Carlos Rolón
Artist in Residence at SRBCC since 2024
Since 2024, internationally renowned artist Carlos Rolón (also known as Dzine) has made SRBCC’s storefront studio his home base. After being displaced by the sudden sale of the building that housed his creative space in Chinatown for 16 years, SRBCC invited him to return to the Northwest side of Chicago, where he grew up visiting family in nearby Humboldt Park and which he now calls home. By opening its doors, SRBCC ensured that a Chicago-raised, Puerto Rican artist of global stature could remain rooted in the community that shaped him while preparing new work for major platforms such as EXPO Chicago and upcoming presentations at Art Basel Miami and the Nerman Art Museum of Art. In turn, Rolón has poured his time, creativity, and visibility back into SRBCC—most notably by creating a monumental painting that served as our backdrop for our Aquí, Somos fundraiser (May 2025) and committing a significant portion of the proceeds from its sale to support our programs, residencies, and artist-led initiatives.
Photo: Artists working on the piece made by Carlos Rolón’s Studio (Aquí, Somos, May 2025).
The Aquí, Somos piece, drawn directly on a salvaged tarp that once served as a roof for a family in Puerto Rico, deepens this collaboration into a powerful community gesture. Made in partnership with Protechos, using FEMA and donated tarps that still shelter families years after Hurricane María, the work transforms an emblem of crisis into a lush, hand-drawn tropical landscape that framed a historic performance by Los Pleneros de la Cresta at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (May 10, 2025).
For SRBCC, this project embodies our work of connecting local and international artists with the Hermosa community through art with real social impact. For Rolón, it offers a community-based studio, an intergenerational audience, and a space where his practice can remain accountable to the people and stories at its core—proving that supporting local artists and strengthening cultural institutions are inseparable goals.
Photos: Los Pleneros de la Cresta Live at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. Aquí Somos Fundraiser, May 10, 2025. Photos by Herminio Rodríguez.
