Pyrotechnic Performance: The Last Judgment
Saturday, April 11, 2020
7:30 pm
La Villita Park (2800 S Sacramento Ave)
A theatrical spectacle featuring dazzling fireworks, special effects, and sound, The Last Judgmentis a play about and for the Mexican community of Little Village. Based on the struggles and achievements of the community residents, this explosive ritual celebrates the stories of resistance of Little Village.
The Last Judgment event by artist Adela Goldbard consists of a 35-minute narrative soundtrack punctuated by fireworks and centered on large-scale sculptural scenography that were built in summer 2019 by master artisans of Artsumex collective in Tultepec (Mexico’s pyrotechnic capital). The event is driven by a story, which features a Little Village resident on her Sunday walk through significant sites in the Little Village neighborhood. On her journey she encounters neighbors who recount stories of struggle and resilience, and in a number of cases centers on immigration, gentrification and environmental justice.
The sites, sets, and stories were collaboratively determined in a series of summer 2019 workshops that Goldbard and collaborating teaching artists held with multigenerational Little Village residents in schools, community centers, and other neighborhood locations. The Last Judgment is a bridge between organizations, artists, artisans, activists, and Mexican and Mexican-American communities across Chicago neighborhoods and across the border.
Free to the public!
Presented in Spanish with captioning in English.
The Last Judgment is produced by Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois at Chicago in partnership with Illinois Humanities and Chicago Park District Night Out at the Parks.
Many thanks to our event partners Telpochcalli Community Education Project, Telpochcalli School, Universidad Popular, Latinos Progresando, Marshall Square Resource Network, and Yollocalli Arts Reach.
Major support for The Last Judgment is provided by The Joyce Foundation as a 2019 Joyce Award and by Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Mexico), with additional support from Illinois Humanities, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.