Visit our new project website: www.pilsenstories.com

Nuestra Herencia: Legacy Film Project brings together a series of short documentary films exploring histories, gardens, and legacies through the lives of ten senior gardeners of El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago, Illinois. This short film series uniquely recognizes the individual lives of our elders, their stewardship of the garden, and engagement as long-standing residents of the Pilsen neighborhood; while addressing broader issues of health, immigration, gentrification, and environmental justice.

The pandemic has been especially difficult for our senior gardeners. Many seniors were quarantined from their families and the programs they depend on were closed – some still haven’t fully returned. The COVID-19 pandemic quickly revealed the urgency of documenting and preserving the stories of our most cherished and respected senior gardeners at El Paseo.

Nuestra Herencia is a co-production of El Paseo Community Garden and On The Real Film.

Digital Story Map

Emerging from each of the elder’s stories in “Nuestra Herencia”, the garden at El Paseo reshapes itself beyond its near one acre of land in Chicago by including far away imagined landscapes of mountains, prairies, and homesteads across Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, and Puerto Rico, all the while, acknowledging the political and social challenges that may have initially compelled the elders to resettle in Chicago many years before. This journey will be represented through a digital story map that will fly you through the elders’ native homes in Latin America as you dive into their stories.

Partners & Sponsors

We are grateful for the support and partnership of: The Resurrection Project, Yollocalli Arts Reach, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, NeighborSpace, Alivio Medical Center, Cafe Jumping Bean, Pilsen Arts & Community House, Green Leadership Trust, and our wonderful community who contributed to our GoFundMe.

This project is partially supported by a Neighborhood Access Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. Nuestra Herencia was produced with funding from the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund, a project of Chicago Filmmakers funded by Voqal.

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