Arte Útil

“Arte Útil”, as defined by artist Tania Bruguera (shown left), is “an idea of art as a tool for social change.” Initiated by Bruguera and co-directed by Alistair Hudson (shown right), the Asociación de Arte Útil is a growing international network of people and activities that promote this idea. The project exists primarily as a growing online archive of hundreds of case studies from around the world that exemplify the concept of “Arte Útil.” The archive is activated through exhibitions, meetings and exchanges that further interrogate the idea of ‘useful art’. This Chicago iteration of the Arte Útil Archive is presented within the former library of the historic Hull-House, reactivating the room as resource for local neighborhood groups, artists and activists to exchange knowledge that may prove useful in the local context.

other forms of we (otras formas de nosotres)

Jorge González’s artistic practice serves as a platform for the recuperation of Boricua material culture, in an attempt to create new narratives between the indigenous and the modern. In 2014, he founded Escuela de Oficios in response to omissions of dominant histories and deteriorating academic spaces. Proposing recovery through community regeneration, Escuela de Oficios creates spaces for collective learning and promotes self-directed education. Its activities include mapping, documenting and employing artisanal techniques, and creating a mobile program that includes conversations, workshops, and exhibitions.


Commissioned by the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial, …and other such stories, curated by Yesomi Umolu, Sepake Angiama and Paulo Tavares.