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Filipino Nurses Exhibit 

Filipino Nurses Exhibit Travels to

Trickster Center in Schaumburg, IL

SCHAUMBURG, IL -- The Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC) is proud to announce the “Unheard Voices of Care: Filipino Nurses in America” exhibit will be traveling to the Trickster Cultural Center, 190 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, Illinois, opening to the public on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, and closing on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

In addition to the nursing exhibit, organizers will also dedicate a section of the gallery space to FAHSC’s “40 Years of Stories and History,” a look back at the stories, events, archival photos, material and film of FAHSC from its start in 1986 to the present.

To bring the exhibit to life, organizers will host a community gathering to tell the stories of area nurses, as well as a gala and closing reception to honor FAHSC on its 40th anniversary. Here’s more information on the upcoming events:

·         Media Day: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, from 3-5 p.m. Organizers will host local press members to help publicize the month-long residency at the Trickster Cultural Center.

·         “Stories of Nurses” Lecture and Community Gathering: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, from Noon - 2 p.m. at the Trickster Cultural Center. Admission is free.

·         Gala Night & Closing Ceremony: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. at the Trickster Cultural Center. For information and tickets visit: https://fanhschicago.wordpress.com/.

The collection shows a range of aspects of nurses’ lives, from the workplace to the home. One of the artifacts speaks to how cultural norms defined nursing as a female job. It’s an early “scrubs” uniform that instead of being unisex, is designed as a dress. While a hand-drawn portrait of a young nurse reveals the love of her fiancé back in the Philippines.

Melvin Almonguera of the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago said Filipino nurses were “an indispensable part of the region’s healthcare system.” He congratulated organizers and helped cut a ceremonial ribbon during the exhibit’s first opening reception at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago back in May of 2026.

“The history of Filipinos in health care here in the U.S. dates back over a century,” said Merle Salazar, a board member of FAHSC, which created the exhibit. “They helped shape the profession with their knowledge and cultural instincts, making nursing what it is today. This is an important exhibit that we hope will engage many within the Filipino-American community and beyond.”

The Trickster Cultural Center is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, however, donations are appreciated.

After its run at the Trickster Cultural Center, a portion of the nurses exhibit will move to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Asian American Resource and Cultural Center, 723 W. Maxwell in Chicago, where it will remain until December.

The Filipino nurses exhibit itself expands upon a smaller version on display in the fall of 2025 at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago. The creator of the initial display, Angel Abcede, is the author of “House of Nurses: An American Journey,” which recounts the experiences of his mother and aunts coming to the United States and their lives as nurses from the Philippines.

To dramatize the exhibit, CIRCA Pintig, Chicago’s premiere, Filipino theater company, will conduct live readings during the exhibit’s stay at Trickster. These readings are meant to bring immediacy and relevance to the collection’s artifacts.

Both CIRCA Pintig and “House of Nurses: An American Journey” are co-sponsors and creators of the exhibit, along with FAHSC.

FAHSC was founded in Chicago in 1986 by Estrella Alamar, with the Trickster exhibit marking four decades of collecting, preserving, and sharing the history and legacy of Filipinos in America, with milestones and events around the Greater Chicago area. FAHSC’s mission is to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.

LATEST ARTICLE (Dated May 17, 2026):

Lives of Filipino Nurses Examined 

Through Newly Opened Museum Exhibit  

CHICAGO – At a recent opening reception, attendees viewed the unveiling of an exhibit examining the lives of Filipino nurses and revealing the confluence of global and political powers that encouraged their migration to the United States.

With the Philippines funneling more workers into the U.S. healthcare system than any other country, a new exhibit at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago both defines 

and deconstructs an emerging stereotype: the Filipino nurse. 

Held on Friday, May 15, 2026, the reception highlighted the tangled history of colonialism, misogyny and racism powering this unique migration story. “Unheard Voices of Care: Filipino Nurses in America,” will run from May 15 to August 2, 2026, at the surgical museum, 1524 N. Lake Shore Drive in the Windy City’s Gold Coast neighborhood. It features hospital uniforms, medical equipment, awards, photographs and personal mementos, as well as a full schedule of lectures, panels and dramatic presentations designed to bring the collection to life.

The collection shows a range of aspects of nurses’ lives, from the workplace to the home. One of the artifacts is a letter from President Barack Obama, granting veterans’ status to a nurse who worked under American supervision during World War II. While a hand-drawn portrait of a young nurse reveals the love of her fiancé back in the Philippines.

Melvin Almonguera of the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago said Filipino nurses were “an indispensable part of the region’s healthcare system.” He congratulated organizers and helped cut a ceremonial ribbon during the exhibit’s reception.

“The history of Filipinos in health care here in the U.S. dates back over a century,” said Merle Salazar, a board member of the Filipino American National Historical Society Greater Chicago Chapter (FANHSC), which created the exhibit. “They helped shape the profession with their knowledge and cultural instincts, making nursing what it is today. This is an important exhibit that we hope will engage many within the Filipino-American community and beyond.”

The exhibit itself expands upon a smaller version recently on display at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago. The creator of the initial display, Angel Abcede, is the author of “House of Nurses: An American Journey,” which recounts the experiences of his mother and aunts coming to the United States and their lives as nurses from the Philippines.

“In writing this book, I saw how my family became part of American history,” Mr. Abcede said. “They were here when Pres. John F. Kennedy got shot. They watched Grace Kelley, Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews on the silver screen. They smelled the weed from Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. Many young Filipinos born here don’t know how intertwined with U.S. history our roots have become. So, we hope this exhibit will help them understand and gain a new sense of pride in being Americans.”

To dramatize the exhibit, CIRCA Pintig, Chicago’s premiere, Filipino theater company, will host multiple panels and live readings. Guest artists include poet and author, Dwight Okita; playwright and educator, Giovanni Ortega; composer and playwright, Foline Roos; and writer and creative producer, R.J. Silva.

“Part of any effort to tell stories from the past is bringing them to life,” said Ginger Leopoldo, founder of CIRCA Pintig. “So, in addition to the exhibit itself, we will hold a series of presentations and lectures that will capture these nurses’ lives with storytelling and live action.”

For more information on the exhibit and lecture series, visit https://imss.org/unheard-voices-of

care-filipino-nurses-in-america/. 

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