ABOUT SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE

Founded in 2015 as an Illinois 501 (C)(3) non-profit public corporation, South Asia Institute (SAI) opened in 2019. We are the only independent South Asian American arts and cultural center in Chicago dedicated solely to preserving, promoting, and presenting South Asian arts while embracing the cultural similarities and differences among the broader communities of Chicago and the rest of the American public. Exhibition are accompanied by programming centered around the theme of the exhibition and include artists and curator talks, seminars, book readings and poetry sessions, music concerts, film screening, plays and story-telling sessions, indoor and outdoor dance festivals. At South Asia Institute, we believe the arts are a potent means by which communities document and share their histories in their pursuit of collective recognition and social justice. Art also brings together people from diverse backgrounds in a shared aesthetic experience, promoting understanding and tolerance. We value community and inclusion, creativity and artistic excellence, collaboration and innovation. We are driven by our responsibility as members of our city and our country to tell our own stories, share them broadly and work collaboratively to make all our lives better.

MISSION

South Asia Institute cultivates the art and culture of South Asia and its diaspora through curated exhibitions, innovative programs and educational initiatives. We collaborate locally and globally to engage diverse communities in enriching creative experiences, support artistic production by emerging and established artists and foster cultural appreciation for the South Asian diaspora.

VISION

South Asia Institute amplifies South Asian voices and explores their complexities while staying connected to our larger human family. We work towards a world in which differences are celebrated not ignored, cultures are appreciated not misunderstood and people are uplifted through the power of the arts.