Art District Trolley Tour - BronzeVille Retail Initiative

About Bronzeville
Bronzeville is located on Chicago’s south side buttressed by
Cermak Road to the north, Washington Park on the south, the
Dan Ryan Expressway to the west and Cottage Grove Avenue
on the east. The Great Migration of the early 1900’s from the
South brought many African Americans to Chicago, establishing the area as a vibrant community. The pulsing energy of
Bronzeville was located at the corners of 35th/State Street,
and 47th/South Parkway Boulevard (later renamed Martin
Luther King, Jr. Drive). At those intersections, people came
to see and be seen, shop, conduct business, dine and dance,
and experience this bustling black metropolis. The crowds reflected the diverse mix of people living in the black belt: young
and old, poor and prosperous, professionals and laborers.
Bronzeville was well known for its nightclubs and dance halls.
The jazz, blues, and gospel music that developed with the
migration of Southern musicians attracted scores of diverse
listeners and admirers. In the 1920s, the Regal Theater
opened its doors and hosted the country’s most talented and
glamorous black entertainers. The community was also home
to many prominent African American artists and intellectuals,
including dancer Katherine Dunham, aviator Bessie Coleman,
Congressman William Dawson, publishing magnate John H.
Johnson, sociologist Horace Clayton, surgeon Dr. Daniel Hale
Williams, journalist and social activist Ida B. Wells, jazz man
Louis Armstrong, authors Richard Wright and Lorraine Hansberry, United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize recipient
Gwendolyn Brooks, and artist and co-founder of the Dusable
Museum Dr. Margaret Burroughs.
Artistic Community
As part of a community-driven revitalization, Bronzeville
seamlessly bridges its historical significance and flourishing
modern renaissance. Amongst newly opened coffee shops
and restaurants, you will find spectacular displays of Victorian
Era architecture interspersed with some of the most celebrated works within the City of Chicago’s Public Art Collection. Of note is a sculpture-adorned stretch of Martin Luther
King Drive that features Alison Saar’s Monument to the Great
Northern Migration, the Bronzeville Walk of Fame, the Victory
Monument, and an extensive collection of murals. It is with
great pleasure that we present Bronzeville Summer Nights, a
collaboration between the Bronzeville Art District, the Chicago
Community Trust and the Quad Communities Development
Corporation. Our goal is to ignite and stimulate the community
with art, music, food, local performances and more, inviting
others to experience all that Bronzeville has to offer.
Participating Establishments
Blanc Gallery
Gallery Guichard
Bronzeville Artist Lofts
Little Black Pearl
Blanc’s mission is to engage African Americans and all Chicagoans through the arts, igniting dialogue on issues of spiritual,
political and social significance. It is a center for ideas and a
meeting place for people, with the primary objective of cultivating a culture of conversation.
The Bronzeville Artist Lofts is a live-work space situated in
the heart of Bronzeville’s commercial corridor on 47th Street.
This former Jones Brothers Ben Franklin store, built in the
1920s and at the time was the world’s largest black-owned
department store, was renovated and transformed into 16
extraordinary open loft space apartments for artists who have
graciously opened their studios to the public. Participating
artists: Nichole Bruce, Alpha Bruton, Roger Carter, Bruce Gage,
Alan Emerson Hicks and Raymond Thomas.
The Chicago Community Trust
The Chicago Community Trust is a community foundation
dedicated to improving the city’s neighborhoods through
strategic grant making, civic engagement and inspiring philanthropy. They are here to serve the nonprofit organizations,
the generous donors and the thoughtful residents who strive
to make a difference, helping their bold vision create lasting
community change, working closely with a number of partnerships and initiatives to accomplish this work.
Faie Afrikan Art
Faie Afrikan Art showcases outstanding pieces from the
Western, Eastern, Central, and Southern Regions of Africa. Its
mission is to make quality African art, usually found in private
collections and museums, available to wider audience, particularly those in the Diaspora, and all who are seeking deeper
purpose and unspeakable beauty.
Since its opening in 2005, Gallery Guichard has been one of
Bronzeville’s preeminent galleries of art. Residing in an exceptional piece of Chicago architecture once occupied by Borden’s
Diary, the Gallery represents artists from around the world but
specializes in art of the African Diaspora.
Little Black Pearl (LBP) is a thriving nonprofit serving youth in
the Kenwood/Oakland, Woodlawn, and Bronzeville neighborhoods on Chicago’s south side. They provide opportunities in
art, culture and entrepreneurship to youth, adults and families
across Chicago. In 2011 LBP expanded its vision of marrying
art and education by establishing the Little Black Pearl Art and
Design Academy.
South Side Community Art Center
Founded in 1940 through President Franklin Roosevelt’s Work
Progress Administration, the South Side Community Art Center
cultivates artists’ careers through exhibitions, and provides
community programming, public events, and educational
classes. It is the only surviving art center of the Federal Art
Project and the oldest African American art center in the country.
Quad Communities Development Corporation
Quad Communities Development Corporation serves the south
lakefront communities of North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas
and Grand Boulevard. Formed in May of 2003, its mission is
to improve the quality of life and economic strength of its
neighborhoods by driving economic development, fostering
the improvement of neighborhood schools, and supporting and
connecting organizations focused on workforce development,
retail attraction/retention and safety.
For more information visit: facebook.com/bronzevillenights
presented by
Bronzeville Art District &
Quad Communities Development Corporation
Featured Events
JUNE
RACESPACEPLACE
Exploring the rich artistic culture of
Bronzeville and surrounding neighborhoods
Dates
June 19th
July 17th
August 21st
September 18th
Times
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Trolley Tour Route
Continuously rotating trolleys at each gallery in 15 minute intervals,
with periodic stops at local establishments.
start 1 Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center
(47th & Greenwood)
2 Gallery Guichard / Bronzeville Artist Lofts
(47th & Vincennes)
3 Blanc Gallery (44th & King Drive)
4 Southside Community Art Center
(39th & Michigan)
5 Faie (43rd & Ellis)
return 6 Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center
Date: June 5, 2015
Venue: Blanc Gallery
Location: 4445 South King Drive
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Contact: blancchicago.com
Blackness in Latin America/Negritud en Latino
America
Date: June 5, 2015
Venue: Gallery Guichard
Location: 436 East 47th
Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Contact: galleryguichard.com
Love and Heroes - A hip-hop musical romantic comedy
Date: June 19, 2015
Venue: Harold Washington Cultural Center
Location: 4701 South King Drive
Contact: broadwayinbronzeville.com
Opening Reception of Solo Exhibition by Rahmaan
Staatik
Ongoing Programs
JULY
Willie Dixon 100 Years of the Blues
Date: July 1, 2015
Venue: Blues Heaven Foundation
Location: 2120 South Michigan Avenue
Contact: wdbhf.org
WAKE UP! featuring work by Ti-Rock Moore
Date: July 10, 2015
Venue: Gallery Guichard
Location: 436 East 47th Street
Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Contact: galleryguichard.com
The Historic and Revolutionary Chicago Reunion of
“The Last Poets”
Date: July 25, 2015
Venue: Harold Washington Cultural Center
Location: 4701 South King Drive
Time: 7:00pm
Contact: broadwayinbronzeville.com
AUGUST
Bud Billiken Parade
Date: June 26, 2015
Venue: South Side Community Art Center
Location: 3831 South Michigan Avenue
Contact: sscartcenter.org
Date: August 8, 2015
Location: South King Drive/Oakwood Boulevard
Time: 10:00am
Contact: budbillikenparade.org
Broadway in Bronzeville Bootcamp Summer for Kids
Bronzeville Collective Pop-Up
Date: June 30, 2015
Venue: Harold Washington Cultural Center
Location: 4701 South King Drive
Contact: broadwayinbronzeville.com
Date: August 14 - 16, 2015
Location: 51st Street/South King Drive
Time: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Contact: bronzevilleretail.com
51st Street Jazz Festival
Gift of Gab
Date: August 15, 2015
Location: 51st Street/South King Drive
Time: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Contact: bronzevilleretail.com
Date: June 11, July 19 and August 13, 2015
Venue: Jokes & Notes
Location: 4641 South King Drive
Time: 8:30pm
Contact: jokesandnotes.com
50th Annual Auction
Cookie Jar Poetry with Poet & Emcee Cookie Battles
Date: August 15, 2015
Venue: South Side Community Art Center
Location: 3831 South Michigan Avenue
Contact: sscartcenter.org
SEPTEMBER
Opening Reception for Black Comic Exhibition
curated by Turtel Onli
Date: September 13, 2015
Venue: South Side Community Art Center
Location: 3831 South Michigan Avenue
Contact: sscartcenter.org
African Festival of the Arts
Date: September 4 - 7, 2015
Location: Washington Park
Contact: aihusa.org
Date: June 13, July 11, August 8 and
September 12, 2015
Venue: South Side Community Art Center
Location: 3831 South Michigan
Contact: sscartcenter.org
Vocalo presents: Bronzeville Comedy Showcase
Date: June 17, July 15 and August 19, 2015
Venue: Blanc Gallery
Location: 4445 South King
Time: 6:00pm
Contact: blancchicago.com
Gordon Parks Film Series
Date: June 28 and August 23, 2015
Venue: South Side Community Art Center
Location: 3831 South Michigan
Contact: sscartcenter.org
After School Matters Teen Talk Theater
Date: Every Wednesday - Saturday, beginning July 8 August 15, 2015
Venue: South Side Community Art Center
Location: 3831 South Michigan
Contact: sscartcenter.org
Brown Derby Jazz Revue
Date: Every Thursday
Venue: Great Lakes Elks Lodge
Location: 5108 South Prairie Avenue
Time: 8:00pm - 12:00am
Contact: bronzevilleretail.com