Art activations across Chicago for Democratic National Convention

Gertie, a civic and cultural agency expanding the impact of Chicago’s creative economy founded by Abby Pucker, will present Next Stop: Chicago, a series of public art activations by community-based organizations across the city addressing infrastructure inequity in Chicago, timed to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from August 19-22, 2024. Gertie has awarded more than $400,000 in grants to seven community-led projects (listed below) along the Chicago Transit Authority’s Green Line (which connects Chicago’s West and South Side to the convention locations and downtown) examining the nature of infrastructure and its importance for historically marginalized communities, especially post-pandemic.

Next Stop: Chicago showcases the ways in which the arts, alongside the beautification of and investment in infrastructure, drives economic growth. The initiative’s public activations aim to call attention to organizations whose placemaking work is revitalizing gathering spaces outside of work and home (known as “third spaces”) post-pandemic, and represent the vital contributions creative small businesses make by employing artists that keep communities vibrant. 

Vic Mensa, rapper and actor on The Chi, will host a series of short videos on the project that will live on Gertie’s social channels and website.

“Gertie organized Next Stop: Chicago to amplify artist and community voices spanning Chicago’s vast network of neighborhoods at this historic political moment, when there is a global spotlight on the city,” Pucker said. “Next Stop: Chicago is designed to highlight the important intersection of infrastructure and the arts through installations and programs that address resource allocation and infrastructure inequity—an issue that has disproportionately impacted Black and brown people in this city. This problem won’t be solved with a one-size-fits-all approach, and requires collaboration and creativity across sectors to ensure our city thrives at its highest level.” 

Acting as a conduit, Gertie secured critical support from partners including Good Chaos, Joyce Foundation, Pritzker Traubert Foundation in order to provide grants (ranging from $10,000-$80,000) to the community partners named below to support production and artist fees for citywide public art initiatives.

Program partners include:

• Grant amount $80,000 – Arts + Public Life (Washington Park): “Homecoming” is a two-day activation (August 20-21) on the newly constructed Arts Lawn (337 E. Garfield Blvd.) that invites Washington Park residents and neighborhood commuters to unwind between work and home in Washington Park’s newest “third space,” just steps from the Garfield Green Line CTA stop and the #55 bus route. The activation is constructed to reclaim leisure on Chicago’s South Side with a unique soundscape, refreshments, and card and board games. Attendees are meant to experiment and play with the new sound sculpture created by Chicago artists ebere agwuncha and Josué Esaú and relax on the new suite of outdoor furniture designed by APL’s Design Apprenticeship Program II. For more information click here.
• Grant amount $80,000 – Grow Greater Englewood & Englewood Arts Collective (Englewood): On August 22nd, Englewood Arts Collective will unveil a living sculpture in front of community members and leaders who are gathering for a Black Abundance Dinner curated and led by Grow Greater Englewood at the Englewood Trail entrance at 58th and Halsted. This living sculpture will serve as a proof of concept to kick off catalytic community input for future realizations as part of a larger “We Deserve Beautiful Spaces” public art campaign throughout the neighborhood at-large over the next 1-5 years. This campaign is being launched in accordance with the kick-off of Grow Greater Englewood’s construction of the Englewood Trail—a $90M infrastructure project on city-owned land that will aim to connect Englewood to surrounding communities in a walkable and more beautiful way. The Trail will also serve as the anchor for building out an agro-eco district which will attract and promote creative and clean energy businesses to the South Side. For more information, click here.
• Grant amount $80,000 – SkyART – For Freedoms (Garfield Park): SkyART is using the funds from Next Stop: Chicago to produce the inaugural Heart & Craft on Lake community arts festival. This event marks the inauguration of the 3400 block of W. Lake Street as a creative corridor through a collaboration between hyperlocal organizations working together to elevate the voices of West Side residents and provide holistic programming for all ages. The festival will include a free community meal, an interactive town hall, the unveiling of a mural created by artist Jake Troyli in collaboration with SkyART youth, creative workshops, and resources from other community groups. Artist Autumn Breon will also be on-site with her Care Machine project to provide free self-care essentials for community members, and all are invited to enjoy a special performance by the youth drumline from BandWith Chicago and revel in the House Music mix with DJ Duane Powell to close out the evening. The Heart & Craft on Lake Collaborative includes SkyART, Firebird Community Arts, Revolution Workshop, and Inspiration Kitchens. For more information, click here.
• Grant amount $80,000 – Urban Juncture Initiative (Bronzeville): The Bronzeville Murals Project will develop a series of murals celebrating Bronzeville culture at three central locations: the Boxville shipping container market and Bronzeville Cookin’ culinary facility at 51st and the “L,” and The Forum at 43rd and the “L.” These murals are activated through a set of bi-weekly events. Previous events included the Juneteenth Boxville Markets Opening Celebration (June 19). Upcoming events include A Celebration of Bronzeville Culture (August 21, 4-7 PM), and an Open House Chicago (October 19-20) Season Close—all designed to advance creative Black entrepreneurship and engage community residents and visitors. For more information, click here.
• Grant amount $70,000 – Wabash Lights (Loop) The Wabash Lights by Jack C. Newell and Vinod Havalad comprise a 50-foot-long interactive light installation located under the Chicago “L” at the Washington/Wabash station. The project is the first piece of accessible, open-source public art in Chicago. It is designed to amplify the cultural identity of the city and its close ties to a history of infrastructure and transportation; boost community engagement and sense of ownership for people who live and work on Wabash; and promote public safety by lighting areas of the city that are otherwise darkened by the “L” tracks. This is a permanent addition to the Wabash/Washington station. For more information, click here.
• Grant amount of $10,000 – AfroDisco Social Hour x Blanc Gallery (Bronzeville): Presented at Blanc Gallery in the heart of Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, independent curators Nnaemeka Ekwelum and Alexandria Eregbu—co-founders of AfroDisco Social Hour—have organized This Heavenly Body, an exhibition of artist Seed Lynn’s work. Works on view represent a political response to the nationwide closures of roller-skating rinks, bowling alleys, amusement parks, and other social spaces that promote and facilitate Black gathering and community building. This highly anticipated exhibition is now open to the public and runs until August 24, 2024, featuring programs and events in partnership with Next Stop: Chicago. For more information, click here.
• Grant amount of $10,000 – Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) (Englewood): IMAN presents the free outdoor Arts for EveryBody Mini-Festival, featuring Vic Mensa, aja monet, and more, at the Go Green Griot Plaza—a previously abandoned lot located in the historically disinvested neighborhood of Englewood. The newly opened Go Green Griot Plaza is an outdoor creative hub that commemorates the legacy of the griot—the West African storytellers revered for preserving the legacy of their communities—and pays tribute to the power of storytelling to connect, inspire, and drive our collective efforts forward. Connected to IMAN’s Go Green Community Fresh Market, the Griot Plaza acts as a vital milestone in the broader effort to advocate for food and transit justice through initiatives such as the IMAN Food & Wellness Center, the re-opening of the Racine Station, and the Granville T. Woods Regenerator.

As a way to create a visual marker of these activations, six large billboards are going up in proximity to work sites in partnership with For Freedoms, an artist-led organization that centers art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement, discourse, and direct action.

• SkyART: 4530 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60624 (East Garfield Park)
• Arts + Public Life: Near 319 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL  60637 (Washington Park)
• Grow Greater Englewood & Englewood Arts Collective: 58th and Halsted (Englewood) 
• Urban Juncture:
  • 330 E 51st St, Chicago, IL 60615 (Bronzeville)
  • 318-324 E 43rd St, Chicago, IL 60653 (Bronzeville #2)
  • 304-314 East 51st (Bronzeville #3)
• Wabash Lights: Wabash between Madison and Monroe (The Loop)

For more information: https://www.nextstopchicago.co/

About Gertie

Gertie is a civic and cultural agency that convenes and educates Chicago’s culturally curious through in-person gatherings and digital storytelling to develop, amplify, and expand the reach of the city’s creative ecosystem. Gertie bridges relationships with creative and corporate communities to craft and produce large-scale initiatives and iconic cultural moments that highlight and attract investment in Chicago’s arts and culture.

For more information, visit gertie.co.