The Laksmi Project
Our Chicago Home: Impact of Latinx Artists
2026 LP. Salon
Thank you for joining us!
The Laksmi Project’s annual LP. Salon featured LP. Friend, Yvette Mayorga. Yvette Mayorga, in conversation with film photographer and artist, Jairo Granados-Cardenas at Pilsen restaurant Cerdito Muerto, as they examined the importance of Latinx art and artists in Chicago.
Panel moderated by Andrea Alvarez, Curator at Buffalo AKG, with an introduction by Ionit Behar, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
This event was part of Chicago Exhibition Week, thank you to GERTIE for the inclusion of this program.
Photos by Natasha Mraz
Yvette Mayorga
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Yvette Mayorga is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Her work links feminized labor and the aesthetics of celebration to colonial art history and racialized oppression through the guise of using pink as a weapon of mass destruction. She fuses confectionary labor with found images to explore the meaning of belonging. Mayorga holds an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Miami Basel with Monique Meloche Gallery, December 4-6, 2026
Solo exhibition at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, July 2027
Ionit Behar, PhD
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Ionit Behar, PhD, is a curator and art historian specializing in contemporary art, with a focus on Latin American, Latinx, and global practices. Her work is informed by transnational and feminist perspectives and explores questions of migration, space and place, and psychoanalytic and philosophical approaches to art and contemporary life.
She currently serves as the Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and has held positions at cultural institutions including DePaul Art Museum, Spertus Institute, and the Art Institute of Chicago, while also developing independent projects at venues including SUBTE in Montevideo and O’Hare International Airport. Behar holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Illinois Chicago, an MA in Art History, Theory, and Criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Tel Aviv University.
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Bad Witches: The Spiritual as Empowerment, January 30 - July 11, 2027, Sheldon Museum of Art
First curated exhibition at the MCA Chicago, opening March 13, 2027
Jairo Granados-Cardenas
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Jairo Granados-Cardenas is a self-taught film photographer whose captivating work reflects a profound connection to both his Mexican roots and the vibrant cultural tapestry of his current home in Chicago, IL. Born in Sahuayo, Michoacán, Mexico, Jairo spent his formative years immersed in the dynamic fusion of his Mexican heritage and the distinctive atmosphere of a Mexican-American household in the northern suburbs of Chicago.
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Artist in Residence at The Hoxton, Working_From
Moving Identities: 16 Voices Of Belonging, at the Chicago Cultural Center Claudia Cassidy Theater Lobby, July 1, 2026 - November 15, 2027
Andrea Alvarez, PhD
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In her time at the Buffalo AKG, Curator Andrea Alvarez, PhD, has organized From These Hands/De Estas Manos: Narsiso Martinez (2023), Comunidades Visibles: The Materiality of Migration (2021) and the AKG’s presentation of We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women 1965-85 (2018).
Alvarez’s major exhibition Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way, a group show featuring work by 58 Latinx artists opened in Buffalo in March and will be followed by a national tour through 2029.
Her curatorial focus is on contemporary art, with a particular interest in the work of Latinx, Latin American, and other global diasporic artists.
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At Buffalo AKG:
Ragnar Kjartansson: Politics of the Obvious | Friday, September 4, 2026–Sunday, January 31, 2027
With Andrea:
Continued programming with the Let Us Gather In A Flourishing Way exhibition as it travels around the country to Des Moines, Phoenix Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, and Frist Art Museum.
Mirja Spooner // Curator of Connection
Meet Your Host
For the last 20 years, Mirja has created a robust community in Chicago within the non-profit space. Thoughtful gathering and program curation, centered around community and collaboration, is at the forefront of all she does.
Mirja is deeply passionate about engagement, knowing anyone can step into this work. There are many ways to engage; volunteer, sit on a board, work on a committee, or attend programming. Mirja and The Laksmi Project are passionate about opening doors so anyone can engage with Chicago non-profits, building new audiences for organizations, and regenerative relationships for all.
Mirja is a development leader, host, and founder of The Laksmi Project. Mirja works as a connector to cultivate relationships, engagements, and opportunities that contribute to a more abundant world. Her work lives at the intersection of community connection, strategic development, and financial engagement.
