KENWOOD — A South Side “cultural treasure” that’s spent nearly three decades working with young creatives of color is expanding its Kenwood location with more adult programs.
Little Black Pearl, 1060 E. 47th St., will open a co-working lounge for creatives by the end of October and roll out workshops in the weeks to follow, founder Monica Haslip said.
The lounge is in its “soft launch stage” for the next two weeks, and visitors can explore the space and offer feedback on the programs they’d like to see hosted there, Haslip said.
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Photo Credit: Armand Morris/Block Club Chicago
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is very pleased to announce $14.4 million in grant funding to 40 organizations that contribute to the history, culture, vibrancy, and identity of communities of color in greater Chicago:
- Africa International House USA
- Aguijon Theater Company of Chicago
- American Indian Center
- Asian Improv aRts Midwest
- The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
- Black Ensemble Theater
- Chicago Blues Museum
- Chicago Jazz Philharmonic
- Chicago West Community Music Center
- Community Film Workshop of Chicago
- Congo Square Theatre Company
- Cuerdas Clasicas Inc.
- Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
- Diasporal Rhythms
- DuSable Museum of African American History
- eta Creative Arts Foundation, Inc.
- Gingarte Capoeira
- Inner-City Muslim Action Network
- International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago
- Jazz Institute of Chicago
- Joel Hall Dancers & Center
- Little Black Pearl Workshop
- Live the Spirit Residency / Englewood Jazz Festival
- Mexican Folk Dance Company of Chicago
- Muntu Dance Theatre
- Musical Arts Institute
- National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial
- National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
- Natya Dance Theatre
- Puerto Rican Arts Alliance
- Red Clay Dance Company
- Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
- Silk Road Rising
- Sones de Mexico
- South Shore Drill Team
- South Side Community Art Center
- Teatro Vista
- Threewalls
- UrbanTheater Company
- West Point School of Music/Epic Steel
Additional information follows.
“Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health.”
That’s how philanthropist MacKenzie Scott described the importance of arts groups in her most recent giving announcement. Chicago’s Cultural Treasures was one of 286 equity-oriented nonprofit teams that she chose for a large, unrestricted grant – in our case, $8 million.
These funds represent a nearly 50% increase in our total investment in Chicago’s BIPOC arts organizations – going from $16.75 million to $24.75 million.
Of course, we are thrilled to have a lot more dollars to invest in Chicago’s diverse arts and culture community. But we’re also pleased that Ms. Scott’s ethos so aligns with our approach to seek greater equity in funding art that reflects the full diversity of American culture – and to do so by yielding power to the very communities most impacted by our funding decisions.
We know you may have questions about how this money will be spent. We don’t have the answers yet. We wanted to share this information with you as soon as possible, and to let you know we’d be coming back to you later with more information.
In the meantime, our grant committee — comprised of a diverse group of community members, civic leaders, and artists whose common denominator is an appreciation for how art fits into the fabric of community in the Chicagoland region — are working diligently to determine our first group of grantees, which will be announced in July.
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures launched in December 2020 announcing several bold goals.
We vowed to achieve greater equity in funding art by supporting organizations that reflect the diversity of American culture. As a collaboration between the Ford Foundation, several local philanthropies, and IFF, we will do so by funding organizations whose mission is to facilitate the creation, preservation, and dissemination of art stemming from the traditions, leadership, and cultures of people of color.
We pledged to operate in a different manner, co-creating the initiative with arts and culture organizations and providing multi-year general operating support. We recognize that arts organizations—especially those that celebrate and preserve cultural traditions and those that are led by people of color—are facing unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, many have been underfunded for decades, facing financial struggles long before the pandemic.
We designed an initial process that will inform all that follows, inviting organizations to submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) that described their strengths and assets, as well as their current challenges. We received 148 submissions by the January 2021 deadline.
Fulfilling a commitment to openness and transparency, we are sharing with you what we learned from those submissions – and how we will develop the next phase of the initiative.
The National Museum of Mexican Art is 1 of the 20 organizations across the country designated by the Ford Foundation as an American Cultural Treasure — “a significant national anchor for artistic and cultural diversity in America.” The museum is the only Chicago-based organization to receive such a designation, which comes with significant general operating support.
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is building on this initiative with grant funding and programming for Chicago-based BIPOC arts and cultural organizations. Here’s what Carlos Tortolero, the founder and president of the museum, has to say about how the grant is making a difference for his organization and why other BIPOC-identified arts leaders should consider applying to the initiative.
