25th annual Barrio Arts Festival in Humboldt Park brings artists, community together

In the courtyard of what used to "just be a building" in the 15 years she spent growing up in Humboldt Park, Chicago artist Diane Berrios danced, draped in a dress decorated by coquí frogs and hibiscus flowers, iconic symbols of Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rican Chicagoan attended her first Barrio Arts Festival Saturday morning as part of a recent journey in reconnecting with her roots — she recently took a solo trip to Puerto Rico, where her parents were born, and attended her first Puerto Rican People’s Parade last month.

"It's something I'm starting to return to. I've been kind of a lost Puerto Rican up on the North Side," Berrios said. "We are all family, and that's what I feel here. ... I'm just soaking up everything. Just to be a part of this is the most important thing right now."

The annual Barrio Arts Festival was in full swing for its 25th year. Also marking its silver anniversary this year is the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division St., as the festival was one of the first events the museum held.

Billy Ocasio, the president and CEO of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, said the group wanted to “elevate” the festivities this year — so for the first time in the festival’s history, it will be headlined by Puerto Rican artists coming from the island.

At the top of the largely local weekend billing, Calma Carmona and Hermes Croatto were slated to take the stage Saturday alongside fellow headliner Los Pleneros del Callejón, who composed an original song for the festival’s 25th anniversary.

“It’s always a privilege to come and connect with Puerto Ricans outside of the island,” Croatto told the Sun-Times Friday. “Having the opportunity to share with them the pride of being Puerto Rican is an honor.”

Another festival first is the domino tournament and workshop put on by Pe Erre Domino Club; dominoes is a game you “need to know how to play” to be Puerto Rican, Ocasio joked. A trolley stopping at parking areas and local senior homes every 30 minutes was also added to help as many people as possible get to the festival.

Community trolley tours, an art space with artist workshops and a community collage returned as part of the festivities through the weekend. Hundreds milled about Saturday between 65 vendors serving food and selling items related to Puerto Rican heritage.

Among them was Sabrina Alicea, a 36-year-old who was raised in Humboldt Park, working a stand for her business Shop La Maestra. On display were shirts with slogans like "Educated Latina" and "Product of CPS" as well as a plush coquí frog wearing a "Humboldt Blvd" sweatshirt.

By noon, just a handful of the plush frogs remained, which Alicea credited to them being a way to show off both Chicago and Puerto Rican pride.

"Joy is revolutionary; pride is important," Alicea said. "There's not a lot of things that connect Chicago Puerto Ricans like this. ... It's a beautiful way to express ourselves and exist."

But like many others, Berrios' attendance was twofold — she also showed up to defend the neighborhood she grew up in. Now an Uptown resident, she didn't feel comfortable standing by while ICE intimidated the people she swam with at Humboldt Park beach as a kid, or even strangers who just happened to share a Latino background.

The museum, where the festival is held, was swarmed by 15 Department of Homeland Security vehicles Tuesday afternoon; local elected officials called the move a scare tactic, though Trump officials said it was related to a narcotics investigation.

"I heard what happened this week and thought artists need to come together and support our community," Berrios said.

It’s the latest in a number of scares regarding federal immigration enforcement around the city.

In January, a visit from U.S. Secret Service agents to a Back of the Yards elementary school sparked fear after Chicago Public Schools officials initially identified them as ICE officers. Months later, some attendees of May’s Sueños Music Festival also said regular festival attendees they knew stayed home for fear of immigration enforcement at the annual gathering, though it never came to fruition.

But Ocasio said organizations and people across the city have been reaching out to the museum to offer solidarity; some showed up to hand out "know your rights" fliers.

Regardless, to be safe, security was doubled, legal observers were on-site and an evacuation plan was in place in case federal immigration enforcement tried to target a festival celebrating Puerto Ricans — who are U.S. citizens, as the island is a U.S. territory.

“We’ve been working with the mayor’s office, the park district, putting together measures just in case,” Ocasio said. “[But] it actually was a call for people to come out to the festival. … I think what they’ve done is bring this community together.”

The Humboldt Park-based festival continues from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.