Planting Seeds and Building Bridges in the Windy City Part 2
The GIA board and select staff members took to Chicago, Illinois, for the board meeting and other activities from October 12-13, 2023, in preparation for the GIA 2024 Conference in Chicago.
The GIA board and team at South Side Community Art Center
Current exhibit at Pilsen Art and Community House
For Thursday’s day of learning, the group spent their morning with Lauren Pacheco, curator, civic practice artist, and community organizer. They began in the historic neighborhood of Pilsen on Chicago’s south side to visit the Hector Duarte Studio and meet Hector himself–who has worked as an artist and muralist in Chicago for over three decades and painted more than 50 murals for the city. The group then visited Pilsen Art and Community House (PACH), a nonprofit organization offering space and resources through exhibitions, art instruction, and mentorship. GIA’s cohort was met by one of PACH’s co-founders, Teresa Magaña, a multifaceted Chicago creative who has established herself as a mixed media artist, educator, curator, and gallery owner. Her work is rooted and heavily influenced by her Mexican and Chicana identity.
Speakers at the Inner-City Muslim Action Network
Then, the group headed south to 63rd to visit the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) with Binta K. Diallo, Arts and Culture Manager, and Alia J. Bilal, Deputy Executive Director. They toured IMAN’s facility, had a chance to preview their upcoming exhibit, and were gifted navy bean pies for the road. The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) is a community organization that fosters health, wellness, and healing for urban populations by organizing for social change, cultivating the arts, and operating a holistic health center.
The GIA team enjoyed a hardy soul food lunch at Pearl’s Place before the final stop of their tour at the South Side Community Arts Center (SSCAC). Founded in 1940, SSCAC is the oldest African American art center in the United States and is a Chicago Historic Landmark. Executive Director Monique Brinkman-Hill welcomed them. They explored their current exhibit, …Notes on Collaborative Friendship, a culmination of Nnaemeka C. Ekwelum’s doctoral research on friendship, artistic collaboration, and decolonial Black political thought.
The GIA board and staff concluded the day with a reception at Frontier featuring the company of local arts funders.
At the board meeting on Friday, GIA welcomed incoming members: Susan Anderson (The CIRI Foundation), Jennifer Coleman (The George Gund Foundation), Anna Needham (Arizona Commission on the Arts), and Michelle Ramos (Foundation for Louisiana). They also shared a heartfelt goodbye to outgoing board members Roberto Bedoya (City of Oakland), Randy Engstrom (LANGSTON), and Sharnita Johnson (Victoria Foundation).
