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Explore the World in Chicago with Cultural Connections:
A Partnership of Ethnic Museums and Cultural Centers
Why is there cultural diversity? What makes culture important?
Cultural Connections provides a unique opportunity right here in Chicago to explore these important questions about our world!
Cultural Connections is a public education program designed to explore and explain cultural diversity through a series of comparative cultural events. At the heart of the Cultural Connections program is the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium including the more than 25 ethnic museums and cultural centers that host Cultural Connections events.
Attend Cultural Connections events and discover an intriguing way to experience the rich cultural diversity of Chicago. Hear "first voice" accounts, witness exuberant performances, examine museum collections, and participate in fascinating discussions that illuminate the reasons for cultural differences. Utilize the tools of cultural anthropology, including self-reflection, participant observation, and the comparative framework of Common Concerns, Different Responses. As you learn more about your neighboring communities through their cultural organizations, you will forge cultural connections and deepen your appreciation of Chicago's cultural diversity.
Six events take place during a program year (September to June). Each event is a collaborative comparison between two partners, organized around an annual theme. The theme for the 2008–2009 program year is BODIES IN MOTION. Under this theme, partners will compare important athletic activities, placing them in the wider context of shared community life. Learn more about upcoming events.
This year Cultural Connections celebrates its 10th anniversary. Looking back, perhaps the most significant outcome of Cultural Connections has been the formation of the Chicago Cultural Alliance. Over the course of years with Cultural Connections, partner organizations realized they could build their own capacities and reach wider audiences by banding together to expand their collaboration beyond the Cultural Connections program itself. With stewardship provided by The Field Museum’s Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, the Chicago Cultural Alliance was formally inaugurated in 2007. With both a core partnership of ethnic museums and cultural centers, along with institutional partners – including The Field Museum, Chicago History Museum, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, and Brookfield Zoo to name a few – the Alliance now offers residents and visitors direct access to a rich array of community-based resources including culturally specific programming taking place in the Chicago area. Visit the Chicago Cultural Alliance website for more information.
In this website, you can:
* Download our Guide to Planning Cultural Connections Events, a resource for collaborative programming.
continue to Collaboration >>
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