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"I met other mothers who recently arrived...I’ve told them that it’s sad at the beginning. When you don’t know anything or anybody, and some of them don’t have papers, then it makes it harder. I told them that I also arrived without knowing anything but when they have problems, I tell them, don’t worry, you go here for this, and there for that." – Mother of a student in a suburban school
Furthermore, participation in the informal arts provides the opportunity to diversify an immigrant’s ‘portfolio’ of relationships. Those men and women who participate least in informal arts have less opportunity to build new relationships with other institutions and individuals. They have fewer network ties and hence less access to social and material resources. On the other hand, those who participate regularly in informal arts activities have more diverse and stronger relationships with other organizations and thus with their community in general. Diagram this! |
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Mexican immigrants in the Chicago area often used artistic and cultural practices to break down social isolation, create new social networking relationships, strengthen existing bonds among group members and, in specific instances, create local and transnational ties with institutions outside the church, school or neighborhood in which an artistic group first formed. These practices help to build individual and community assets by fostering social interactions and skills critical to civic engagement. These include greater tolerance of difference, trust and consensus building, collaborative work habits, use of innovation and creativity to solve problems, the capacity to imagine change and the willingness to work for it. 
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