06/24/2026
Last year, Assistant Professor of Architecture Leticia Pardo was awarded the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte grant by the Secretaría de Cultura in Mexico. Considered the most significant recognition in Mexico for artists, the grant recognizes 200 artists from various visual art disciplines for their contributions to Mexican cultural and artistic identity. Leticia was one of six architectural awardees.
Leticia has used the support from the grant to expand her project “Greetings from Chicagoacán” into the greater Midwest. The project documents how a sense of belonging and community is created in neighborhoods shaped by the Mexican diaspora. In “Greetings from Chicagoacán,” Leticia examines how architectural elements found in Mexico are added into the style of Midwestern architecture in Chicago’s Mexican communities.
Leticia’s research focuses on how place making, migration, and borders influence built environments. Her work has been included in prestigious exhibitions around the world, including The São Paulo Architecture Biennial, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and the FotoMuseo Cuatro Caminos in Mexico City.
Read more about Leticia’s work here: https://eskenazi.indiana.edu/news/2025/2025-11-20-leticia-mexico-award.html
Courtesy Photo: José de Sancristobal
IU Miller M.Arch
IU College of Arts + Sciences
Indiana University