South Side Community Art Center

Adler and Adler
2024-06-08 - 2024-08-31 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States
Exhibiting Artist Eli Greene | Curated by Amber Nax
The South Side Community Art Center in partnership with ICI, presents “Adler & Adler”, a poignant artistic response by Chicago-based artist Eli Greene to a selection of archival images from the Adler & Adler Studio: a Black-owned photography studio in what was once the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit. Founded circa 1910 by Charles and Mamie L. Adler, the studio was one of the earliest Black photographic businesses in Detroit. Adler & Adler Studio was a place where people celebrated and immortalized the joys of everyday life: graduations, weddings, and the arrival of new family members. This site, and Black photography studios across the country just like it, were beacons of empowerment, offering Black communities new agency in self-representation. For the first time, it gave them power over how they were represented in the present, and how they would be remembered by future generations. When the Adlers passed away in 1973, they left no heirs, and the studio, along with its collection of photographs, was left behind. Some of these photographs were later discovered and sold to The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, where they now reside as a testament to the studio’s enduring impact.

Images Courtesy of The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History | Curated by Amber Nax
After being approached by ICI with the idea of responding to the Adler & Adler images, the artist, while visiting family in Detroit, photographed the old studio site, now a park, at 4215 Russell Street. Alongside the Adler & Adler images are (10) contemporary photographs of the site, a drawing inspired by the studio backdrops present in the original images, and a sound/video work. Invested in themes of memory, trace, and ghosts, Eli Greene’s response to these images explores what it means to find something that you did not realize was lost.
About the artist

Eli Greene holds a BA from Cornell University and an MFA from The University of Chicago. Through drawing, film, and performance, her practice traces the act of one thing becoming another. Greene’s recent work has been exhibited in Chicago at The Smart Museum of Art, Hyde Park Art Center, Gallery 400, Regards, Goldfinch and Produce Model. She lives and works in Chicago.
About the curator

Amber Nax (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and independent curator native to Detroit, MI. She graduated from Wayne State University, earning an Art History B.F.A with a personal concentration in Black American and African history, contemporary art, culture, and folklore. With a background in arts administration, programming, urban farming, and museum studies.
Amber deals in the archives of art. She is inspired by how an archive will reveal the past, validate the present, and inform the future.
About the partnerships
Dr. Burroughs/Gayden Curatorial Fellowship for African American Curators:
The Dr. Burroughs/Gayden Curatorial Fellowship for African American Curators, a unique initiative between the South Side Community Art Center and Independent Curators International, is a beacon of opportunity for emerging curators. This fellowship, honoring the late Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs, provides a valuable career development opportunity and reflects SSCAC’s commitment to nurturing emerging Black talent through artistic initiatives. It supports curators’ research, the actualization of an exhibition, and the development of their professional networks, offering a curatorial stipend of $1,000 and an exhibition budget of $5,000.
SSCAC:
Founded in 1940, the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) stands as a testament to the resilience and creativity of the Black American art community. As the oldest Black American art center in the United States and a Chicago Historic Landmark, SSCAC is a beacon of cultural heritage and innovation. We take pride in our rich past and continue to build on our legacy, serving as an artist- and community-centered resource with diverse programs and exhibitions. The mission of the South Side Community Art Center is to conserve, preserve, and promote the legacy and future of Black American art and artists while educating the community on the value of art and culture.
About ICI:
Independent Curators International (ICI) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit arts organization that focuses on the role of the curator in contemporary art. We support curators to help create stronger art communities through experimentation, collaboration, and international engagement.
Curators are arts community leaders and organizers who champion artistic practice; build essential infrastructures and institutions; and generate public engagement with art. We work with art spaces in the US and around the world to present exhibitions and public programs for broad audiences; and professional development initiatives for curators.
Our collaborative programs connect curators, artists, and audiences from across social, political, and cultural borders. They form an international framework for sharing knowledge and resources — promoting cultural exchange, access to art, and public awareness for the curator’s role.
The Wright:
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History opens minds and changes lives through the exploration and celebration of African American history and culture. Our vision is of a world in which the adversity and achievement of African American history inspire everyone toward greater understanding, acceptance, and unity.
