by Jasjyot Singh Hans (he/him)

CLACK aims to build an illustrated archive of LGBTQIA+ drag artists in Chicago in the form of a self-published zine. This will include short-form interviews of 15 of the most dynamic LGBTQIA+ drag performers in Chicago, accompanied by illustrations. The project’s name Clack comes from the sound of clacking of a fan, a popular prop in the drag performing arts. In live performances, a series of rapid, thunderous sounds made by fans perfectly timed to the beat of the music become a cue for the audience to erupt into a loud cheer! This project will archive the legacy of the performers who have shaped the queer drag scene in Chicago and continue to make it one of the most vibrant and diverse scenes in the country.

by Linda Abdullah (she/her) and Faten Nastas Mitwasi (she/her)

Community Survivance is an artivism act that engages the Chicago art community with 14 Palestinian artists from Gaza. The project expands on the exhibition New Forms of Survivance and unfolds in two phases: a communal dinner and a publication to celebrate the survivance of Gazan artists despite the trauma of genocide and ongoing displacement.

The communal dinner will be a multi-sensory experience that brings attendees closer to Palestinian culture and works to break barriers through a live conversation via Zoom between the artists, curators, and attendees. The publication documents and brings together all artworks and texts presented in New Forms of Survivance, alongside an archive of the dinner conversations. While the exhibition and the dinner are temporary, the publication remains a lasting record, evidence of artists creating under attack, and a space where their voices continue to resonate.

Survivance is an active sense of presence over absence, the continuance of stories and the celebration of the everlasting Palestinian resurgence. Community Survivance will stand as a critical document of artistic survivance, testimony, and the ongoing pursuit of justice and peace in Palestine, while fostering solidarity and connection with communities worldwide.

by Lola Ayisha Ogbara (she/her)

Ogbara & Friends Studio is a pilot ceramics studio and short-term residency for Queer, Womxn Black/African-descent artists, located on the South Side of Chicago. Ogbara & Friends Studio is a working studio and a space of respite where artists can access ceramics equipment, particularly kiln firing, that is often cost-prohibitive or creatively restrictive in community spaces. The residency will run for six months in 2027 and function with a small cohort that prioritizes care, collaboration, and material experimentation. This residency allows participants to pursue career development through firing opportunities they may not otherwise have at larger community studios, as well as through ceremony and advancement through collaborative creative production.

by Frank Vega (he/him)

Al sonido del flujo del agua (Agua, Cuerpo, Fiesta) is a series of pop-up activations that transform laundromats in the Albany Park, Belmont Cragin, Little Village, and Hermosa neighborhoods into spaces of sound, gathering, and dance. Through live music, dance lessons, and visual interventions, residents are invited into moments of movement, connection, and cultural exchange. Rooted in communal washing practices along the rivers of Cuenca, Ecuador, where washing clothes has long been intertwined with gathering and mutual support, this project reimagines the laundromat as a contemporary site of encounter, creating space for connection, care, and belonging.

by Sejhari (he/him)

PRIMARY is a multidisciplinary visual art exhibition that interrogates memory as a living archive—shaping how we understand ourselves, our histories, and our capacity for connection. In an era defined by global conflict, systemic injustice, and social fragmentation, this project confronts the conditions shaping our world. Through sound, sculpture, film, live performance, and interactive installation, participants move through “memory environments” designed to spark reflection, self-awareness, and emotional honesty. PRIMARY positions introspection as a radical act—one that builds the capacity for empathy, care, and collective healing. By engaging the senses to explore personal and shared histories, this exhibition creates space to better know ourselves, so we can more deeply know and love one another.

by Amari Amai (he/they)

Stories Beyond the Glass is a communal performance art project that uses the “Candy Lady” stand as a live storytelling platform for community members on the West Side of Chicago. This project is meant to remove the barrier between the thick plexiglass that separates folks in corner stores and restaurants across the West Side. Participants can interact in two ways: they can trade a story for any supplies they'd like or if someone is on the mic, they can walk past and grab whatever items they'd like for free. This experience will culminate in a community zine listing various skills, talents, and offerings from community members and what they'd accept for payment in return, to establish a bartering system across neighborhoods.