CIRCA Pintig's 35th Season
The Art of Belonging
Dates: Feb 11-21
Location: Jose Rizal Center
Theatre Performance + Archival Film Presentation + Talk back
The Art of Belonging celebrates Filipino immigrant experiences in the Midwest through theater, archival film, and community dialogue. The project presents three stage adaptations of short stories by Bienvenido Santos alongside restored 16mm home movies by Nicholas “Uncle Nick” Viernes, documenting Filipino American life from the 1930s–1970s.
Together, these works illuminate themes of longing, humor, resilience, and the ongoing search for home—bridging literary heritage with living memory.
Dates
Wed–Fri, Feb 11–13, 2026 — 7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 14, 2026 — 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sun, Feb 15, 2026 — 2:00 PM
Thu, Feb 19, 2026 — 7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 21, 2026 — 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Location
Rizal Center
1332 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago
Filipino Nurse Exhibit - Artifact Call
Dates: May 1-31, 2026
Location:
International Museum of Surgical Science
1524 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois
One of the country’s largest migration stories stands hidden in plain sight. It’s the tangled legacy of American colonialism, economic inequity and feminine norms that laid the foundation for an undeniable yet unspoken stereotype: Filipino nurses. The notion that every U.S. hospital has Filipino nurses or that every Filipino living here is either a nurse or involved in healthcare seems hyperbolic. But is it true?
A new exhibit of photos, documents, uniforms, medical devices and family mementos from nurses newly arrived or native-born citizens descendant from the Philippines, delves into an overlooked but significant demographic.
SCREENED and Seen
with Asian Health Interest Form Open Now
SCREEN is a partnership between Asian Health Coalition and Circa Pintig, supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (2025–2026 Community Grant Initiative). Our goal is to support cancer screening, reduce inequities in care, and engage Asian communities in Chicagoland through culturally grounded breast health education and community storytelling.
The Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts, also known as CIRCA Pintig is a Chicago-based
organization whose mission is to engage community members in addressing the critical needs of immigrant and
marginalized communities in theatrical, creative, and empowering ways. A proud new member of the League of
Chicago Theatres
CIRCA Pintig is supported in part by the Asian Giving Circle, Crossroads Fund, DCASE City Arts and
Neighborhood Access Program Grant, Illinois Arts Council, an agency of the National Endowment for the
Arts, and RESIST. For more information, visit www.circapintig.org.
Coming Soon
Illinois Humanities Series
More Information Soon…
Collaborations
More Information Soon…
Summer Lab Incubator
More Information Soon…
Third Annual Chicago Filipino American Theater Festival
More Information Soon…
Pinoys in Chicago
More Information Soon…
