South Side Community Art Center

Family Table: Hearth
2024-12-06 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | SkyART South, 3026 E 91st St, Chicago, IL, 60617, United States
Curated by Bethany Hill and rachel dukes This exhibition highlights a trailblazing group of Black women collectors in Chicago, exploring their practices through care, memory work, and cultural heritage preservation. “Beyond Frames” celebrates an intergenerational group of women who continue this legacy today. Viewers can experience artworks from the personal collections of fourteen different Chicago collectors: Patrica Andrews-Keenan, Carol Briggs, Monique Brinkman-Hill, Faye Edwards, Felicia Grant Preston, Frances Guichard, Eleanor Hambric, Beverly Normand, Cynthia Smith, Arcilla Stahl, Christina Steed, Gail Spann, Sonia Spencer, Alita Tucker, and Shyvette Williams. Each collector was asked: What piece in your collection brings you the most joy?What piece represents an aspect of who you are?What piece best represents your journey as a collector?Through these reflections and oral interviews, “Beyond Frames” delves into the personal and cultural significance of their collections. These stories reveal how collecting Black art is not only a creative and curatorial act but also an act of cultural preservation, resistance, and community building.

Pictured from top left to bottom right: Sonia Spencer, Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Monique Brinkman-Hill, Faye Edwards, Felicia Grant Preston, Frances Guichard, Gail Spann, Cynthia Smith, Shyvette Williams (photography by Marvin Wells), Beverly Normand, Alita Tucker, Carol Briggs, Christina Steed

The exhibition also honors ancestors Etta Moten Barnett, Margaret Burroughs, Frances Minor, Linda Murray, and Susan Woodson, pioneering female collectors of Black art in Chicago. These women dedicated their lives to preserving the art of the African diaspora, creating galleries and museums in their homes and building invaluable networks to support Black artists.

Pictured from top left to bottom right: Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Etta Moten Barnett, Linda Murray (Photo courtesy of Nubia Murray), Susan Cayton Woodson and Frances Minor at a celebration of Etta Moten Barnett

“Beyond Frames” invites viewers to consider how art transcends traditional frames, engaging with lived experience, ancestral homage, and memory. By celebrating these women, “Beyond Frames” underscores the critical role of Black women collectors in sustaining African diasporic heritage.

Courtesy of the South Side Community Art Center

About the Co-Curators:

Bethany Hill (she/her) is an archivist, curator, and PhD candidate in Art History specializing in Black visual culture and Black feminist spatial practices. Her work explores the ways Black women cultural creators engage in radical spatial thinking and worldbuilding through art and archives. She’s passionate about preserving and celebrating Black cultural heritage by leading archival initiatives, curating exhibitions, and developing research projects that amplify Black creative legacies. She has led numerous curatorial and research projects at the South Side Community Art Center in Chicago, highlighting its rich history and contemporary significance. Currently, Bethany serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator at Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where she fosters collaborations that center Black voices in archival stewardship and interpretation.

rachel dukes is a writer and curator based in Chicago. rachel has supported numerous curatorial projects across Chicago, including at the South Side Community Art Center, the Hyde Park Art Center, and UIC’s Gallery 400. Her writing has appeared in the Chicago Reader, Sixty Inches From Center, LVL3, and Black Embodiment Studio’s a Year in Black Art. A passionate advocate for community-based arts programming, rachel also serves on the board of Chicago Tap Theatre. In her creative practice, rachel explores the terrain for wonder that is uncovered through art and she is committed to sharing and nurturing this exploration within her community.

About 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.

Harvest Festival
2024-10-26 11:00 - 16:00 | Bronzeville Neighborhood Farm, 4148 S Calumet Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States

Resilience & Renewal: Connecting with the Earth, the Ancestor and Your Hidden Gifts
2024-10-19 13:00 - 15:00 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States

All Things Wood: Ancestral Staff and Art Installation
2024-09-21 13:00 - 19:00 | Earl’s Garden Mae’s Kitchen, 6900 S Prairie Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States

Opening Reception for ReSOURCE
2024-09-14 12:00 - 15:00 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States

ReSOURCE
2024-09-14 - 2024-12-21 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States

Garden Griots: Community Storytelling with Candace Hunter
2024-08-31 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-31 02:00 - 16:00 | Bronzeville Neighborhood Farm, 4148 S Calumet Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States

Eselean Goree Henderson: A Practice in Clay
2024-08-05 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

The Power of Our Ancestors and Remembrance
2024-07-27 09:30 - 12:30 | South Chicago Farm, 9001 S Mackinaw Ave, Chicago, IL, 60617, United States

The Power of our Ancestors and Re(membrance)
2024-07-27 09:30 - 12:00 | South Chicago Farm, 9001 S Mackinaw Ave, Chicago, IL, 60617, United States

Adler and Adler
2024-06-08 - 2024-08-31 | South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60653, United States

3831 CINEMA: FOR THE LOVE OF BLACK ARTISTS
2024-04-12 17:00 - 20:00 | IL

BENDING LIGHT ARTIST TALK: SOUTH SIDE NIGHT x EXPO CHICAGO
2024-04-09 17:00 - 19:00 | IL

BLACK WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS AS WORLDBUILDERS
2024-03-30 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

Flash, Focus: A Camera Demo Workshop with Latitude Chicago.
2024-03-10 12:00 - 13:00 | IL

Honoring Hunt: Legacies in Chicago Black Metalworkers
2024-02-24 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

Bronzeville in Reel Time with South Side Home Movie Project
2024-02-03 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

3831 HOLIDAY POP-UP!
2023-12-16 12:00 - 16:00 | IL

A BLACK ARTIST RECEPTION AT 3831
2023-12-09 12:00 - 16:00 | IL

Iteration(s), with Jared Brown and Briana Lynn
2023-12-02 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

Haus: An Introspective of House Music, Architecture + Queer Culture at 3831
2023-11-18 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

Dr. Burroughs Legacy Day
2023-11-04 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

Through a Lens of Beauty & Wonderment: Notes on Collaborative Friendship | Opening Reception
2023-10-07 12:00 - 15:30 | IL

3831 Activation | Friendship Meditation: A Rehearsal
2023-09-29 18:00 - 19:30 | IL

Telling Your Story: Grant Writing Workshop for Artists Part ll
2023-09-09 12:00 - 14:00 | IL

Telling Your Story: Grant Writing Workshop for Artists
2023-08-26 12:00 - 14:00 | IL

Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tour with DJ Finding Ijeoma
2023-08-18 18:00 - 21:00 | IL

PACE Artist Catalyst: A Closing Celebration
2023-08-12 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

Before I Let Go: Film Screening & Discussion
2023-07-15 13:00 - 15:00 | IL
