CHOP IT UP: Black Wall Street Journey
Join Arts + Public Life this summer for a three-part conversation about the Black economy.
Artist Rick Lowe and journalist Natalie Moore team up to dish and dissect the intersections of race and economic development. Presented in conjunction with Black Wall Street Journey—a hub for neighborhood regeneration initiated by Lowe in Washington Park—and anchored by the centennial anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and observation of the historic Black Wall Street, guests from disparate sectors of the Black economic landscape will weigh in on cultural dimensions of Black ownership, business, self-reliance, determination and mutual aid.
August CHOP IT UP featured guests include
- Andrea Polk, Solo Noir, L1 2020-22 Creative Business Fellow
- Stephanie Hart, Brown Sugar Bakery
Program video
About the series
CHOP IT UP is an Arts + Public Life virtual dinner series, where viewers sit down with an intimate group of notable practitioners—ranging from artists and designers to journalists and entrepreneurs—for an informal conversation. Over home cooked meals, or dinner ordered from local favorites, practitioners serve up aspects of their practice or craft while exploring the intersections of their work. Gather around our virtual table for 90 shared minutes of candid “industry” conversation.
The Black Wall Street Journey edition of CHOP IT UP is presented in partnership with the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, in conjunction with Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change, and the MacArthur Fellows Program at 40.
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I first began to explore art in a social context after being challenged by a high school student who looked at my earlier political work and said it wasn’t what people needed. People needed solutions. And he said, if you are an artist and you are creative, why can’t you create a solution? That was the turning point that got me thinking about how to produce work that was not only symbolic and poetic but also had a practical application.
In his first Chicago-based “social sculpture,” Rick Lowe is developing Black Wall Street Journey. The multifaceted city-wide project pays tribute to the building of Black wealth, using public art to tell the stories from the journeys of Black communities in Chicago and beyond. Black Wall Street Journey builds on the connection between Chicago and Tulsa, home…
As a neighborhood platform for arts and culture in Washington Park, Arts + Public Life provides residencies for Black and Brown artists and creative entrepreneurs, arts education for youth, and artist-led programming and exhibitions. Plan your visit Visits to the Arts Incubator are by timed reservation. Learn more about special hours and make a reservation…
The Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago is a site for rigorous inquiry and exchange that encourages the examination of complex issues through the lens of art objects and artistic practice. Plan your visit Visits to the Smart Museum of Art are free, but reservations are recommended. Open Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm;…