Hyde Park Art Center to host free celebration for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hyde Park Art Center, the non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago's South Side, will host a free public Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration MLK DAY 2024: Yesterdays, Todays, and Tomorrows on Monday from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at 5020 South Cornell Avenue.
It will feature programming for all ages celebrating Black creators and artists talks with Candace Hunter and Robert Earl Paige and scholar Kimberly Harmon. There will also be a pop-up bookshop, a live music performance by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Chamber Ensemble, and more. Registration is recommended at HydeParkArt.org.
the non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago's South Side, will host a free public Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration MLK DAY 2024: Yesterdays, Todays, and Tomorrows on Monday from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at 5020 South Cornell Avenue.
It will feature programming for all ages celebrating Black creators and artists talks with Candace Hunter and Robert Earl Paige and scholar Kimberly Harmon. There will also be a pop-up bookshop, a live music performance by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Chamber Ensemble, and more. Registration is recommended at HydeParkArt.org.
Art Making Activity: Folklore and Shadow Figures
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Participants can create their own shadow figures inspired by the silhouettes featured in current exhibition Candace Hunter: The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E Butler, and the characters found in traditional Black folklore. Participants will also have the opportunity to create their own folklore, and perform using their cut-outs in a shadow puppet show.
Semicolon Bookstore Pop-Up Shop
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
An Afrofuturism and Science-Fiction pop-up book shop curated by local Black woman owned bookstore Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery, in honor of Candace Hunter: The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E Butler. Founded in 2019, Semicolon is dedicated to bridging the literacy gap among minoritized communities by providing access to and building interest in books, focusing on the community aspect of bookselling by putting on author events, and hosting #ClearTheShelves programming that allows CPS students to take books free of charge.
Open Arts Studio and Art Making Activity: Found Object Printmaking
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Bottles, sponges, cardboard, and other recyclables are perfect for creating vivid textures and awesome abstract designs! Participants explore printmaking by creating unique prints using these common household items, inspired by the "Everyday Art" practice of Robert Earl Paige, whose exhibition will open in Spring 2024 at the Art Center. All materials are provided.
The Future is Breath: An Artist Talk on Afrofuturism and Speculative Fiction
12 - 1:30 p.m.
A conversation about The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E Butler with Candace Hunter moderated by scholar, Kimberly Harmon. The conversation will focus on the shared sense of world-building within Octavia's literary work and Hunter's installation, the legacy and impact of Black science fiction writer Octavia Butler, and Afro-futurism verses Speculative Fiction as a literary genre. The title of the program, "The Future is Breath," addresses the current conversations surrounding the Black Lives Matter Movement while highlighting conceptual ideas relating to the future of Black people and their evolution in lieu of the grief surrounding Black death.
Civic Orchestra of Chicago Chamber Ensemble performing music by Black Composers
2 - 2:45 p.m
Members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago will present a performance honoring the legacy of Black American composers.
