September 2024 | Volume XLII, Issue 3 »
Creaciones del Sueño: Northern Illinois University Libraries Welcomes Alebrijes Exhibit
September 3, 2024
Drew VandeCreek & Gwen Gregory, Northern Illinois University Libraries
On January 29, 2024, Northern Illinois University (NIU) Libraries opened a new exhibit displaying large Mexican sculpture pieces known as alebrijes. The exhibit, which will remain open until November 8, presents a collection of 22 pieces created by 5 artists from Mexico City. The DuPage Mexican Cultural Center in West Chicago selected the pieces and provided them to the library. Many were earlier displayed at Cantigny Park in Wheaton and at the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin. Several of the pieces are huge, over twelve feet in height! Others are smaller, about the size of a library table. All are painted in a variety of bright colors and patterns. Most of the pieces on display can be found on the library’s first floor, with single items on the lower level, second, and fourth floors.
Alebrijes are brightly colored folk depictions of magical beings. Many people believe alebrijes represent a long Mexican folk-art tradition, but in fact, they only began to appear in the 1940s. The well-known Mexican artist and cartonero — papier-mâché sculptor — Pedro Linares (1906-1992) invented the form and the name. He often told a story about how he came to create alebrijes. While in bed with a fever, Linares dreamed of incredible creatures combining the features of different animals. The creatures began chanting a single nonsense word: alebrije… alebrije… alebrije! This frightening scene awakened Linares and when his fever subsided, he began constructing what he had seen in his dream. He called these sculptures alebrijes.
Linares and his successors developed alebrijes in the wake of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Before the revolution, many Mexican artists identified with and tried to emulate European aesthetic ideals. With Mexican independence, artists, intellects, and politicians often sought to break away from these traditions and unify a population that had experienced a decade of civil war. Many turned to the tradition of Indigenous arts and crafts, and alebrijes emerged as a distinctively Mexican art form. Today, alebrijes created in many regions of Mexico are in both private and museum collections around the world. They have even entered mainstream culture with their appearance in the 2017 Disney film Coco.
To bring this collection to campus, NIU Libraries led a collaboration with the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, the Latino Resource Center, and the Division of Outreach Engagement and Regional Development, with the support of the Friends of the NIU Libraries. Drew VandeCreek, Director of Digital Scholarship and Special Projects at NIU Libraries, had seen the alebrijes when they were on display at Cantigny. He suggested to Library Dean Fred Barnhart that they would be a wonderful exhibit at the library. While there were logistical issues involved in moving the sculptures to the library, such as getting them into the building and rearranging current furniture to make room for them, these obstacles were quickly overcome. Campus partners were enthusiastic about this amazing exhibition.
The sculptures were installed in February 2024, with a grand opening reception held on March 5. This event introduced the alebrijes to the university community, although word had already spread that they were on campus. The reception featured treats from a local Mexican restaurant as well as music by two student groups, Mariachi NIU and Banda NIU. The director of the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, Fernando Ramirez, gave a brief introduction to the exhibit, and all were then invited to visit the sculptures around the library. Over one hundred people attended. After the reception, the Latino Resource Center led a Paint-Your-Own Alebrije event, handing out paint and small wooden forms to over 170 people who were inspired by the sculptures to make their own. The exhibition was also featured on an episode of the local attractions podcast Under Rocks, produced by Northern Public Radio. The library created its own digital exhibit, including 3D images and videos of interviews with the artists, at https://digitalexhibits.lib.niu.edu/s/alebrijes/page/welcome. In May 2024, two of the artists visited the library to make repairs on and repaint one of the sculptures. While visiting, they talked with several groups and displayed some of their other works.
Dean of NIU Libraries, Fred Barnhart, reflected on the library’s hopes for the exhibit: “Bringing the alebrijes exhibit to NIU is our way of celebrating and educating about the amazing contributions of the Latinx community. Our university has a large Latinx population, reflecting the region, and we want to provide the opportunity for everyone to enjoy this unique cultural tradition. The exhibit is especially timely because the university is on track to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution. Moreover, academic libraries can sometimes be intimidating, and our hope for this, and similar exhibits, is to be a gateway to learning and knowledge for all curious minds, regardless of age or background.”
NIU Center for Latino and Latin American Studies Director, Dr. Christina Abreu, reported that her organization worked with the University Libraries to co-host the alebrijes exhibit. “These beautiful art pieces are a celebration of Latinx art and culture, and we’re honored to have these on display on campus for students, faculty, and community memberst to enjoy,” she remarked. “We’re also looking forward to developing some programming in the fall so that students can learn more about the history and significance of this art form.”
Northern Illinois University President, Dr. Lisa Freeman, emphasized the alebrijes’ significance for the university and the surrounding community: “I am delighted that the NIU Libraries has the opportunity to exhibit the alebrijes works. We are a campus community that deeply values the important role art has as a form of expression and the celebration of diversity. This exhibit brings to campus, and the DeKalb community, Mexican folk-art pieces that brilliantly capture the imagination. We are grateful for this opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture, and to educate and connect Huskies from diverse backgrounds.” (Huskies refers to the NIU student body, professors, staff, and alumni as NIU’s mascot is a huskie [spelling preferred by NIU].)
Putting together this exhibition was an excellent way for the library to link up with other campus groups. As a nascent Hispanic Serving Institution, we seek ways to serve our growing Latinx student population. This display of Mexican culture is one way to demonstrate that we value this cultural heritage, as well as providing our campus and community exposure to these magnificent items. Although the alebrijes will be with us until November 2024, we are already planning for a farewell party. This experience has also encouraged us to think about future exhibits or events we could undertake in collaboration with campus groups.
REFERENCES
- Fernandez De Calderon, Candida, Alberto Sarmiento, Victoria Fuente De Alvarez, eds. 1998. Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art: From the Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex. Mexico: Fomento Cultural Banamex.
- Masuoka, Susan N. 1994. En Calavera: the Papier-Mâché Art of the Linares Family. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
- Thelmadatter, Leigh Ann. 2019. Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste, and Fiesta. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing.
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