THE CITY IS ANNOUNCING A MAJOR
INVESTMENT TO BOOST ARTS AND
CULTURAL PROGRAMS.
ARTS 77 ANNOUNCED ARTS PROGRAM
DIRECTING AN INVESTMENT OF $60
MILLION INTO GRANTS FOR LOCAL
ARTISTS, PUBLIC ART
INSTALLATIONS AND CULTURAL
PROGRAMMING ACROSS THE CITY.
CHICAGO'S DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL
AFFAIRS AND THE PARK DISTRICT
AND AGENCIES HOPE IT WILL HELP
BOOST A INDUSTRY THAT IS WOUNDED
BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
SHUTDOWN.
AND JOINING US ARE MARK KELLY
COMMISSIONER OF THE CHICAGO
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
AND TONIKA JOHNSON ONE OF FIVE
ARTISTS SELECTED TO RECEIVE A
$100,000 GRANT THROUGH THE
PROGRAM.
WELL COAL BOTH OF YOU TO --
WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
>> MARK WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR
THIS PROGRAM AND WHERE IS THE
MONEY COMING FROM?
>> THE IMPETUS THE ARTS ARE
CENTRAL TO THE CHICAGO WORLD
CULTURAL CAPITAL.
SOMETIMES WE DON'T RECOGNIZE
THAT OR HONOR THAT.
BUT WHY DO 57 MILLION TOURISTS
COME?
IT'S BECAUSE OF THE CULTURAL
VITALITY OF THE FACILITY.
THE PARKS AND MUSEUMS AND
THEATERS ACROSS THE CITY AND NO
INDUSTRY HAS BEEN MORE
DEVASTATED.
OUR SPACES ARE EMPTY, OUR CLUBS
ARE CLOSED AND ARTISTS
UNEMPLOYED.
WE NEED TO BRING BACK THE ARTS
LANDSCAPE AND SUPPORT THEM AND
THEY WILL PLAY THIS HUGE ROLE IN
BRINGING BACK THE CITY YOU NEED
A SENSE OF BELONGING AND A SENSE
OF MEANING AND THAT IS WHAT THE
ARTS GIVES TO US.
THIS 60 MILLION COMES FROM A
VARIETY OF SOURCES.
15 MILLION PUBLIC ART COMES FROM
THE INFRASTRUCTURE BUDGET THAT
WAS PASSED BY THE CITY.
>> THOSE ARE PUBLIC ART
INSTALLATIONS THAT YOU ARE GOING
TO INSTALL.
I WANT TO GET TO THE SPECIFICS
WHERE THE REVENUE IS GOING.
TONIKA JOHNSON YOU ARE A
PHOTOGRAPHER AND FOCUS YOUR ART
ON SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES TELL ME
WHAT THIS $100,000 GRANT YOU ARE
RECEIVING MEANS TO YOU AND YOUR
ABILITY TO CARRY OUT YOUR
MISSION?
>> OH, IT MEANS I WILL BE ABLE
TO WORK ON MY NEXT PROJECT WHICH
IS AN INVITE FOR PEOPLE TO COME
TO GREATER ENGLEWOOD.
IT'S FOCUSING ON THE HISTORIC
DISCRIMINATORY HOUSING PRACTICES
THAT WERE DONE TO WOULD BE BLACK
HOMEOWNERS IN THE 50s AND
60s THROUGH LAND SALE
CONTRACTS.
MY PROJECT WILL ALLOW ME TO MAKE
VISIBLE THIS HIDDEN HISTORY BY
CREATING LANDMARKS OF THE HOMES
THAT EXIST AND EDUCATING PEOPLE
ABOUT THE PRESENT DAY IMPACT
THIS PERIOD HAD ON NEIGHBORHOODS
LIKE GREATER ENGLEWOOD.
NOT ONLY IS IT EDUCATIONAL BUT
IT WILL BE AN INVITE TO THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
IT.
THIS FUNDING WILL ALLOW ME TO DO
THAT PROJECT AND PARTNERSHIP
WITH NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING.
>> AND WE ARE LOOKING AT SOME OF
YOUR WORK AND THAT WILL BE A
DRAW TO ENGLEWOOD.
MARK, YOU STARTED TO BREAKDOWN
IT'S 50 MILLION FOR PUBLIC ART
INSTALLATIONS INCLUDING SOME AT
THE NEW O'HARE TERMINALS.
WHAT ARE THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT
THIS MONEY IS GOING TO?
>> WELL, IT'S 15 MILLION FOR
PUBLIC ART AND THIS IS THE
BIGGEST INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC ART
IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY.
3.5 MILLION IN PUBLIC ART THAT
WILL GO TO THE REIMAGINING THE
INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL AT O'HARE
WITH THE LARGEST ACQUISITION OF
WORK OF CHICAGO ARTISTS.
AND 40 MILLION FOR THE CULTURE
IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT.
THIS IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT, THE
CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARIES WE HAVE
CULTURAL CENTERS SOUTH SIDE OF
THE CITY AUSTIN TOWN HALL, THE
SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER THEY
HAVE NOT LIVED AS CULTURE AT
SPACES AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN
RENEWED IT IS A MAJOR CAPITAL
INVESTMENT TO BRING THEM FORWARD
AND REENGAGE THE COMMUNITIES AND
BRING THEM FORWARD SO THEY LIVE
AS CULTURAL SPACES AND GRANT
PROGRAMS LIKE WHAT YOU HEARD
FROM TONIKA, CHICAGO PRESENTS
OVER 1 MILLION FOR FREE OUTDOOR
CULTURAL EVENTS, THEATRE, MUSIC
AND DANCE ACROSS THE CITY TO
BRING THE LIGHT AND ENERGY BACK
TO THE CITY.
THERE WILL BE ANOTHER $1 MILLION
FOR NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS
PROGRAMS.
THESE ARE FOR CULTURAL EVENTS
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE BEEN
LARGELY DISINVESTED IN TERMS OF
CULTURAL LIFE.
AND --
>> A WAY TO ACTIVATE THE
NEIGHBORHOODS.
YOU MENTIONED CULTURAL CENTERS
LIKE THE AUSTIN TOWN HALL.
BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'VE DRAWN
ACCLAIM FOR IS YOUR FOLDED MAPS
PROJECT.
REMIND US WHAT THAT PROJECT WAS?
>> IT IS A VISUAL EXPLORATION OF
THE PRESENT DAY IMPACT OF
CHICAGO'S SEGREGATION WHILE
BRINGING RESIDENTS TOGETHER WHO
LIVE ON THE SAME STREET BUT MILE
AS PART FROM THE NORTH AND SOUTH
SIDE.
>> AND WE'RE LOOKING AT
PICTURES.
BASICALLY, IT'S THE SAME ADDRESS
ONE ADDRESS NORTH SAY LIKE 5400
NORTH MEETING UP WITH 5400
SOUTH.
WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT PROJECT?
WHAT REACTION DO IT GET?
>> WELL, THE RESPONSE FROM
CHICAGOANS IN GENERAL
DEMONSTRATES THAT WE DO WANT A
DIFFERENT CITY THAT OUR
SEGREGATION DOES NOT REFLECT HOW
WE WANT TO INTERACT.
THAT WAS CONSISTENT ACROSS THE
BOARD WITH ALL OF THE MAPS.
AND I THINK THAT IS WHAT
PRIMARILY LED TO THE POPULARITY
OF THE PROJECT THAT IT
REPRESENTS HOW US CHICAGOANS
FEEL ABOUT OUR CITY AND IT
DEMONSTRATES THE MANY WAYS IN
WHICH WE DISRUPTED AND HOW WE
HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO SO.
>> AND ART IS THE POWER OF ART.
MARK, TELL US HOW ARTISTS CAN
APPLY FOR SOME OF THESE GRANTS
LIKE THE ONE THAT TONIKA HAS?
>> IT'S CALLED CHICAGO CULTURAL
GRANTS.ORG.
SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WE HAVE
TRIED TO STRIP THROUGH THE BURR
OXY.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
DIVERSE COMMUNITIES FEEL
WELCOME.
AND YOU SHOULD SAY THIS IS JUST
THE FIRST INSTALLMENT.
THIS 60 MILLION HELPS IN THE
RECOVERY BUT THE NEED IS GREAT.
AND THERE IS ANNOUNCEMENTS TO
FOLLOW BECAUSE WE ALL NEED THE
ARTS BACK IN CHICAGO.
THE ARTS GIVE US THAT JOY THAT
WE ARE ALL DESPERATE FOR AND
WE'RE GOING TO START TO SEE THE
MOMENTUM COME BACK.
THE MO-JO IS COMING BACK.
>> MO-JO A GREAT CHICAGO ARTIST
MUDDY WATERS.