Team Member
Aldo Castillo
 Email Aldo Castillo
As a native of Nicaragua, Aldo knows how important it is to involve the
global gay and lesbian movement in the cultural and sports worlds. He would
assist in any way possible to help create a wonderful and comprehensive arts
program as an added element for visitors to Chicago. He would also assist in
communicating the vision of the Gay Games to potential attendees from
Central and South America. Aldo is a Gallery Director, Curator, Art Dealer,
Artist and Human Rights Activist. "In my struggle for recognition in the
United States, I discovered a general lack of knowledge, appreciation and
understanding of the integrity and importance of Latin American art and
culture," he said. "Based on my experiences, I dedicated myself to change
this perception and in 1993 founded the Aldo Castillo Gallery, which today
has become an important part of both the Chicago and International art
scene. I have been recognized in a myriad of publications that have
confirmed my presence as a prominent leader in the Latino community. I was
born in Nicaragua in the midst of a civil war that has had well-known
consequences. However, I did not seek to express my sentiments by taking up
arms. Instead, I studied architecture and graphic design at the Rafael
Landivar University in Guatemala City, where I had the opportunity to study
with several famous Latin American artists including Dagoberto Vasquez. I
also studied in Lima, Peru. I arrived in the U.S. in 1985 and was granted a
scholarship to study at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I was
granted political asylum from war-torn Central America in 1986. As an art
dealer and curator, I have curated more than 150 art exhibitions, and I have
worked with corporate art programs. As an openly gay, openly HIV-positive
human-rights activist, I have collaborated with dozens of organizations
including the Illinois Federation for Human Rights, Amnesty International,
the Nelson Mandela Children's Foundation, the Chicago Coalition for the
Homeless, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, The Names Project, and The Chicago
Latino Cultural Center."
Team Member
Toni Armstrong Jr
Email Toni Armstrong Jr
Toni Armstrong, Jr. is a musician, photographer of lesbian festivals, and
producer of lesbian-feminist concerts at Mountain Moving Coffeehouse for
Womyn. She is coordinating the first-ever women's music and culture event
(September 2004) for the prestigious Chicago Historical Society. She was a
1997 inductee into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. She was
Publisher of HOT WIRE, lesbian-feminist music/cultural journal (1984-1994),
and Women's Music Plus directory (1977-1995). She has been one of the most
important forces on the women's music scene for decades. She was Coordinator
of GLSEN Chicago's youth leadership development/scholarship program
(1995-2003). Toni has been a Special Education teacher since 1976.
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