equity arts board
equity arts board
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I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
OUR PARTNERS
Heaven Gallery
second floor
1997 - present
Heaven Gallery back deck screening early 2000's
Founder, David Dobie at 80's themed party
David Dobie established Heaven Gallery in the Flatiron building in 1997 and in 2000 it moved to its current location in the Lubinski building. Prior to Heaven, the loft was home to Ricky Renier and Beret International gallery. Alma Wieser described visiting the building in the early 2000’s as “you would go to an art party at Buddy and go through the back to Heaven”. The DIY space hosted art exhibitions, classical concerts, screenings, fashion shows, yoga classes, comedy shows, and a weekly improv jazz series titled “Protest”. The gallery also hosted indie folk performers such as Angel Olsen and Dark Dark Dark. In 2010 Piano Forte donated a baby grand piano for the classical and improv jazz series. For the past two decades, Heaven has established itself as a multidisciplinary art space and a launching pad for contemporary artists that included HÆ°Æ¡ng Ngô, Jason Lazarus and Mika Horbuchi. Its reputation as a Chicago cultural institution goes beyond Wicker Park.
Installation shot from Huong Ngo's exhibition, Training and Development in 2006
In 2010 Alma Wieser became the director and reorganized the gallery with a new board of directors. She introduced an innovative retail model of curated vintage goods to support the organization; this gallery/shop blurred the line between retail and community art space. In 2018, she introduced a racial equity initiative for a 60% ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) majority for the board of directors and for artists presented. 2019 the organization partnered with the Parks District to include kid art classes and field trips to the gallery. Part of the gallery’s success is the dedication of its interns who learn entrepreneurial skills and sustainable practices. This program mentors young leaders and its success has been proven through former interns continuing on to work at commercial galleries, or even, opening their own gallery. Current programming includes exhibitions viewed through gallery/shop hours, virtual artists talks, mediations, workshops and House music dj sessions.
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Director, Alma Wieser
Opening of the Petty Biennial with installation by Jacquelyn Carmen Guerrero, 2019
LVL3
third floor
2010 - present
Vincent Uribe, an SAIC alumnus, opened LVL3 on the third floor in 2010. LVL3 is an artist-run exhibition space and online publication. The space is dedicated to supporting a diverse range of creative talent from around the world. The gallery fosters creative connections and collaborative work through writing, interviews, exhibitions, and events. The online publication features an artist of the week section that spotlights creators and makers through interviews. Vincent Uribe is also the Art Director of Arts for Life, a nonprofit that works with artists with disabilities. LVL3 also hosts an annual EXPO Chicago afterparty for artists and visitors to the event to connect.
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LVL3 founder, Vince Uribe
LVL3 back deck view
Exhibition opening at LVL3
Arts of Life
2000 - present
Some of the studio artists at Arts of Life
Arts of Life is a non-profit institution that advances the creative arts
community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental
disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and
strengthen their leadership. Founded in January 2000, the
organization’s mission is to create a working, person-centric, artistic
community that provides an environment of equality for artists of physical and intellectual disabilities.​
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Independent Curators International (ICI)
1975 - present
Independent Curators International (ICI) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit arts
organization that focuses on the role of the curator in contemporary art that
works with art spaces in the US and around the world to present exhibitions
and public programs for broad audiences; and professional development initiatives for curators. ICI supports the work of curators in creating stronger art communities and rebuilding more experimental, collaborative, and
connected cultural infrastructures. Our exhibitions, educational programs,
and research initiatives continue to empower new voices, champion global
solidarity, and advance civic minded practice.
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Curatorial research at ICI
Metro Chicago
1982 - present
The Metro stage is a lot of things to a lot of people—a big break, a headliner’s dream,—but no matter what transpires under the nearly hundred-year-old roof, one thing remains the sole focus—the music. Metro isn’t in the business of simply buying talent, though—breeding the acts gracing the stage is engrained in the venue’s artistic credo. Year in and year out for over three decades, the Metro roster has maintained a delicate balance between national headliners and local
up-and-comers. With every musical movement that has swept across Chicago—and the country. Countless Chicago artists have laid their roots in Metro as a business, sanctuary, and springboard.
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Museum of House
1982 - present
Museum of House honors house music’s rich history while driving future innovation. As an incubator for DJs and producers, MOH will cultivate talent and attract local and international visitors. Through exhibitions, events, and educational programs, it will celebrate the genre's legacy and foster a vibrant community.
​​Check out their website
Cameron has been a DJ and house music enthusiast for over a decade. Believing house music is a universal gift that uplifts, empowers, and provides an escape, cameron is dedicated to preserving the legacy of house music in the city where it was born.
Cameron Phillips, President
The Silver Room
1997 - present
The Silver Room
Founded in 1997 by Owner Eric Williams, The Silver Room is a Chicago
Institution and brand whose mission is to create a global community through art
and culture. Our intention is to curate spaces where authenticity and creativity
can thrive encouraging the growth of the community, personal expression, and
resources. We are the intersection of art, community, and culture. Here, we
value and encourage opportunities to bring elements and artifacts from around
the world that elevates Chicago as an international cultural city.​
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