Exhibit Opening: Unheard Voices of Care: Filipino Nurses in America

Join us for the opening of a new exhibit at the IMSS honoring the stories of Filipino nurses in America.

Unheard Voices of Care: Filipino Nurses in America

Opening Reception

May 15, 2026

6:00-8:00pm

Doors at 5:45pm

Free and open to the public

About the Exhibit:

With the Philippines funneling more workers into the U.S. healthcare system than any other country, a new museum exhibit is set to both define and deconstruct an emerging stereotype: the Filipino nurse.

The tangled history of colonialism, misogyny and racism powering this unique migration story plays out in “Unheard Voices of Care: Filipino Nurses in America,” a new exhibit set to run from May 15 to August 2, 2026, at the International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 N. Lake Shore Drive in the Windy City’s Gold Coast neighborhood. It will feature hospital uniforms, medical equipment, awards, immigration documentation, photographs and personal mementos, as well as a full schedule of lectures, panels and dramatic presentations designed to bring the collection to life.

“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.”

Telling the stories of young women coming to America alone in the 1940s until present day, the exhibit artifacts displayed will range from university yearbooks and journals to combs and ballgowns brought and worn decades ago. Other items reference Richard Speck and the Filipino student nurses killed in the nation’s first mass murder.

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.

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.

This project is partially supported by a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

The International Museum of Surgical Science acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.