Our Island of Treasures: Puerto Rican Voices from Indiana

Ten Puerto Rican artists living across Indiana. One exhibition. One museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating Puerto Rican culture in the heart of Chicago.

Our Island of Treasures brings together painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, mixed media, fashion, and contemporary design in a multidisciplinary exploration of memory, ancestry, migration, resilience, ecology, and cultural identity — reflecting the many ways Puerto Rican culture continues to thrive across generations and across places.

I am presenting two works in this exhibition — Both Sides of the Table I and Both Sides of the Table II, a diptych that explores the dialogue between two worlds that coexist within me: Puerto Rico, the island that shaped my roots, and Indiana, the place where I continue to grow. The two canvases share a single tabletop, connected visually and conceptually — each side revealing a distinct emotional landscape, together becoming a meditation on identity, distance, and belonging.

Deep gratitude to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture and every artist who made this exhibition possible.