Arts & Entertainment
Smithsonian Collaborates With Local Organizations on Events Exploring Race and Racism in Chicago
An event co-hosted by National Public Housing Museum and In C/O Black Women on July 15, 2023, at Taylor St. Farms. The National Public Housing Museum will be hosting several “National Conversation on Race” events this month in collaboration with the Smithsonian. (Courtesy of Jackie Schwartz)
A program series kicking off this weekend aims to explore the history and legacy of race and racism in Chicago with the goal of building a more equitable future.
The Smithsonian is hosting the “National Conversation on Race” program series in collaboration with Chicago’s Center for Native Futures, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the National Public Housing Museum and the South Side Community Art Center.
Events are set to take place Sept. 20-28. All events are free and open to the public, with some requiring advance registration. A full detailed list of events can be found here.
Friday, Sept. 20, 6-9 p.m.
South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave.
Attendees can become a part of the art center’s Living Archive, a participatory archive capturing the memories of the community, by taking photos in a photo booth at the center. The photo strips will be scanned and preserved within the broader narrative of the Bronzeville neighborhood’s cultural legacy. The Bronzeville’s Art District Trolley Tour will also stop at SSCAC, inviting riders to hop on and hop off at various art galleries throughout the night.
Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Various neighborhoods
Organizations will be hosting two-day, citywide guided and self-guided tours with the aim of encouraging Chicagoans to foster understanding and disrupt segregation. Areas include Bronzeville, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Lincoln Park, Pilsen and the Loop. Neighborhood tours require registration.
Saturday, Sept. 21, 6-8 p.m.
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St.
The museum will host an evening reception, including roundtable discussions, spins by DJ Rae Chardonnay and performances by Harold Green, poet, and Frank Waln, Sicangu-Lakota hip-hop artist, storyteller and music producer. Registration is encouraged.
Sunday, Sept. 22, 1-3 p.m.
Center for Native Futures, 56 W. Adams St.
Sibling artists Monica Rickert-Bolter and Joel Rickert will speak about their graphic novel, the story of Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste DuSable, considered the founders of Chicago. They will also preview their upcoming exhibition, which opens at the National Public Housing Museum this fall.
Sunday, Sept. 22, 3-5:30 p.m.
Taylor Street Farms, Ada and Arthington streets
Participate in “Remembering Taylor Street,” an oral history listening session highlighting the lived experiences of public housing residents. Participants will have a chance to explore a historical memory and mapping project, co-created by urban designer Paola Aguirre and Borderless Studios. Registration is encouraged.
Thursday, Sept. 26, 1-3 p.m.
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St.
The National Museum of Mexican Art, in collaboration with the Mather senior living facility, presents “Viva la Vida,” a monthly workshop series tailored for creative agers. Adults ages 55 and older are invited to join a writing circle with poet and librarian C.T. Salazar. Registration is required.
Thursday, Sept. 26, 5-8:30 p.m.
Center for Native Futures, 56 W. Adams St.
The Center for Native Futures will host a screening of “Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting.” A conversation will follow with the director Ben West; April Holder, featured artist and descendent of Chief Blackhawk; and Angela Walden, clinical and community psychologist.
Friday, Sept. 27, 6-8 p.m.
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St.
Artist Delilah Montoya and professors Julie Dowling and Emmanuel Ortega will engage in a discussion related to Montoya’s ethnographic photography project “Contemporary Casta Portraiture: Nuestra ‘Calidad’” on race and human classifications inherited from 17th-century Colonial Mexico.
Saturday, Sept. 28, 1-3 p.m.
South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave.
A panel discussion will feature “Naked Acts” (1996) director Bridgett M. Davis, film scholar Maya Cade and curator Jada Amina H. for “Holding Our Own: On Intergenerational Care in the Arts.” They will host a dialogue exploring the challenges of preserving and promoting Black women’s artistic expressions. Naked Acts will be screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 28, 6-9 p.m.
Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School, 2245 W. Jackson Boulevard
The National Public Housing Museum will host a performance showcasing Chicago Footwork, a dance style using specific movements and music for cultural expression and storytelling. The show will also include reenactments and other creative forms of expression as a means of historical preservation. Through dance, Dr. ShaDawn “Boobie” Battle and the Place, Space, Werkz crew highlight Chicago’s complex history of housing injustice, and contribute to the ongoing resistance movement.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
