MCA Chicago announces 21Minus | What Was, What Is

 

MCA Chicago announces 21Minus | What Was, What Is 

CHICAGO— The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)Chicago today announced the 2023 iteration of 21Minus, themed What Was, What Is. Taking place from 1 to 6 p.m. on June 17, 21Minus is an annual festival of teen creativity and passion that fills the museum with exciting, out-there projects that invite visitors to engage with the museum and each other in unexpected ways. 

Designed to showcase the talents of the next generation of artists 21 and under, the event is an afternoon of workshops, performances, art installations, and projects that provide new solutions to institutional and systemic policies that impact Chicago’s youth. 

“The most recent Chicago census data shows that people under the age of 18 make up a significant population of the city and yet they are rarely present in museum collections or exhibitions,” said Olive Stefanski, a TCA Lead Artist. “The Teen Creative Agency’s curatorial work intervenes in this system of structural inequality. We create space for artists who make revelatory art at all ages.” 

Organized by the MCA's Teen Creative Agency—a collective of 15 to 19-year-olds from all over the Chicagoland area—21Minus is an annual festival of teen creativity and passion that fills the museum with exciting, out-there projects that invite visitors to engage with the museum and each other in unexpected ways. 

“This is an opportunity for Chicago youth to make this cultural institution theirs. Since 2020, COVID-19 has made the arts exceptionally inaccessible and at times disposable,” TCA Lead Artist Miguel Limon said. “It is important for us to bring 21Minus back, make it as big as possible, and compensate young artists for their work. We aim to revitalize the city’s burned-out, artsy youth and support community organizations that have the same goal.” 

“As a teen working with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for the past four years, it wasn't easy at first because of COVID-19. It limited our ability to meet, organize, and discuss,” Cassandra Castillo Valentin, TCA  Apprentice, said. “Thanks to the MCA’s institutional support, we now have access to the resources and platform teens deserve.” 

The event is free for people ages 21 and under and their families, though all are welcome to attend. Included with museum attendance. 21Minus is designed by Chicago youth and curated and hosted by the MCA’s Teen Creative Agency (TCA). 

21Minus Event Lineup 

Musical Performances by: 

DreamSequence 

100% Sonic Youth Cover 

Ugly Nate 

D-Composed 

2D and 3D art Installations: 

What Have I Become 

Memories That Make Home 

Letters to Lindonia 

Remind ME How She Saw Things 

The Child’s Jealousy, Mother’s Love 

How to Tie a Tie 

Workshops led by: 

Curie High School’s Guerrilla Art Collective 

Marwen Arts 

The Gage Park Latinx Council 

Hournine 

Live art activities: 

Exemption 

Dream Sequence 

Authenticity 

The Portrait Puzzle 

Dirt and Chocolate 

Reworking Our Worlds 

Deeply Rooted 

Melanin Melodies 

Appliance Performs 

I SEE SOUND! 

Film Screenings: 

Chicago otaku 

Once Upon a Time … In Aztlan 

The Uptown Blues 

Rumination 

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The MCA interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and educational programs while providing a place for audiences to contemplate and discuss contemporary art in pursuit of a creative and diverse future. The MCA believes in the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) as a platform to enact structural change. The museum is generously supported by its Board of Trustees; individual and corporate members; private and corporate foundations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and government agencies. Museum capital improvements are supported by a Public Museum Capital Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The MCA is a proud member of Museums in the Park and receives major support from the Chicago Park District. 

The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue and is open 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Sunday and Tuesdays (free for IL residents) from 10 am to 9 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays. Suggested general admission of $15 for adults and $8 for seniors. Admission is free for all youth 18 and under, members of the military and veterans, and MCA members. Find more information about MCA's exhibitions, programs, and special events at mcachicago.org org at 312.280.2660. 

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