Chicago Artist Raul Ortiz Bonilla Commemorates Hurricane Maria Victims

By Char Daston
Puerto Rico exhibit
This Sept. 8 photo shows the burial site of Argeo Caraballo at the municipal cemetery in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Carlos Giusti / Associated Press
Puerto Rico exhibit
This Sept. 8 photo shows the burial site of Argeo Caraballo at the municipal cemetery in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Carlos Giusti / Associated Press

Chicago Artist Raul Ortiz Bonilla Commemorates Hurricane Maria Victims

By Char Daston
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When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico last fall, news cameras descended on the island for a few weeks, and then left. For those who don’t have Puerto Rican friends and relatives, it’s all too easy to about the nearly 3,000 people who died as a result of the hurricane.

But Logan Square-based artist Raul Ortiz Bonilla, a Puerto Rican native, won’t let us forget. His latest exhibit, 2976…. after Maria to honor the dead, is a memorial to the victims of Hurricane Maria.

The exhibit features an elaborate altarpiece, and a series of paintings of native Puerto Rican birds. It’s on display at the Humboldt Park Boathouse Gallery until Dec. 28.

Ortiz Bonilla joins the Morning Shift to talk about his new exhibit.

GUEST: Raul Ortiz Bonilla

LEARN MORE: Artist Honors 2,975 Killed In Puerto Rican Hurricane With Humboldt Park Art Show (Block Club Chicago 11/7/18)