FLOURISH
A look back at 2023 and what’s in store for 2024.
Dear community art lovers,
As we look back on 2023, Arts + Public Life is delighted to report that the Arts Block has flourished with thriving projects across all our spaces, including the Arts Lawn, the much-anticipated newest addition. Throughout the year, we further amplified the work of artists, performers, creative entrepreneurs, and youth, who serve as pillars of an energized Washington Park.
Throughout the year, more than 5,400 attendees enjoyed over 170 free public programs on the Arts Block. Over 150 teenagers were engaged in 307 art education program sessions, spending 929 hours on the Arts Block. In addition, APL’s South Side Home Movie Project welcomed over 500 new home movie donations into its archive. We hosted our largest-ever event with the October inauguration of the Arts Lawn, showcasing its manifold potential for activation with performances, an arts marketplace, and a film screening.
We want to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our audiences, partners, fellows, residents, students, and donors who helped make 2023 a landmark year for Arts + Public Life. As we move forward into 2024, we will continue to build upon the foundation we’ve established: to support artists, cultivate community partnerships, and create a space for creativity to flourish. I am honored to be a part of this ongoing work and look forward to what we will accomplish together in the coming year. Thank you for being an integral part of the APL family. We look forward to seeing you on the Arts Block in 2024.
Adrienne Brown
Director of Arts + Public Life
Associate Professor in the Departments of English and Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity
“The event exuded joy, creativity, and happiness, leaving us eagerly anticipating future gatherings in this new communal space. What made this grand opening truly exceptional was its heartwarming focus on the community, with vibrant vendors and captivating performances coming together to celebrate our shared creativity and spirit. This is an event that will forever hold a special place in our memories."
—Cherita Chavers, founder of Beauty Marked Vintage and a proud vendor at Vends + Vibes
“We got our start on the Arts Block 6 years ago when we first introduced Chicago to this new Black chamber music series called D-Composed…today, we welcome a new chapter of our history with the opening of the Arts Lawn… Our work is impossible without our partners, and we're grateful to our partners at Arts + Public Life for providing a platform and a space that amplifies our work. The Arts Lawn will become a vital resource for artists, and D-Composed is grateful to be a part of this history and legacy.”
—Kori Coleman, Executive and Artistic Director, D-Composed
The Arts Lawn is our fourth and newest venue on the Arts Block. As an accessible, local hub for connection and enrichment, it provides equitable access to outdoor arts programming. On October 7, Arts + Public Life welcomed over 1,500 community members, civic leaders, and university officials to celebrate its grand opening. The festivities included electrifying performances by Kuumba Lynx and the Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School marching band, the world-premier of D-Composed’s documentary Altar Call, and the beloved Vends + Vibes annual arts marketplace featuring 28 South Side creative entrepreneurs.
The Arts Lawn is our fourth venue on the Arts Block, adding nearly one acre of beautiful green space to the Washington Park neighborhood. As an accessible, local hub for connection and enrichment, it provides equitable access to outdoor arts programming. On October 7, Arts + Public Life welcomed over 1,500 community members, civic leaders, and university officials to celebrate its grand opening. The festivities included electrifying performances by Kuumba Lynx and the Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School marching band, the world-premier of D-Composed’s documentary Altar Call, and the beloved Vends + Vibes annual arts marketplace featuring 28 South Side creative entrepreneurs.
The grand opening showcased the wide array of possibilities for outdoor performances and activities and generated much anticipation for Arts Lawn programs to come. Programming will roll out in three phases over the next few years to allow training and capacity building on the use and management of the space:
In 2024, our first season of programming will debut signature APL programs in this beautiful outdoor setting.
In 2025, we will invite community partners to join us in co-creating experiences for our neighbors and audiences.
In 2026, we will accept public requests and ideas for the use of the Arts Lawn.
Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter for all the updates!
Tracye Matthews with 2023 Artists-in-Residence, Jess Atieno, Gloria ‘Gloe’ Talamantes, and Shani Crowe
APL/CSRPC Artists-in-Residence
Arts + Public Life and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture (CSRPC) resumed the artists-in-residence program this year, welcoming Jess Atieno, Shani Crowe, and Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes as the 12th cohort. Busy in their studios, on campus, and across the city, the artists offered audiences multiple opportunities to experience their new work and engage directly over the course of the 10-month residency. Over the summer, Shani Crowe invited Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry to co-present a unique ASMR sound bath experience including soft-spoken words, hair play, and live music for Black women’s rest and rejuvenation. In the fall, Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes hosted a weaving event at CSRPC, inviting community members to explore designs, patterns, and colors, including weaving techniques used by Mexican artisans.
In October, APL welcomed visitors to the Gallery in the Arts Incubator to view Black is the Color of the Cosmos, the culminating exhibition for the 2023 AIRs cohort. Showcasing works produced during their residency, each artist reflected on themes of iconography, identity, and tactility through public art, photography, and single-channel video. The exhibition culminated in December with a special tour and talk between artist Jess Atieno and curator Sheridan Tucker Anderson.
Performance Residency: Pilot
From June 2022 to March 2023, the Green Line Performing Arts Center was the creative home for eight performance artists and creative ensembles. The Performance Residency produced projects and performances, including puppetry, jazz, footwork style dance, stand-up comedy, audio projects, and film. Participating artists created powerful work and made significant contributions to the cultural landscape of Chicago’s South Side.
The residency cohort’s theme, Pilot, signified experimentation and new beginnings. The resident artists incubated, developed, and presented new works, each charting a bold new course in their creative practice. The artists' collective efforts, in collaboration with Arts + Public Life, established a lasting tone and standard for APL’s Performance Residency.
Averaging 13 collaborations each, the Performance Residents nurtured projects from conception to performance, and engaged with over 100 Chicago artists throughout their term.
Here’s what our residents shared about their residency experience:
“APL not only said ‘yes’ to my ideas, they said ‘yes and’ making it a true collaborative experience.”
—Alyssa Gregory, The Process
“The support I received in developing the piece was beyond my expectations. I feel excited and prepared to move to the next level.”
—Sharyon Culberson, Black Joy Always Wins
“[I]t felt very gratifying and admirable that APL was affording me the opportunity to shine my own light as an artist and community organizer.”
—Rachel Gadson, Dear Black Artists featuring the Seventy Sevens
From left to right: Kiki King, Anjal Chande, Sharyon Culberson, Tatsu Aoki, Rachel Gadson, Rika Lin, Deja Hood, Alyssa Gregory, Cam Be, Neak
The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born
April 11 - May 15
In conjunction with Expo Chicago’s South Side Night, APL presented artist zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal's new body of work. The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born focused extensively on notions of embodiment, alternative modes of movement, imagining technologies, intimacy, and collectivity in physical and digital spaces. dumas-o'neal returned to the Arts Incubator as an alum of the APL/CSRPC artists-in-residency program.
An unforgettable opening night performance titled The Score(s): V (it was slow and all at once) with Rohan Ayinde and Yewande YoYo Odunubi kicked off the month-long exhibition.
You Remember Frank London Brown
June 9 - August 4
You Remember Frank London Brown was guest curated by APL’s faculty director Adrienne Brown, Eve L. Ewing, Korey Williams, and Angela Orokoh.
Embracing APL’s ethos of cultural stewardship, this archive-rich exhibition explored and celebrated the legacy of Frank London Brown through the movements he shaped, the music he loved, the art he made, and the connections he held with those who loved him.
Black is the Color of the Cosmos
October 20 - December 8
The final showcase of new work created during the APL/CSRPC residency program is a special annual send-off to the three artists who participate in the co-administered residency. Black is the Color of the Cosmos showcased the breadth of work Jess Atieno, Shani Crowe, and Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes produced during the 10-month opportunity. Each artist made bold new work, stretching themselves to new mediums as they ruminated on the themes of iconography, identity, and tactility.
This year, over 5,400 Chicagoans made their way to the Arts Block for 173 public programs ranging from exhibition openings, film screenings, comedy nights, and live performances, to dance workshops, yoga classes, and knitting sessions.
Signature Series
APL’s signature series continued to thrive in 2023. The Green Line Performing Arts Center hosted ten fantastic nights of First Monday Jazz, four unforgettable evenings with music historian/DJ Duane Powell’s Rear View Mirror Sessions (the 2023 season dedicated to four virtuosic vocalists: Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, The Isley Brothers, and Rick James), and four side-splitting sets with the newest crowd-pleaser in the line-up, My Best Friend is Black.
New Hits in 2023
In collaboration with various creative partners, APL introduced a variety of new programs to the Arts Block. Details can be found on our website’s new Event Calendar:
South Side Community Archiving Now (April) - celebrating brilliant innovations in archiving on Chicago's South Side, with a host of local archivists whose projects expanded the possibilities for community-engaged archiving, including Tempestt Hazel, Meida McNeal, Kimberly C. Ransom, Stacie Williams, and Justin Williams.
Fierceness Served: Creating Black Queer Cultural Space (July) - celebrating Black queer creative space with an evening of film, conversation, and a party, in partnership with Sisters in Cinema and Party Noire.
The Community Arts + Culture Programs invited neighbors, local artists, and practitioners to propose programs to activate APL’s Flex Space in collaboration with our program team.
Eunoia Society Music + Tech Workshop for Black Girls (June) - An electronic music workshop for young Black girls (8-12 years old), complete with electronic music kits.
Community Dance with Sadira Muhammad & Keishonda Simms (June) - Afro-diaspora rhythms and a brief lecture demo grounded a dance class honoring West Indian heritage and the history of Africans in Brazil and Jamaica.
Briana Clearly’s Directing Actors Workshop (November) - Filmmaker Briana’s unique workshop based on conversation, collaboration, and movement is designed to give directors and actors practical tools to craft performance in film.
Keyholders
These values-aligned community groups hosted a range of meetings, workshops, and instructional public engagements in APL spaces at no cost, bringing their energy and experiences into conversation with our ongoing public programs:
Committed Knitters Bi-weekly Meetup: A group of 20-30 knitters came together to handcraft pieces, showcase quilts, celebrate birthdays, and uplift each other through friendship and creative comradery.
Washington Park Camera Club: Founded in 1955, this is the oldest, predominately African-American camera club in the Chicago area. They meet bi-monthly in the Flex Space to host guest speakers, plan excursions, and skill-share.
Community Yoga with Latipha Rivers: Every Friday and Saturday morning, Latipha brought an uplifting yoga practice to the Incubator, guiding participants through breathing and flows that reconnect body, mind, and spirit.
Arts + Public Life Education offers in-depth arts programming to Chicago South Side youth, aiming to cultivate creativity, social development, and leadership while inspiring them to find and create their places in the world.
Teen Development Day
APL teens collaborated with participants from the Smart Museum's youth program for a day of enriching professional development. The diverse workshops included sessions on self-care and leadership led by SkyArts, creative entrepreneurship guided by L1 Legacy Fellow Peter Gaona, an artist portfolio building with APL’s Associate Director of Exhibitions and Residencies, Sheridan Tucker Anderson, and the art of podcasting presented by Alyssa Gregory, APL’s Communications Manager and host of The Process podcast. Additionally, Aaliyah Haynes, a BSP Alum, engaged participants in a thought-provoking exploration of artivism. The collective experience provided a dynamic platform for learning and creative exchange among the enthusiastic youth.
Teen Arts Council
Backstage Production Program
The Backstage Production Program (BSP) had an exceptional year of programming. BSP was awarded the AAMPA Griot Lab Fellowship, which provides free access to the AAMPA lab and tickets to attend professional productions around Chicago, including a master workshop with Robert Townsend. In addition, AAMPA organized a summer workshop in media and television production at WGN, where apprentices had the opportunity to tour the WGN studios, meet with production staff, and create content that aired on People to People hosted by Micah Meterre.
Design Apprenticeship Program
Last spring, the Design Apprenticeship Program collaborated with Natty Bwoy, a Chicago-based youth skateboard school. Students designed and built a collection of modular skateboard objects through this partnership. We invite you to follow Natty Bwoy (ig: @nattybwoychicago), attend their lessons, and ride on the objects that the Design Apprenticeship Program crafted for the next generation of skateboarders.
During the summer, 16 teens in our Design Apprenticeship Program completed two significant furniture installations for the Arts Block. DAP students designed, built, and created a long-term plant care plan for each planter-bench. You may view these beautiful works at The Arts Lawn and behind the L1 Creative Business Accelerator + Retail Store.
150 teenage participants were engaged in 309 art education program sessions, spending a total of 929 hours on the Arts Block, including 270 hours of direct instruction.
The Teen Arts Council strives to create an environment where students are encouraged to experiment, explore, and ultimately express themselves.
During the fall, teens explored the environmental, social, and conceptual impacts of using recycled, unwanted, and discarded materials to create new works.
Community Actors Program
Joanna Robbins, a Community Actors Program member, performed a solo reading of Frank London Brown's poem "Jazz" at the opening reception of the exhibition You Remember Frank London Brown co-curated by APL faculty director Adrienne Brown and UChicago professor and author Eve L. Ewing, along with Corey Williams and Angela Orokoh.
In September, APL lost a beloved staff member, Roderick Sawyer, Jr.
Rod led the Teen Arts Council as a teaching artist and mentor since 2022. Rod brought incredible energy and knowledge to our Education programs, and we will always be grateful for his contributions and continue to honor his legacy.
Our 2023 Cohort
A new cohort of fellows joined the L1 Creative Business Accelerator program and were welcomed to the L1 Retail Store:
Samantha Jo of Samantha Jo’s Balm Yard
Keyon Huggins of Hyde & Park Co.
Jamica Harper of Red Elephant Candle Company
They completed their fellowship and gained valuable insights and connections to continue growing their businesses. We are thrilled to have been a part of their journeys and hope you can join us to continue supporting their entrepreneurial ventures.
New Curriculum Design
Proximity, the urban planning and social impact arm of The Silver Room Foundation, remains the primary mentor for the fellowship program, along with support from UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship. This year, we launched the Legacy Fellow initiative, inviting the inaugural fellow, Peter Gaona of Reformed School, to return to L1 and serve as a mentor to the new fellows. We curated a series of workshops led by experts in the industry to equip our fellows with the knowledge and social capital to scale their businesses, covering topics such as bookkeeping, accounting, commercial real estate, branding, and packaging. The fellows applied all their learnings during their 10-month residency at the L1 Shop, implementing operations and retail best practices.
Arts Marketplaces
L1 hosted two marketplaces this year: 14 creative entrepreneurs were selected for the Good Vibes on Garfield in July and 28 for the Vends + Vibes during the Arts Lawn Grand Opening in October. The vendors were a mix of creative entrepreneurs in self-care, home decor, jewelry, fashion, art, and food. Their products were loved by visitors to the Arts Block!
2023 marked the inaugural year of the Chicago Critic’s Table, a new fellowship program made possible with generous support from the Mellon Foundation.
In our pilot year, this program explored how to create new critical communities composed of groups often treated as distinct — scholarly audiences, professional critics, fellow artists, community members who frequent the arts, community members who don’t, and more.
Chicago Critic’s Table is designed to offer emerging critics the opportunity to build a lasting network of colleagues across a range of topics, methods, and platforms in order to support and experiment as they continue to develop their voice, practice, and audience.
Our 2023 Cohort
Meralis Alvarez-Morales
Camille Bacon
Rikki Byrd
Zaria El-Fil
Britt Julious
Regina Victor
Throughout 2023, our Cultural Stewardship focus came alive in public programs. From the South Side Community Archiving Now event uniting community archivists to the exploration of South Side music venues in Body and Soul: Recovering Community Stories with Chicago Studies, each event celebrated community spirit and cultural legacies.
Body & Soul
"Body & Soul" (May) was a standout, vibrant with live performances and cultural reminiscences. With Honey Pot Performances Chicago Black Social Culture Map, we traced histories and honored legacies by reuniting and exchanging stories.
Our partnership with Chicago Studies in the College at the University of Chicago enriched every event, creating spaces for preserving and celebrating culture together.
How to Tell a Story of a Life
Diverse practitioners from film, poetry, archiving, curation, and music gathered for "How to Tell a Story of a Life" (July). Led by curator Duane Powell, archivist Skyla Hearn, and poet Angela Jackson, the event shared creative strategies for portraying overlooked Black historical figures. Moderated by Adrienne Brown and Eve L. Ewing, it was a vibrant exchange celebrating diverse narratives.
"Committee of Six" Screening and Discussion
Presented by Arts + Public Life and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, with support from Chicago Studies and the Chicago Architecture Center, the screening of "Committee of Six" (November) delved into UChicago's complex history with its neighboring communities. The film, by Fred Schmidt-Arenales and Ellenor Riley-Condit, used innovative strategies and archival material to tell the story. Lively post-screening conversations explored power dynamics, community repair, and healing in a segregated city, fostering reflection on shared responsibilities.
Archive Grows to 1000+ Home Movies
Over the course of the year, South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) experienced a major expansion of the archive with over 500 home movies being donated. SSHMP's largest collection of films, the Ramon Williams Collection, continues to grow, with 97 new films donated in 2023, bringing the collection to over 300 films. The Filipino American Historical Society, an independent cultural heritage organization, donated 240 films, including rare footage of Filipino families in Chicago dating back to the 1930s.
SSHMP’s unique artist/archive collaboration series took the stage for the first time in 2023, featuring two live performances of original material inspired by South Side home movies.
“Spinning Home Movies #18: A Pocket Universe” featured an all-new mix of vintage home movie footage scored and performed by rapper, poet, actor, teaching artist, and author Mykele Deville, accompanied by interdisciplinary multimedia artist, composer, and performer [jef]Frey Michael Austin, at the Green Line Performing Arts Center in April. Created through a 4-month residency with SSHMP, Mykele’s mix was an exploration of resilience, dreaming, and the innumerable codes that anchor our lives.
“Spinning Home Movies #19: Rhythm and Love” was an evening of musical performance, vintage films, and lively commentary capping the 2023 South Side Home Movie Project artist residency with composer and musician Reginald R. Robinson, in collaboration with film scholar Allyson Nadia Field. Tracing the discontinuities/continuities of Black Life and dance across a century, “Rhythm and Love” drew upon audiovisual fragments of historic Black life — ragtime tunes, rare clips of early Black cinema, scenes from the Roberts Show Lounge, house music beats — to present a unique mix of film and music both historic and contemporary. The performance featured original music composed, produced, and performed by Reginald R. Robinson, with percussionist Coco Elysses and saxophonist Fred Jackson. Co-produced by Chip E. Spoken word performance by Staccato.
SSHMP High School Curriculum
"What Home Movies Reveal: A Guide for Exploring the South Side Home Movie Project Archive" is an imaginative, engaging, and joy-filled curriculum for classrooms, teaching artists, and student researchers interested in exploring the power of home movies as primary sources. Through interactive lessons, activities, and creative reuse projects, the SSHMP curriculum guides students as they dive deeply into topics like the Great Migration through home movies and oral histories recorded by South Siders. Over three years in development, the curriculum launched at SSHMP's Home Movie Day in October, and debuted publicly at the Teachers for Social Justice Curriculum Fair in November. Pilot versions took place at South Shore Fine Arts Academy, UChicago Lab School, and in collaboration with the Teen Arts Council at Arts + Public Life.
Spinning Home Movies Goes Live
Home Movie Day
This year, we created multiple pop-up vintage living rooms to provide people with an immersive environment to enjoy home movies. Visitors had the opportunity to learn more about the Ramon Williams Collection and enjoy a new mix by DJ Lori Branch.
Congratulations to Our 2023 Cohort
We wish our 2023 cohort the best and look forward to engaging with their practices as alumni. Join us to continue following these incredible artists and creators:
Artists-in-Residence:
Jess Atieno (@jess_atieno)
Shani Crowe (@crowezilla)
Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes (@gloeone)
L1 Creative Business Accelerator
Jamica Harper (@red.elephantcandleco)
Samantha Jo (@isamanthajo | @samanthajosbalmyard)
Keyon Huggins (@hydeandparkco)
Performance Residency:
Alyssa Gregory (@the.process.pod)
Chris “Mad Dog” Thompson (@kuumbalynx. | @chris_maddog_fwk)
Chio Cabrera (@chiocabreracoz)
Tatsu Aoki ( @basserlive)
Rachel Gadson (@ilacreativestudio)
Sharyon Culberson (@sharyon_anita)
Mike Atcherson (@ogmikeatch)
Marcus Banks (@barcusmanks)
Chloe Mikala (@chloe_mikala)
Justin Walker (@thealmightytroll)
Roe Hudson (@ohrrho)
Cam Be (@camovement) and Neek (@neak_undefined)
We’ve Built a Stronger Team
In 2023, we built a dedicated communications team, which includes Liu Yang as the new Associate Director of Communications, and Alyssa Gregory as the Communications Manager. They have been working hard to create effective content and channels to expand our reach and strengthen our connections with our audience.
We were also very pleased to welcome Ebere Agwuncha as our Education Program Manager, Kierah ‘Kiki’ King as co-instructor for CAP, and Simone Scigousky as TAC instructor. They worked with the students in the Arts Education programs throughout the fall quarter, guiding them on their creative journeys. In addition, we welcomed Camille Townson as SSHMP Processing Archivist, Josué Romero-Velasques as Woodshop Manager and Exhibitions Preparator, and Devonte Washington as Backstage Production Assistant and Educator.
Our existing team also grew stronger, with Nootan Bharani taking on the new role of Associate Director of Cultural Stewardship and University Partnerships, Sabrina Craig as Associate Director of Engagement and Partnerships, and Justin Williams as the Assistant Director of SSHMP. Nootan, Sabrina, and Justin also constitute the Faculty Director’s Cultural Stewardship Team, a new initiative to formalize APL’s efforts to ensure that South Side residents' diverse experiences and legacies are preserved through art, archives, and hyperlocal community programs.
What to Expect in 2024:
We appreciate all the applications we’ve received for our residency programs. We will announce new cohorts of artists, performers, and creative entrepreneurs in early 2024.
APL was awarded funding from the Terra Foundation for American Art, Art Design Chicago to produce Of Her Becoming: Elizabeth Catlett’s Legacy in Chicago. The exhibition will open in June 2024.
A new installment of the First Monday Jazz series will build on ten years of outstanding shows with a line-up of emerging and established jazz artists from across the city.
APL will expand our beloved Rear View Mirror Sessions beyond the GLPAC into two new venues, the Logan Center for the Arts and the Arts Lawn.
Our students in the Design Apprenticeship Program will partner with Chicago Park Districts for an outdoor furniture installation at Douglass Park.
South Side Home Movie Project will screen Ramon Williams’ films of the Bud Billiken Parade from the 1940s-60s on an LED-screen truck during the 2024 parade route.
South Side Home Movie Project will partner with Illinois Humanities and Chicago-based designers, style experts, and youth artists and culminate in a special edition of “Spinning Home Movies”.
When it gets warmer, we will debut APL’s signature programs in the beautiful outdoor setting on the Arts Lawn.
As we start 2024 filled with renewed enthusiasm and hope, I am grateful for the collective efforts that propelled Arts + Public Life to new heights in 2023. Last year, APL's commitment to Washington Park continued as we successfully updated existing programs, launched new initiatives, filled the calendar with public events, artists residencies, exhibitions, and arts education, and erected cultural infrastructure that now stands as an additional testament to our mission. We have embraced change and the spirit of flourishing, nurturing an environment where the history, community, and culture of Washington Park can thrive.
As we reflect on our accomplishments, let us carry last year's momentum forward, building upon the foundation we've laid since 2011 to continue fostering a vibrant and flourishing South Side of Chicago. Thank you for your unwavering support and commitment to our values. Here's to a 2024 filled with even more outstanding achievements, shared creativity, and partnerships!
Alfredo Nieves-Moreno
Arts + Public Life, Deputy Director
We are grateful for our long-standing partners
And our major funders
2023 Year-in-Review photos by:
Anjali Pinto | Joel Maisonet | Jovan Landry | Natasha Moustache Simeon Frierson | Zac Whittenburg