new blog

we've moved to http://sscac2saic.wordpress.com/

allison's critical response

to begin to explain how coming to bronzeville has changed my life is difficult to put into words. i remember one day on my way to class a feeling of excitement and refreshing change to be having class in another part of the city came into my perception as i was sitting on the train traveling to this new found place. to literally think outside of the box by being able to make new connections with a community found outside of school has given me a chance to relate more to my surroundings as an artist or simply as an aware human being. i just moved here in august, so i am still settling into my new surroundings. having this class in bronzeville opened my eyes to places i might not have discovered in the same way if i wasn't connected to the south side community art center. the center itself is a welcoming place that embraces your imagination and provides a place to bring people together. it is a process of becoming comfortable in the bronzeville community and i do notice how i don't feel like an outsider anymore when i travel here.

after trying to take part in my first african dance class in chicago i again felt embraced by a new community. the other dancers in the class began conversation with me immediately. i was talking to the musicians, the teacher, the students, and everyone welcomed my participation. unfortunately my stomach didn't welcome the situation, and i realised i hadn't eaten all day. so i left to take care of myself...but i am very excited to go again this sunday. mainly to be part of that group of people again. and to simply move through space together.

proposal by sang hee

SITE/ENVIRONMENT/COMMUNITY
SANG HEE JUN




Proposal for “SCAC meets DOWNTOWN” in Bronzeville

I am a young artist designer who is interested in space planning.
I am part of a group of students who are planning to celebrate the connection between communities. We will invite people to South Side community Art Center from various local communities particularly from downtown Chicago.
The day will be a day of (title) exchange between communities and through that event people will get know about the South Side community’s African American society.
And through this event, our goal is advertising and refurbishing the South Side Art Center and African American society and raising the fund for this center.

The event will begin in the afternoon to the late evening.
There will be two parts of events, a daytime and evening event.
The event will start at 4pm. By the time and the floors the events will go on. At the day time the in the main room on the first floor, there will be tea lounge while t-shirts making and origami experiences goes on the 2nd floor. Simultaneously there will be a dining event at the garden area.
From the 7pm, the evening section will start.
The evening time event will be a party. And an auction Artworks from South Side Communities and various artists will be displayed. And the auction is the main event for this section is will be a silent auction on the 2nd floor. And the garden will be changed as a chilling space for party.

Since the event separated in two parts, there will be two different kinds of tickets, one for full day and one is just for night.

It is my hope that this event will continue to be held annually as a means to strengthen the connection between the South Side community and other local communities.




IDEA FOR THE OUTSIDE GARDEN LIGHTING INSTALLATION for night party.

*-I would like to install the letters or sentences into the surface of wall with simple equipments.

Need ; lettered mirror – 1’ * 1’ (it can be any size)
Lighting – lighting which use for the figure drawing class (from school of art institute of Chicago media center) or any lighting source which can operates over 100W

Proposal by Joon

Re:
New
Proposal 03/28/09
Won Joon Lee
Wlee3@saic.edu
213 448 0825

Proposal: Revitalization

As a part of an evolving relationship between the South Side Community Art Center and SAIC, SAIC artists are creating an event that explores and expands the role of SSCAC as a vital community arts resource.

I am proposing three different preparations for the event. A Silent Auction, one of the most important programs through the night, will be held in the first main floor. Just for the fundraising part I will send out letters to the school alumni and the artists from the society around here to ask for their arts as valuable donations for the auction event. Therefore, first of all, I and Jessica will work on researching the list of contributors and collectors with our school and the associations; Bare-wall, Ox-Bow, and etc. And then once we receive their works, the works will be placed in the main lobby as well. Once we get much of donors and collectors for the event, the silent auction will collect the fund successfully enough for the preservation of SSCAC.

As a second part, a Flash Mob event will happen from the beginning of the day of event. I will participate in and work with Evan’s Marching/Tour Bus plan to create a visual focus on what we are doing and who we are from- targeting on publics that day. This will be held in front of our Museum and the freeze in placed for 5 minutes is the motion we create to be united and shared a moment with large number of strangers. That is the starting point leading people’s attention to SSCAC.

Meanwhile preparing those event, to use my specialty into the project I am planning to install landscape lights at the garden. As collaboration with Sang Hee we will present text images on the wall outside of the building, not only for the visual effects, but advertisement. To create enough light with small effort we will use two small floodlights and one mirror that can create much bigger illusion than actually it could.

As SAIC students we hope to help preserve this rich historical landmark of Bronzeville by instigate local community as well as SAIC community involvement in the preservation process. Any proceeds from the programs will be used toward the preservation of SSCAC; historically significant art collection as we aimed for.



Budget

Home Depot: Floodlight x 2 = appr. $22
A Mirror = appr. $26
Total = $48

Malibu 20 Watt Black Cast Metal Floodlight
Model CL9

36 In. x 24 In. Polished Edge Mirror

Sebastian's Dream Map

...an imaginary trajectory from Pilsen to Bronzeville:

Why I see my trajectory to the SSCAC as a exploration through a territory that no longer exists? The first day I arrived into the South Side Community Art Center, I felt nostalgic for something I did not know and privileged for having an opportunity to work in a place with some much creative history.

map

Here in bronzeville, I am seeing this entire situations and characteristic of Chicago in 3rd person’s view as a Korean woman. But in some ways I can see the same situation in my community in korea. for example, there is an visible and invisible boundary in seoul between

south and north with the Han river.

Anyway, the bronzeville, now feel comfortable whenever I go to south side community art center. Actually I think that uncomfortable feeling was not because of the characteristic of legging behind of this community than other side relating to the history of African American community. Because that kind of issue is also common thing in our community in korea, even if we are composed of same races. So, as a person who can see little bit away from, I really feel queer. But the gap between African American society and American society is bigger than I expected. I felt that when we went out to the street for murals. I guess am learning and seeing the true American present and truth.

another article....links to our reading today, investigating the causes for the race riots in chicago

Many causes have been assigned for the three days of race rioting, from July 27 to 30 in Chicago, each touching some particular phase of the general condition that led up to the outbreak. Labor union officials attribute it to the action of the packers, while the packers are equally sure that the unions themselves are directly responsible. The city administration feels that the riots were brought on to discredit the Thompson forces, while leaders of the anti-Thompson forces, prominent among them being State's Attorney Maclay Hoyne, are sure that the administration is directly responsible. In this manner charges and counter-charges are made, but, as is usually the case, the Negro is made to bear the brunt of it all--to be "the scapegoat." A background of strained race relations brought to a head more rapidly through political corruption, economic competition and clashes due to the overflow of the greatly increased colored population into sections outside of the so-called "Black Belt," embracing the Second and Third Wards, all of these contributed, aided by magnifying of Negro crime by newspapers, to the formation of a situation where only a spark was needed to ignite the flames of racial antagonism. That spark was contributed by a white youth when he knocked a colored lad off a raft at the 29th Street bathing beach and the colored boy was drowned.

Four weeks spent in studying the situation in Chicago, immediately following the outbreaks, seem to show at least eight general causes for the riots, and the same conditions, to a greater or less degree, can be found in almost every large city with an appreciable Negro population. These causes, taken after a careful study in order of their prominence, are:

1. Race Prejudice.
2. Economic Competition.
3. Political Corruption and Exploitation of Negro Voters.
4. Police Inefficiency.
5. Newspaper Lies about Negro Crime.
6. Unpunished Crimes Against Negroes.
7. Housing.
8. Reaction of Whites and Negroes from War.