Quilting has long been used as a tool of creative resistance. During the Civil War, abolitionists sold quilts to fundraise for their cause. Starting in 1965, the Alabama-based Freedom Quilting Bee Cooperative helped raise money for Black community members who lost income due to their involvement in the fight for civil rights. Today, artists like […]
Author Archives: Kerry Cardoza
Posted inArts & Culture
28 years of freedom on the wall
What do Cesar Chavez, Ayn Rand, and Harold Washington have in common? They are among the 69 people featured in Adam Brooks’s public art project Freedom Wall, which has been installed on the building at 325 W. Huron since 1994. The text-based installation, which is viewable from the Brown Line’s Chicago stop, has undoubtedly been […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Deeper research and a politics of care
In the summer of 2020, the people of Chicago rose up in support of Black life, with thousands taking part in dozens of actions across the city. That season of uprisings had curator and cultural producer Ciera Alyse McKissick thinking about Black people moving through space: about how Black migration and travel has been a […]
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best new inquiry-minded design studio
“Material artifacts are the most concrete things that surround us in our homes,” writes Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book The Meaning of Things. Most of us, particularly since the pandemic started, spend the majority of our time in our homes—giving the objects and environments therein an oversized role in shaping our moods, our days, and […]
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best new artist-run project space
In August 2021, the new art gallery Ruschwoman announced its arrival with the group exhibition “Speculative Magenta Hauntology.” The lead image in the exhibition was by the late artist Chiara Fumai. In the photo, titled Annie Jones Reads Valerie Solanas, Fumai was dressed as the famed bearded woman Annie Jones; behind her, large, bold letters […]
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best visual artists turned improvising music group
On a chilly early evening in fall 2021, during the only proper opening that west-side backyard gallery the Franklin held all year, a crowd gathered to hear improvised music. Of the handful of live-music events I’ve attended since the start of the pandemic, it was easily the most magical. The vibe was relaxed and informal, […]
Posted inMusic
Malachi Ritscher gave Chicago’s fringe music his whole heart
Listen to a raw and raucous Nirvana concert at Metro in 1990. Hear Slint performing a knockout cover of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer” at Club Dreamerz. Check out a rare live set from local postpunks End Result, or New York’s ESG in 1984 at Lakeview’s long-defunct countercultural nightclub Medusa’s. Or peruse more than 1,000 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
When art and life are intertwined
“What kind of a community do you want to live in?” That question, which can be found on the Stockyard Institute’s home page, is at the core of the organization’s identity. Founded by Jim Duignan in 1995, the Stockyard Institute is part civics project, part art practice, and wholly an experiment in liberatory social practice […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Growing together at the El Paseo Community Garden
In the permaculture site at El Paseo Community Garden, seven layers of plants grow in a harmonious, planned ecosystem. Wild strawberries flourish at the foot of fruit trees, out of direct sunlight. Comfrey grows near herbs and berries, bringing nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil, acting as a sort of natural fertilizer to neighboring plants. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Faheem Majeed’s art holds up a mirror to institutions, and himself
The artist’s new solo exhibition explores the impact and imperfections of the South Side Community Art Center.
Posted inArts & Culture
What are human rights to the incarcerated?
Two books explore the creativity of people in prison while highlighting their lack of access to basic necessities.
Posted inArts & Culture
‘The Long Dream’ and a labor nightmare
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s latest exhibit preaches equity, but behind the scenes artists and former museum employees are demanding real change.
Posted inNews & Politics
Inside the fight for racial equity at SAIC
Current and former students, staff, and faculty at the top-ranked art school describe microaggressions, discrimination, and a failed anti-racism campaign.
Posted inNews & Politics
The toll of coronavirus
Loved ones reflect on the loss of partners, parents, siblings, joy givers, caretakers, and secret keepers.
