Rebuild Foundation

This Thursday at the Bank, Artist-in-Residence Sharon Udoh will be in conversation with Nigerian trained philosopher, visual artist, and DJ “Olukemi Lijadu ().

They’ll explore Lijadu’s philosophical and spiritual background, travels, and her research concerning the connections between West African music and house music.

The bar opens at 5 PM with a special cocktail in Olukemi’s honor.

Olukemi will be on the 1s and 2s beginning at at 6 PM, followed by a conversation with Sharon at 6:45 PM. We invite you to kick it with us until the doors close at 9 PM.

ARCHIVAL UPDATES: As of this week, more than 20,000 of 60,000 glass lantern slides have been digitized. We are very proud that over 1/3 of the collection has already been processed.

Before being captured with a Lightbox and DSLR, each slide is carefully and meticulously wiped and cleaned. Our teams are creating meta data and searchable tags from the information on each slide label to help with the categorization of the digital archive.

Our collection of glass lantern slides, acquired from the University of Chicago’s Art History department after their retirement, contain visual and textual information about objects, works of art and architectural significance from the Paleolithic era past the Renaissance. However, the collection notably lacks representation and detailed information about artists and works of art from the African Diaspora.

We are proud to be caretakers and custodians of this important collection of pedagogical objects.

Sunday Service at Kenwood Gardens returns this Sunday! We are grateful to be able to continue this beloved program every month throughout the summer.

Due to significantly increased demand, and in order to create the safest and most comfortable environment for expressing joy and honoring our sonic histories through movement, we are making a couple of changes to our processes and protocol. These changes are meant to enhance the visitor experience while preserving our ability to continue delivering this program for our neighbors, friends and loved ones.

Starting this week, we will be requiring an RSVP on Eventbrite to enter the gardens. It’s a privilege to welcome a community of over 600 people to the gardens for this celebration of House music each month. This modest request, which takes just a couple of minutes, will allow us to better ensure the safety, comfort and fellowship that takes place in the gardens.

It has also been a tremendous honor to keep Sunday Service accessible to our community, and we want to continue the spirit of this openness. With that said, please note that it takes a significant investment to staff, clean, and preserve our spaces - in addition to supporting the artists who lead these programs.

We are kindly asking that all Sunday Service participants consider making a $10 donation to support the continuation of this programming. Your collective support helps us create and maintain a space full of joy and liberatory potential.

We thank you in advance for your understanding and continued support of this program. Please RSVP to join us for the next Sunday Service at the link in our bio!

JULY 26: Peter Jericho & Mgeni at Kenwood Gardens

We are thrilled to bring back our free outdoor concert series at Kenwood Gardens for the third year in a row! This year, we are honored to collaborate with Rebuild artist-in-residence Sharon Udoh to curate a special lineup celebrating local musicians and instrumental ensembles at the Gardens each month this summer.

On Saturday, July 26, from 6-8pm, join us as Peter Jericho and Mgeni deliver an unforgettable performance. Peter Jericho is a first-generation American with roots from Cameroon, whose unique blend of soulful Afro beats, rap, folk, and R&B influences has carved a lane for himself as an Afro-Soul singer.

With projects like Outsidah (EP), Still Outside, and other musical projects, Jericho’s music transcends genres, fusing his rich cultural heritage with his inimitable, captivating sound.

Thanks to the generous support of our funders and patrons, these performances are free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and layer clothing for evenings with chillier forecasts. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

Please note that in order to maintain a safe and comfortable space for all attendees, grills, smoking and outside alcohol are not permitted inside the gardens.

TOMORROW | 12:30 PM: Join us at Kenwood Gardens for our second July yoga session with Muryem Quadra, thanks to our month-long partnership with !

Muryem Quadri has been devoted to yoga for 12 years and has spent the last five sharing her expertise as a teacher. Her journey began with asanas learned from her Indian elders, and she continues to honor their teachings by grounding her practice in spirituality.

All levels are welcome, and each session is free of charge. Mats will be available on-site, courtesy of ! RSVP at the link in our bio.

TODAY | 12:30 PM: Join us at Kenwood Gardens for our first July yoga session with ! We are grateful to welcome Muryem Quadri for the first two Sundays of July (July 7th & 14th).

Muryem Quadri has been devoted to yoga for 12 years and has spent the last five sharing her expertise as a teacher. Her journey began with asanas learned from her Indian elders, and she continues to honor their teachings by grounding her practice in spirituality. 

All levels are welcome, and each session is free of charge. Mats will be available on-site, courtesy of ! RSVP at the link in our bio.

SUNDAY: Please join us at the Arts Bank for a special gathering in honor of what would have been Tamir Rice’s 22nd birthday.

We invite our local community of artists, writers, musicians, and scholars to share their work in any medium in this open format reflection focused on addressing issues of social injustice and state-sanctioned violence through artistic approaches.

In Tamir’s memory, we open our home to you to come and share your work amongst peers, neighbors, and loved ones. Please RSVP at the link in our bio.

We also encourage you to support Samaria Rice’s ongoing work through the Tamir Rice Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. To contribute and learn more, please visit

Today, June 25th, would have marked Tamir Rice’s 22nd birthday. Since 2017, and Rebuild Foundation have been the humble stewards of the gazebo near which 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by Cleveland Police Officer Timothy Loehmann.

In close partnership with Samaria Rice, Tamir’s mother, Rebuild has traveled and reconstructed the gazebo on the lawn of the Stony Island Arts Bank, creating a material memorial that serves as a gathering space and call for justice for all of the racialized bodies who experience violence at the hands of our police departments. Since 2017, we’ve had a number of artists and scholars - including Yaw Agyeman, avery r. young, Angel Bat Dawid, and Adam Green - respond to this object of care. We are honored to continue this work with our June 30th program.

Please join us at the Arts Bank on June 30th as we invite our local community of artists, writers, musicians, and scholars to participate in a gathering in honor of Tamir. We are honored to make space for you to share your recent creative and intellectual work related to themes of social injustice or state-sanctioned violence and celebrate the cultural producers who are highlighting these critical issues through their work.

We ask that you please consider supporting the work that Samaria Rice is actively engaged in as she carries forth in his name and legacy through the Tamir Rice Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. To make a contribution and learn more about the foundation’s work, please visit

Details from St. Laurence as we continue construction. Coming soon.

Photos: Chris Strong

IN HONOR OF TAMIR: A GATHERING
Sunday, June 30th | 3:00 PM
Stony Island Arts Bank (6760 S. Stony Island Avenue)

On June 30th, we invite our local community of artists, writers, musicians, and scholars to participate in a special gathering in honor of Tamir Rice on the occasion of his birthday (June 25). As we celebrate the ongoing activism of Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, we make space for you to share your recent creative and intellectual work related to themes of social injustice or state-sanctioned violence.

All are welcome, as participants or as audience members. The program will conclude with a musical performance and a light reception in honor of Tamir. If you are interested in sharing your work at this event, please indicate this during the RSVP process, RSVP or submit your work at the link in our bio.

KENWOOD GARDENS: This Sunday, from 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, join us for a free yoga session with and open garden hours starting at 10:00 AM. RSVP for this week’s yoga session through our bio link.

Reclaimed from 13 vacant city lots and radically reimagined as a green space where we can reconnect with ourselves, our bodies and each other on Black land, Kenwood Gardens is a testament to the power that land holds, particularly in Black communities. An open vessel for our work, the gardens host our outdoor summer music and movement programs including our Sunday Service house parties and our monthly music programs.

Juneteenth! Today, we reflect on a powerful object from the Ed J. Williams Collection of ‘Negrobilia:’ The Mirror of The Anti-Slavery Struggle, 1857. This 19th-century abolitionist newspaper article shows the international reach of the abolitionist movement. The existence of this archival object highlights the use of print media and advertisements in the fight for abolition, notably the founding of anti-slavery newspapers such as the North Star, Freedom’s Journal, the National Watchman and the Mirror of Liberty.

Despite the violent oppression they faced, including the destruction of their printing presses, abolitionist newspapers helped to define the fight and preserve their legacy for the record, laying the groundwork for future organized public advocacy, including the suffragettes and civil rights leaders.

The Ed J. Williams Collection of ‘Negrobilia’ is a physical archive of over 4,000 objects depicting harmful representations of Black people and life in the U.S. Collected over 30 years to remove them from public circulation, the archive is now a resource for artists-in-residence and archival fellows, serving as a historical reminder and catalyst for ongoing examination.

The collection requires special care, and we are grateful to Collection Manager Chloe Theus for her dedicated work in cataloguing and preserving it.

St. Laurence Update 6/10/24:

Markedly one of the most evident signs of our progress at St. Laurence is the installation of our new elevator. Concrete cuts are now made through all four floors of the school to ensure accessibility and ease throughout the school.

Since the school wasn’t designed for an elevator, extensive investment, resources and engineering were needed for the building and land beneath it to ensure a safe and secure future for St. Laurence.

Another exciting update is that the archive room is coming along nicely, with orange plywood on the center wall to support heavier art pieces and archive works.

We’re very pleased with how the space is coming along and can’t wait to welcome artists.

This Sunday at 4 PM, join us at Kenwood Gardens for Sunday Service and ’s return! DJ Duane Powell’s dynamic set celebrates House music and Frankie Knuckles’ legacy of spiritual release, sonic liberation, and joyful fellowship.

Sunday Service with DJ Duane Powell
Sunday, June 9 | 4 PM - 8 PM
Kenwood Gardens, 6929 S Kenwood Ave.

RSVP via the link in our bio!

We are so grateful that the Chicago City Council approved a $2.5 million Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant for capital costs dedicated to the restoration of the former St. Laurence Elementary School! This City support and funding will enable us to continue construction on our emerging 40,000 sq ft arts incubator for local artists and cultural workers.

Shuttered in 2002 and rescued from abandonment by artist and Rebuild Foundation founder Theaster Gates, the former St. Laurence Elementary School will soon become a thriving arts incubator complete with artist and craft studio space, archive laboratory, residencies for varying creative practices, financial literacy and entrepreneurship classes, and public programs.

Thank you to the Department of Planning and Development for stewarding our application and to Alderman Michelle Harris for warmly endorsing our emerging incubator for arts and culture. We look forward to welcoming you to St. Laurence when we open in 2024!

Mariam Kamara (), a beacon in the architectural world and one of our Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab fellows, demonstrates that spaces can be instruments of positive change, offering dignity and a higher quality of life.

Kamara is the founder and principal of atelier masōmī (), an architecture and research studio based in Niger. The firm focuses on a variety of public, cultural, residential, commercial and urban design projects and was founded in 2014. Through her practice, Mariam aims to discover innovative ways of doing so, while maintaining an intimate dialogue between architecture, people, and context. Kamara obtained her Masters in Architecture from the University of Washington and is currently a professor of Architecture Heritage and Sustainability at ETH Zürich.

Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab, founded by Theaster Gates () and Prada (), in partnership with Theaster Gates Studio and Rebuild Foundation, is a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at empowering emerging and established designers of color. Through design awards and public programming, the Experimental Design Lab acts as a think tank that amplifies the work of promising designers of color in the areas of the arts and design, while providing a platform for exhibitions, performances and public dialogue.

Dear Rebuild Foundation Community, 
 
As the seasons change and we near the end of 2023, we have so much to be proud of. In the spirit of transformation, I share that Retreat will complete its pop-up at the Currency Exchange Café on December 29th as Rebuild prepares for the forthcoming opening of the St. Laurence Arts Incubator.
 
Retreat has continued the legacy of the experimental concepts that have activated the space, including the first Currency Exchange Café and a second location for Peaches by Chef Cliff Rome. A host and haven for creatives, students, and neighbors alike, Retreat demonstrates what is possible when artists and organizations invest in creative possibilities on the South Side.
 
Thanks to your presence and belief in our work, we have been able to cultivate community with our coworking space and celebrate Chicago’s musicians through our weekly happy hours. We have also been able to support the careers of emerging creative entrepreneurs, including Jazer Syed, Monday Coffee, Zandro Zafra, & more, through our hospitality residency program, a cornerstone initiative that will continue to evolve as part of our mission.
 
As we prepare to launch a new concept in the space in 2024, we are excited to soon introduce a project that will develop archival programming in partnership with Dorchester Industries and additional South Side partners. Members of our hospitality staff will continue to steward our work across Rebuild’s sites as we prepare to reopen the Stony Island Arts Bank, continue classes at DA+HC, nurture Kenwood Gardens for our next summer season and progress toward the opening of the St. Laurence Arts Incubator next fall.  
   
Thank you for your collective enthusiasm and contributions to realizing a successful third creative concept in this space. We invite you to join us at the cafe through the end of the year as we celebrate the care that our hospitality teams, programmers, partner artists, and patrons have poured into this iteration of our practice. I’m deeply thankful to our Rebuild and Retreat team who helped make this project so special for all of us.
 
With Tremendous Gratitude,
Theaster Gates
Executive Director, Rebuild Foundation

Earlier this year, we gathered to tour the constellation sites that make up Rebuild Foundation with the MacArthur Foundation and Joyce Foundation.

Through the tour, our Founder and Executive Director Theaster Gates () shared about the origin stories of Rebuild Foundation, and the ongoing stewardship of community and artist-led spaces and places, such as the Stony Islands Art Bank, Kenwood Gardens, Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative, Retreat at Currency Exchange Cafe, and the forthcoming St. Laurence Art Incubator.

We are extremely grateful to the MacArthur Foundation () for their commitment to supporting institutions like the Rebuild Foundation and are thankful to the Joyce Foundation () for their continued support of our community-driven work in furthering opportunities and longevity for Black objects, Black spaces, and Black people in the Great Lakes region.

Dance and music programs are back at Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative!

Through our ongoing partnership with Music Moves Chicago (), we are thrilled to announce our latest schedule of free programs, which include West African Dance, Capoeira, and South Side Fireflies.

All classes are free and open to the public. No prior experience is required. RSVP at the link in bio.

Tomorrow: Saturday, October 21, 4-6pm, join us as & the Afrodjia Social Club takes the stage at Kenwood Gardens.

Afrodjia Social Club is an experiential collective of musicians including DJ Sadie Woods and friends, exploring traditions of spacemaking through liberatory music of the Americas and the global south. Their concert will feature a roster of musicians and special guest performances.

On Saturday, October 21, 2-4pm, join us as we close out an amazing garden season with the planting of tulip and crocus bulbs. The entire life cycle of these flowers are held inside of the bulb that you and your family get to plant with us!

Opened in Fall 2021, Kenwood Gardens was transformed by Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation from 13 contiguous vacant lots into a biophilic oasis for the South Side community as part of an important pillar in our mission to integrate culture, beauty, wellness, and art into the social fabric of the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.

Vinyl Vault: This 1979 release of Black Ivory’s “Mainline,” was a favorite of Frankie Knuckles and was often played at the Warehouse, also known as the birthplace of House music. This record from the Frankie Knuckles Collection was given to Frankie by his collaborator and legendary Chicago House DJ, Chip E ().

Black Ivory is an R&B group which formed in Harlem, New York in the summer of 1969. Key members included Leroy Burgess, Stuart Bascombe, and Russell Patterson. “Mainline,” a groovy soul ballad was written by Burgess and sang by Patterson, and released in the group’s album Hangin' Heavy with Buddah Records.

Black Ivory – Mainline
Label: Buddah Records – DSC 132, Arista – DSC 132
Format: Vinyl, 12", Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: USA
Released: 1979
Genre: Funk / Soul

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Since 2015, Theaster Gates () and Rebuild Foundation have been the humble stewards of the Frankie Knuckles Collection at the Stony Island Arts Bank, thanks to the generous donation of the Frankie Knuckles Foundation (). We are proud to oversee the preservation and creation of access to the important history of house music that originated in Chicago. The collection features close to 5,000 vinyl records amassed throughout Knuckles’ lifetime and career as a legendary DJ and soundsmith. Known for his sets in the nightclub ‘the Warehouse,’ Knuckles eventually set the trajectory of Chicago music to bend sonic norms within Pop, Electronic Music, and Hip Hop.

‘Furniture for me is what a pen and paper is to you..you get to tell a story. Sometime I think we look at furniture as just another thing that we can interact with..but then you add on the backstory…the iterations that didn’t make it, that’s when it becomes rich… A lot of it is creating space that has black intentions, safe spaces where things can happen.’ 

Experimental Design Lab Awardee Norman Teague is a Chicago-based designer and educator focused on projects and pedagogy that address the systematic complexity of urbanism and the culture of communities. 

The Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab is a three-year program, anchored in Chicago's South Side, supporting 14 designers and artists of color. Founded by Theaster Gates () with the Prada Group, in partnership with Dorchester Industries, Theaster Gates Studio, and Rebuild Foundation, EDL is a first-of-its-kind think tank and incubator creating opportunities to amplify artists' practices, invest in their development, expose them to larger networks within the design world, and facilitate spaces for gathering and collaborating. Our inaugural Experimental Design Lab cohort of designers of color practice in a diverse range of areas in fashion, furniture, industrial and graphic design, dance, gastronomy, and the arts.

West African Dance with Maila Sylla (.senegal) and Music Moves Chicago () is back tonight, 6:30pm to 8:00pm, at DA+HC! Every Tuesday, from October 10 to December 12, join us for these moments for movement and sonic release.

Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative (DA+HC) is a block of 32 townhomes, rehabilitated by Theaster Gates (), that provides residences for artists and community members with the intent of fostering artistic dialogue and collaboration. Located on 70th Street in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood, DA+HC features an arts center complete with a spring-loaded dance studio, as well as a public meeting space and community garden. DA+HC is a hub for programming in dance, yoga, voice lessons, visual arts classes, and more.

All levels welcomed. All programs are free and open to the public. RSVP at the link in bio.

This Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 2pm, come by Kenwood Gardens to celebrate the closing of this year’s open hours as we enter the fall/winter season. Seek haven with neighbors and friends, find connection to nature, and enjoy deep presence in Black space on Black land.

Opened in Fall 2021, Kenwood Gardens was transformed by Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation from 13 contiguous vacant lots into a biophilic oasis for the South Side community as part of an important pillar in our mission to integrate culture, beauty, wellness, and art into the social fabric of the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.

This weekend, Mobile Makers, founded by Experimental Design Lab Awardee Maya Bird-Murphy (), will host the Design Summit for Friends of Friends, at the Kimball Arts Center, in Chicago.

The Design Summit for Friends of Friends is an interdisciplinary and intergenerational event that will bring like-minded creatives together to have meaningful conversations about leveraging design to make positive change. The summit will help unify the design community, encourage real conversations about equity in the built environment, amplify the work of designers who have not been given enough credit or recognition, and create opportunities for connection between established and emerging creatives.

On Saturday, September 29, 5:30pm, join artist and founder of Rebuild Foundation Theaster Gates () for a conversation with Maya Bird-Murphy followed by a cocktail hour. On Sunday, September 30, participate in presentations by Jerald Coper (), CAB Youth Council (), Amanda Williams (), Jennifer White-Johnson (), Adrienne Brown (), Rafael Robles, and more.

RSVP at the link in bio.

This Saturday, September 23, 6-8pm, join us as the Magic Carpet takes the stage at Kenwood Gardens. The Magic Carpet honors ancient music while taking a bold step into the future. Transcending geographical boundaries, this music group takes the audience on an exhilarating ride through time and space. With the vibrations of Jazz, Reggae, and Funk, blended with the traditions of Africa, the Middle East, and India, Magic Carpet embarks on a spiritual journey every time they take off. The eclectic ensemble is composed of, Derf Noskcaj aka Fred Jackson (alto sax), Ryan "Ra'yon" Mayer (percussion), Makaya McCraven aka "Lord Bang" (drum set), Parish "Pfunk" Hick (bass guitar), Tim "Cream" Jones (guitar), and Tracey “the Creative” King (spoken word, movement, melody).

The free summer concert series at Kenwood Gardens reinforces Rebuild Foundation’s commitment to providing accessible world-class cultural amenities to neighbors and friends on the South Side. This series is an extension of Rebuild Foundation’s support for local artists and musicians through robust music programming across their sites.

These performances are free, open to the public and appropriate for all ages. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and layer clothing for evenings with chillier forecasts. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

RSVP at the link in bio.

The Black Artists Retreat (B.A.R.) marks its tenth anniversary in Chicago, Illinois, with a theme centered on "Archive Fever" as a tribute to Okwui Enwezor's 2008 presentation at the ICP. Day 1 of this celebration has underscored the significance of Black Archives and aims to redefine the archive’s meaning both individually and collectively for participants. Throughout the weekend, attendees will engage in critical reflection, artistic production, fellowship, and celebration of Black pasts and futures. The convening addresses the importance self-initiated gatherings by artists for artists, emphasizing self-determination outside of traditional institutions. Moreover, it so far has explored the grounding of archival practices within the body and embodiment.

Taking place throughout the weekend, the retreat will provide a space for artists and archivists to ponder the future of Rebuild Foundation's permanent archives and examine how historical awareness enriches contemporary artistic expression and societal understanding. We will feature various activities, including film screenings, panels, discussions, and a special performance by Corinne Bailey Rae, whose album "Black Rainbows" drew inspiration from Stony Island Arts Bank's archives. In essence, this year’s B.A.R. will foster a holistic exploration of the archive's significance while celebrating the resilient spirit of Black creativity.