Ebony, Jet and Theaster Gates: Black History in Chicago

While February comes to a close, we again look to ways Black History can be celebrated all throughout the year, beyond Black History Month.

As we’ve explored in years prior, Black History abounds in Chicago, and many industry-changing institutions that were founded in Chicago endure to this day. Among them are the South Side Community Arts Center and the DuSable Black History Museum; as well as the longest running exhibition of African American art: View the Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition now at the Museum of Science and Industry through the end of April!

Art and archival by Theaster Gates

One truly remarkable resource Chicago has for accessing Black history is the celebrated artist Theaster Gates. Throughout his career producing artworks, and through the nonprofit organization he founded, the Rebuild Foundation, Gates has sought to reflect, uplift and archive Black history.

While Gates’ art can be viewed in the most highly respected arenas around the globe, the Rebuild Foundation allows Chicagoans to experience his work here, firsthand.

Just last year, the organization completed an eight-year process of restoring and digitizing the collection of nearly 5,000 vinyl records belonging to the late Frankie Knuckles, the venerated Chicago DJ and inventor of House music. ^[Ref]

One of the organizations most popular facets is The Stony Island Arts Bank, a hybrid gallery, library and media archive and community center, designed by Gates to reclaim a formerly thriving neoclassical-architecture bank on the South Side which had been abandoned. The building is now alive with learning and celebrating Black history.

Currently on exhibit at the Arts Bank is When Clouds Roll Away: Reflection and Restoration from the Johnson Archive, an exhibition of artwork by Theaster Gates featuring a suite of new works both inspired by and sourced from the Johnson Publishing Company archive.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) was founded in Chicago in 1942 and chronicled the lives of Black Americans for over seven decades, most famously through the publication of Ebony and Jet magazines. The JPC was vital in its witnessing and sharing of Black life. When in 2011 the company sold their headquarters — their building at 820 S. Michigan Avenue, the first downtown Chicago high-rise commissioned by a Black-owned corporation and designed by a Black architect ^[Ref] —  they called Theaster Gates to be the caretaker of all the objects and property in the space. ^[Ref]

When Clouds Roll Away occupies all three floors of the Stony Island Arts Bank and includes an active bar and lounge, music programs, writing commissions, and an hands-on, large-scale archival installation, the Facsimile Cabinet of Women Origin Stories. “For the first time ever, Gates will exhibit newly restored objects, vintage office furniture, works of art owned by Johnson” and more.

You can experience the multifaceted exhibit until March 15, 2025. Find more information here.

The Rebuild Foundation hosts numerous events throughout the year honoring contemporary and historic Black figures and works, at the Stony Island Arts Bank and other locations. The best way to see the latest programming is to follow the organization on Instagram, found here.