9 Catching Fire: How Chicago Left the Door Open for Indian Artists

As an outlet for expression, art has flourished for centuries. Encompassing personal passion and experiences in various forms, such as visual arts, film and stand-up comedy, art presents an unique opportunity for ethnic artists. Following the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Chicago began rebuilding in a way that allowed art as a mean for sharing personal experiences to grow in the Midwest. Thus, when immigration increased many years later, art used to share personal experiences was well understood and accepted.  Therefore, the appreciation of art which arose after the Great Chicago Fire provided a timeless cultural commonality which todays Indian artist can still take advantage of to connect and relate with Midwesterners over family values, allowing an important dialogue on culture to take place.

Art has prospered for many years in Illinois. Today, Illinois boasts some of the top art schools in the country, several of which are located in Chicago. Arguably, one the most important contributing factors for this emphasis on art, was the Great Chicago Fire. After the Great Chicago Fire took hundreds of lives and left many more homeless, the community shifted towards the ‘Great Rebuilding. During this ‘Great Rebuilding’ period, Chicago constructed a school and museum for fine arts (Art Institute of Chicago). This Art Institute would go on to become an important Chicago staple. Research has shown art to be an important tool in addressing traumatic events (Kuban). Not only is art important in addressing trauma, but it also “will play an important role in maintaining, reconstructing, and assimilating collective traumatic events,” (Igartua). This quote exemplifies the role that art had during the ‘Great Rebuilding.’ Following the fire, art in Chicago became a means for rebuilding the community and sharing experiences. As a major economic contributor and prominent hub, the example set by Chicago played a crucial role in continuing to increase the value of art in the Midwest. As such, art became an important means for communication. Thus, by utilizing art as a means of expression,  modern Indian artists in and around Chicago are able to simultaneously integrate themselves into the Midwestern community while successfully calling attention to the importance of a dialogue on culture.

After the fire, many artistic works arose, including Memories of the Chicago Fire in 1871 by American, Julia Lemos. The artwork which followed the Great Chicago Fire allowed individuals to bond over their experiences. Consequently, this has now provided an opportunity for Indian artists to utilize this bond forged from art in order to create a cross-cultural dialogue on experience. This very dialogue is at the heart of the work by Chicago-based sculptor, Indira Freitas Johnson. Johnson’s work addresses many issues, including female tradition in India, domestic violence, and labor (The News Gazette). When discussing her work, Johnson says that “the influences of my mother, a social activist, and my father, an artist and a follower of Gandhi, have been predominant in my life and art,” (Indira Freitas Johnson). Due to the closeness of her family, Johnson taps into her own experiences in order to relate to Midwestern family values. Furthermore, Johnson describes her work as having always “been informed by my experience of life in both the US and India,” (Indira Freitas Johnson). Therefore, by making use of her experience in both countries and the value placed on family, Johnson’s work takes advantage of the past rise of art in Chicago in order to force a conversation of culture to take place within the Midwest.

            Further contributing to this dialogue is the legacy of Chicago-born filmmaker Prashant Bhargava, who is responsible for the film “ Patang (The Kite).”  This film, which takes place in Ahmedabad, India, touches on how “India’s largest kite-flying festival united a city ravaged by religious divisions and natural disaster,” (Roberts). From this quote it is clear that this film embodies experiences which speak to Midwestern viewers. The focus on unification through an activity that is presented in this film mirrors how art was one of the things which brough Chicago back together during its ‘Great Rebuilding.’ Thus, the message portrayed in Bhargava’s film is relatable to Midwestern communities, such as Chicago, which have faced their own challenges. This provides a common thread through which Indian artists, such as Bhargava can reach Midwestern audiences. Furthermore, by leaning into the memories of his own uncles’ rivalry for inspiration,  Bhargava was able to utilize his family values to start a conversation on how everyone is connected. As such, the application of art as a form of communication offered Bhargava a channel through which he was able to use his familial experiences in order to relate to other individuals in the Midwest and generate a conversation on the ways in which culture transcends boundaries.

In the book Love, Hate, and Other Filters, the protagonist, Maya, initially struggles to reconcile her dreams as a filmmaker with familial values. While living in Batavia, a Chicago suburb, Maya has many conversations with her love interest, Phil. During their talks, Phil is able to bond with Maya over her parental struggles. From this, it is clear that Maya’s struggle with her parents reflect the imperfections of family values, even in the Midwest. Maya tells Phil that “movies can remind us of who we are or were, show us what we can be,” (Ahmed Location 1227). Maya’s quote illustrates how art can be an important means for personal expression. From this perspective, it is understandable why art would have been an important medium following the Great Chicago Fire. Based on this idea of personal expression, Maya films many different moments which are important to her. Thus, by filming different moments, such as weddings and the aftermath of vandalism on her parent’s clinic, Maya is still able to address culture in her work. So, by illuminating the imperfections of family values, Maya is able to connect to others in the Midwest, while simultaneously utilizing her art to contribute her experiences to the cross-cultural conversation.

After the Great Chicago Fire, the art community in Chicago grew. This growth was significant because it showcased how Midwesterners could both bond and communicate experiences through works of art. The rebuilding period was so influential in establishing the art scene in Chicago that decades later, that art scene would be utilized by incoming ethnic artist. More specifically, this has given modern Indian artists the opportunity to utilize various art mediums in order to establish culturally beneficial communication within the Midwest. Finding a common chord in family values, artists have been able to call upon that in their work. In the cases of Johnson and Bhargava, leaning into their family values provided them with ways to effectively share their narratives. Alternatively, in the case of Maya, the obstacles posed by family values offered her a new way to connect with those facing similar struggles.

Overall, the continuing prominence of art as a way to communicate experiences following the Great Chicago Fire has left the door open for today’s Chicago-based Indian artists. Thus, it is not the fire itself that is of paramount importance, but rather the growth of art in Chicago that followed the fire. Just like American artist like Lemos shared personal experience through art back then, modern Indian artist do the same. As a result of this timeless cultural commonality, Indian artist have been able to relate their own experiences to those surrounding them by making use of family values in the initiation of a cross-cultural discussion on experience.

Works Cited:

Ahmed, Samira. Love Hate and Other Filters. Random House USA, 2018.

“About Indira.” Indira Freitas Johnson, www.indirajohnson.com/about-indira.html.

Igartua, Juanjo, and Dario Paez. “Art and remembering traumatic collective events: The case of the Spanish Civil War.” Collective memory of political events. Psychology Press, 2013. 91-114.

Kuban, Caelan. “Healing trauma through art.” Reclaiming Children and Youth 24.2 (2015): 18.

Lemos, Julia. Memories of the Chicago Fire in 1871.1912, Chicago History Museum.

“Mission and History.” The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/about-us/mission-and-history

The News-Gazette. “Chicago-Based Indian Artist Uses Medium as Force for Change.” Gazette, 2009. www.news-gazette.com/news/chicago-based-indian-artist-uses-medium-as-force-for-change/article_2ce81583-ac54-55b3-ba44-10ea87e8a5dd.html.

Roberts, Sam. “Prashant Bhargava, Filmmaker of ‘Patang (The Kite),’ Dies at 42.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 May 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/arts/prashant-bhargava-filmmaker-of-patang-the-kite-dies-at-42.html.