Virtual tours of the blockbuster exhibition Frida Kahlo: Timeless with original artwork by iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo will continue through Oct. 15 in honor of National Latino Heritage Month. The virtual tour explores the most comprehensive presentation of Kahlo’s work displayed in the Chicago area in over 40 years. It features in-depth commentary from Curator Justin Witte and Executive Director Diana Martinez, offering intimate glimpses into the artist’s life and work.
“We are delighted to celebrate National Latino Heritage Month through commemorating the legacy of Frida Kahlo. It is an honor to have welcomed over 100,000 patrons from 50 states and 43 countries. Through the virtual tour, we are proud to offer even more people the opportunity to experience Frida's life and work as a Mexican artist foundational to the 20th-century art historical canon.” said Diana Martinez, Executive Director of “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” and Director of the McAninch Arts Center.
The virtual tour includes the 26-piece collection on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo as well as a multimedia timeline, 100+ photographic images from the artist’s life, a family-friendly children’s area and a Frida Kahlo inspired garden designed by Ball Horticultural Company, enabling museum-goers of all ages to grasp an understanding of Kahlo’s life and work through a variety of contexts.
The on-demand virtual tours accessible to remote audiences and can be accessed at https://theccma.org/ticket-information. Single tickets are priced at $18, and group virtual tours, led by museum docents offering opportunities for discussions, are available Monday – Friday at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. for groups of up to 25 people ($250) and 26-50 people ($500).
In addition, those interested in Frida Kahlo’s work can also take advantage of a robust series of virtual programs focused on Kahlo’s life and legacy, freely available on the museum’s website (theccma.org/videos). Virtual talks feature renowned art historians, scholars, and curators, including Cesáreo Moreno, Chief Curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art, and Julie Rodrigues Widholm, Director of the UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, among others.
Best known for self-portraits highlighting themes of identity, politics, sexuality, and death, Kahlo channeled her childhood and personal struggles into her art, and became an iconic figure and symbol of female empowerment, individual courage, and Mexican pride. Kahlo’s Mexicanidad (pride) and determination to overcome great adversity is an inspiration to the people of Mexico and around the world.
About Frida Kahlo: Timeless
The exhibition (June 5 to Sept. 12, 2021) has been the largest Frida Kahlo exhibition in the Chicago area in more than 40 years, hosted by the Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at the College of DuPage (COD). The exhibition and related programming were organized by Frida Kahlo: Timeless Executive Director Diana Martinez (Director of the McAninch Arts Center) in collaboration with Justin Witte, Frida Kahlo: Timeless Curator (CCMA Curator).
Frida Kahlo: Timeless is presented by Bank of America and made possible by the support of Ball Horticultural Company, Wight & Company, Nicor, AeroMexico, The National Endowment for the Arts, DuPage Foundation, Illinois Office of Tourism, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, and the College of DuPage Foundation. For virtual tickets or more information, visit www.Frida2021.org or call 630.942.4000. Box office hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
About the Cleve Carney Museum of Art
The late Cleve Carney provided a significant legacy gift to establish the Cleve Carney Art Gallery at College of DuPage. The gallery opened in February 2014 with its inaugural exhibition Selections from Cleve Carney’s Art Collection. In fall 2020, the gallery was expanded to a 2,500 square-foot museum and opened on June 5 as the Cleve Carney Museum of Art with the highly anticipated Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition. The museum will maintain the standards set by the American Alliance of Museums. CCMA opens its 2021-2022 season with Tony Fitzpatrick: Jesus of Western Avenue (Oct. 16-Jan. 31). More information can be found at www.TheCCMA.org and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt.
About the MAC
The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located at 425 Fawell Blvd., 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 236-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC, now entering its 35th season, has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. Visit www.AtTheMAC.org or facebook.com/AtTheMAC for more information.