For Immediate Release Media contact: The Field Museum Greg Borzo 312/665-7106 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org Field Museum to study social, cultural, artistic resources and achievements of Chicago's recent Mexican immigrants "Asset Mapping" research collaborates with University of Illinois CHICAGO—How do art, music and culture contribute to the lives and communities of recent Mexican immigrants, both in Chicago and in their communities of origin? A new $100,000 grant from The Rockefeller Foundation for a one-year ethnographic study and network analysis will help answer that question. “We will identify the social assets that recent Mexican immigrants can draw on and, ultimately, contribute to in order to create strategies for survival, security and celebration,” says Alaka Wali, Director of the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change (CCUC) at The Field Museum, John Nuveen Curator of Anthropology, and Principal Investigator of this study. “We will map these assets and show how they contribute to the maintenance and innovation of cultural practices, some of which may be new while others are rooted in communities located in Chicago and Mexico.” As the number of Mexican immigrants to Chicago continues to grow, much attention has been paid to quantitative measurement of their presence in and impact on Chicago. This study will look at qualitative measures such as the nature of identity formation, community building strategies, and the creative potential of these immigrants. Understanding such forces will help government officials, politicians and social service organizations formulate better policy and programs that build on the successes and resources of Chicago’s Mexican immigrants, both artistically and economically. Continue>>