Chicago, IL—The Terra Foundation for American Art announced today that following its October board meeting, it has awarded several new grants to support education and exhibition programs for Art Design Chicago, a wide-ranging initiative spearheaded by the Foundation and developed in partnership with more than 60 cultural organizations to explore Chicago’s art and design legacy. Among them is a grant of up to $100,000 to the Center for Urban Education at DePaul University to provide Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students and teachers with access to Art Design Chicago exhibitions and to enhance the core curriculum. The project, which will be guided by Dr. Barbara Radner, an associate professor at the University and the director of the Center, will enable schools in low-income neighborhoods to make field trips to a range of cultural organizations participating in Art Design Chicago, along with professional development for teachers and educational materials to incorporate explorations of artworks into their curricula. It is expected to serve approximately 4,500 students in grades 6-12 and 150 teachers across 50 schools throughout 2018.
“We are particularly excited to spearhead and support a program that will engage young people in Chicago’s long legacy of creativity and innovation,” said Amy Zinck, Executive Vice President of the Terra Foundation. “The exhibitions and programs of Art Design Chicago highlight the incredible diversity and accomplishments of artists and designers, who have lived and worked across Chicago’s many neighborhoods. It is equally important to support access to these programs for students, teachers, and families, and to spark engagement and dialogue about the role Chicago’s creative communities have played in shaping our city—a conversation we hope will continue well beyond next year.”
As part of its October board meeting, the Terra Foundation also confirmed grant support for exhibitions being organized by DePaul Art Museum and Rebuild Foundation, adding two more shows to Art Design Chicago’s vibrant exhibition schedule.
Barbara Jones-Hogu: Resist, Relate, Unite 1968-1975 at the DePaul Art Museum will mark the first solo museum exhibition dedicated to the work of artist Barbara Jones-Hogu. A founding member of AfriCOBRA, an African American artist collective established in 1968, Jones-Hogu is often credited with shaping the group’s visual identity, which is characterized by the use of vivid colors and prominent incorporation of text. The exhibition will trace the artist’s development, from her earlier woodcuts and lithographs to her mature large-scale, colorful prints, emphasizing Jones-Hogu’s tremendous contributions to activist art movements of the period. Together, the works highlight Jones-Hogu’s distinct approach and aesthetic, while also contextualizing her work within the Black Arts Movement and the wider Chicago artistic community. The exhibition, on view January 11 through March 25, 2018, will be accompanied by a catalogue, with approximately 30 color illustrations, an interview, and essays on the influence of her work on her peers as well as contemporary practitioners.
A Johnson Publishing Story is being organized by Theaster Gates for Rebuild Foundation, and will be presented at the Stony Island Arts Bank on Chicago’s South Side. The presentation will examine the legacy of the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), publisher of Jet and Ebony magazines, and its role in defining and disseminating a black aesthetic and culture to national and international audiences in the mid-20th century. The installation will spotlight the JPC collections held by the Rebuild Foundation, including books, periodicals, ephemera, paintings, and sculpture, as well as the furnishings that were custom-designed for JPC’s original offices in downtown Chicago. Responses to these materials by contemporary artists will be included as part of the project, highlighting the ongoing importance and relevance of the company in American culture. The installation will be on view June through August 2018. A short documentary, brochure, and broadside poster, further detailing JPC’s rise to prominence as the largest African American-owned publishing firm in the United States, will also be produced. Together, these project components will demonstrate JPC’s influence on popular conceptions of Black identity and culture, in and beyond Chicago.
Additional information regarding currently confirmed exhibitions, programs, and projects for Art Design Chicago can be found on the initiative’s website at www.ArtDesignChicago.org.
About Art Design Chicago
Art Design Chicago is a spirited celebration of the unique and vital role Chicago plays as America’s crossroads of creativity and commerce. Spearheaded by the Terra Foundation for American Art, this citywide partnership of more than 60 cultural organizations explores Chicago’s art and design legacy and continued impact with more than 25 exhibitions, hundreds of events, as well as the creation of several scholarly publications and a four-part documentary presented throughout 2018.
Support for Art Design Chicago is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Presenting Partner The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Additional funding for the initiative is provided by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation. The Chicago Community Trust and Leo Burnett are providing in-kind support. www.ArtDesignChicago.org #ArtDesignChicago
Chicago’s Year of Creative Youth
Art Design Chicago’s field trip and teacher professional development program aligns with the City of Chicago’s Year of Creative Youth. Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) are designating 2018 the “Year of Creative Youth,” with a new Creative Youth Festival across the Millennium Park Campus (September 22, 2018), performance opportunities for teens at many City of Chicago festivals and partner events, cultural grants and convenings for youth arts organizations, a marketing campaign and more—representing an over $2 million investment by the City of Chicago. This separate initiative by the City dovetails with the Terra Foundation’s financial support for increased access to Art Design Chicago exhibitions for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students and teachers. For more information about the Year of Creative Youth, visit www.cityofchicago.org/yocy—and join the conversation on Facebook (Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), Twitter (@ChicagoDCASE), and Instagram (@ChicagoDCASE) #2018isYOCY #ChiCreativeYouth #BornCreative.
About Terra Foundation for American Art
Since it was established in 1978, the Terra Foundation for American Art has been one of the leading foundations focused on the historical art of the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, it is committed to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of American art among national and international audiences. To further cross-cultural dialogue on American art, the foundation supports and collaborates on innovative exhibitions, research, publications, and educational programs. Recognizing the importance of experiencing original works of art firsthand, the foundation also provides opportunities for interaction and study through the presentation and ongoing development of its own art collection in Chicago. Implicit in such activities is the belief that art has the potential both to distinguish cultures and to unite them.
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