicago. What began as Estrella’s personal collection of familial memorabilia dating back to the 1920’s grew into a vast historical repository, the first Filipino American history museum in Chicago (2000-2003), and most importantly, it inspired a community to work together and build upon the foundations of Estrella’s dreams. This exhibit was made possible by the hard work of the FAHSC members and the support from outside cultural and historical communities in the Chicago area, therefore standing as a testament to the generational impact of Estrella and what can be achieved when we come together to preserve history and build towards new futures. The pieces showcased here today are a small but powerful representation of the vibrant collection and can inspire us all to continue preserving, researching, cultivating, and dreaming.
Andi T. Remoquillo, PhD
Lecturer on History & Literature
Harvard University
Pundasyon para sa mga Alaala ng Komunidad
ay nabuo at inihango sa mga pamana ni Estrella Ravelo Alamar (1936-2022), ang nagtatag ng “Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago”. Ito ay pagdiriwang ng pagsisimula ng Koleksyon ng mga Sinupan (Archival Collection) sa Mana Contemporary Chicago. Ang kahanga-hangang koleksiyon ng FAHSC na may higit apat na raang kahon ng mga larawan, dokumento, kagamitang pang kultursa (cultural artifacts), pagtatala (audio recordings), pelikula, at iba pa, ay mula sa hangarin ni Estrella na mapanatili, mapaunlad, at maidokumentaryo ang malawak na kasaysayan ng mga Filipino at mga Filipino Amerikano Sa Chicago. Ang personal na koleksiyon ni Estrella ng mga alaala ng kaniyang pamilya mula pa noong 1920’s ay lumago bilang isang malaking repositoryo ng mga pamanang pangkasaysayan at nagbigay daan sa pagpapatayo ng kauna-unahang museo para sa mga Filipino Amerikano sa Chicago (2000-2003). Ang pinakamahalagang bunga nito ay ang pagtutulungan ng isang komunidad upang matupad at maipagpatuloy ang mga ninanais ni Estrella. Ang eksibit na ito ay naisakatuparan dahil sa pagpupursigi ng mga miyembro ng FAHSC at ang suporta mula sa iba’t-ibang komunidad sa Chicago, kultural man o historikal. Ito ay patunay ng malaking ambag ni Estrella sa kasalukuyang henerasyon, gayundin ang maaari nating makamit kung tayo ay magtutulungan upang mapanatili ang ating kasaysayan at makabuo ng marami pa patungo sa hinaharap. Ang mga bagay na ating nakikita sa eksibit na ito ay maliit lamang ngunit matibay na representasyon ng ating makulay na koleksiyon. Nawa ay magsilbi itong inspirasyon upang tayo ay patuloy na magpunyagi, manaliksik, magpaunlad, at mangarap.
Translated by John Paul Dela Rosa and Ruben Salazar
A Glimpse Into Our Collection
The pieces showcased here today are a small but powerful representation of the vibrant collection and can inspire us all to continue preserving, researching, cultivating, and dreaming.
Thank you to our Friends and Family!
Your unwavering support made this exhibition possible, and we couldn't have done it without you. We are forever grateful!
Larry Leopoldo, Ginger Leopoldo, Lily Hopkins, Jacob Boglio, Ellen Bushell, Andi Remoquillo, Reese Villazor, Bert Geyser, Josh Gomez, Marvin Veloso, Olive Perry, Yolanda Herrera, Max Mika, Ramin Takloo-Bighash, Jayson Perry, Liam Perry, Kelly Perry, Royce Pataras, Marvin Peyton, Phoebe Marie Teoli, Clarita Teoli, Sarah Teoli, Sarah Delapeña, John Sarmiento, Alice Robinson, Merle Salazar, Ruben Salazar, Janice Dantes, John Paul Delarosa, Rebecca Hall, Julian Antos, Kyle Westphal, Saroop Singh, Camille Townson, CJ Romano, Raul Cacdac-Ochoco-Bentia-Buendia, Cathie Punsalang, Cindy Martin, Rabia Tayyabi, Sherry Williams, Cesar Conde, Jamie Kelly, Myra Kalaw, AFIRE, and HANA Center, Jeremy Dumalig, Nestor Evaristo, Willi R. Buhay, DePaul University archivists, including Morgen MacIntosh Hodgetts
A Grateful Shoutout to Our Amazing Sponsors
