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Program Events
The foundation of the Cultural Connections program is the educational events that use cultural comparison to explain cultural diversity. Events run from fall through spring of each year, and take place throughout the city at the ethnic museums and cultural centers that make up the Chicago Cultural Alliance. Each event is hosted jointly by two partners, emphasizing the cross-cultural nature of the program.
Each year's programming is structured around a common theme, such as that of the 2004–2005 year: "Traditions of Transition: Understanding Rites of Passage." One event from this series included a comparative dialogue on Cambodian and Mexican celebrations honoring the dead, hosted jointly by the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum and the Cambodian Association of Illinois. Another event explored two coming-of-age rituals: the Jewish Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Mexican Quinceañera celebrations, and was hosted jointly by the Spertus Institute and the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.
 At each event, representatives of the partner museums and cultural centers introduce the role of their organization in their ethnic community. A Field Museum anthropologist then introduces the framework: Common Concerns, Different Responses. This is followed by a "first voice" presentation about the program theme by the partner museums' curators, community artists, expert guest speakers, and/or community residents. Music or dance performances, storytelling, and hands-on activities often take place as well. Participants get to taste delicious food, in keeping with the culinary traditions of presenting groups; pierogies and potstickers may sit side by side. Participants are also invited to share personal stories, and with the help of facilitators from the Chicago Association for the Practice of Anthropology (CAPA), explore the reasons for cultural similarities and differences.
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