Join this celebration of the historic and ongoing role art and design plays in growing communities and strengthening neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side. Participants will experience this rich history through a variety of activities, including all-ages artmaking workshops and other artist-led projects, live performances, and film screenings. 

Admission is free, except where noted.

Trolleys: Free trolleys circulate between venues from Noon – 6pm, with stops at each location approximately every 20 minutes. For pick-up locations, look for the Celebrating South Side Stories sign in front of each venue. 

View a map of the trolley route here.

Parking: Free parking is available at Kenwood Academy High School, 5015 South Blackstone Avenue (near Hyde Park Art Center). Trolleys will stop at the lot.

Accessibility: The trolleys, as well as the museums and venues listed below, are all wheelchair accessible, with the exception of D.E. Simmons’ home. Accommodations for the Washington Park Tour can be arranged on request. Contact Chicago Parks Foundation at (312) 742-4781. For additional questions about accessibility, contact the individual venues.

Schedule of Activities

DuSable Museum of African American History
740 East 56th Place, Chicago 

• 11 a.m.–Noon: Celebrating South Side Stories Kick-off            

Start the day with a light breakfast and visit the new exhibition The Art and Influence of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs.

• 1–4 p.m.: Printmaking and Placemaking

Visitors create linocut masterpieces in Dr. Burroughs’ iconic style, and design their own museums using a blueprint of the DuSable Museum.

• 3–4:30 p.m.: Art Worlds of the South Side

Presented by South Side Projections, five short films document the spaces and grassroots institutions of art on the South Side, focusing on the work of Dr. Margaret Burroughs, followed by a panel discussion.

• 4:30–6 p.m.: Columbia College Jazz Ensemble with Maggie Brown (Located at the Roundhouse)

Experience the music that inspired South Side artists and civil rights activists, guided by musician and artist Maggie Brown and the Columbia College Jazz Ensemble directed by Scott Hall. 

• Related Exhibition: South Side Stories – The Art and Influence of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs is presented as part of Art Design Chicago and is open and free to visitors throughout the day.

D.E. Simmons Collection
4744 South Champlain Avenue, Chicago 
*Advanced registration required; click here for free tickets.

• 1–2 p.m. and 3–4 p.m.: Diasporal Rhythm’s 15th Annual Collectors Home Tour Preview

Visit the home and collection of D.E. Simmons, a member of Diasporal Rhythms, an active collector group of artwork created by artists of the African Diaspora. 

Hyde Park Art Center
5020 South Cornell Avenue, Chicago

• 1–4 p.m.: Cha Cha Collage

Artist Mary Tepper leads an art project inspired by Hairy Who artist Suellen Rocca and her painting "Cha Cha Couple" included in the Smart Museum’s exhibition The Time Is Now!

• 1–4 p.m.: Do What Ralph Does: 1968-2018

Go deep in collage, an art-making technique perfected by artist Ralph Arnold in the 1960s. Learn about Arnold’s process by collaging magazine clippings from 1968 and 2018. Presented in conjunction with the Museum of Contemporary Photography’s upcoming exhibition The Many Hats of Ralph Arnold.

• 1–4 p.m.: What’s Your Bag?

Make a silkscreened tote bag with one of artist Ralph Arnold’s trademark, counter-cultural phrases from the 1960s: "What's Your Bag?”

• 1–5 p.m.: Solid Gold Saturday

Celebrate the Hyde Park Art Center’s latest exhibitions featuring new work by Chicago-based artists. Meet the artists and enjoy live art, musical performance, and refreshments.

Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago
5550 South Greenwood Avenue, Chicago  

• 12–2 p.m.: Museum Exhibition Tours

A series of brief tours highlighting specific themes and artworks in The Time Is Now! Art Worlds of Chicago’s South Side, 1960-1980.  

• 12–3 p.m.: Sticks and Tape with Floating Museum

A collaborative building exercise for all ages, the Floating Museum team guides participants through the process of creating temporary, large-scale sculptures relying on humble materials.

• 3–4:30 p.m.: The Alley LP: Perspectives & Recollections Listening Party

This limited release LP features interviews about The Alley, a space on the South Side that hosted regular Sunday gatherings of musicians, artists, poets, and neighbors. 

• Related Exhibition: South Side Stories – The Time Is Now! Art Worlds of Chicago’s South Side, 1960-1980 is presented as part of Art Design Chicago and is open and free to visitors throughout the day.

Stony Island Arts Bank
6760 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago 

• 12:30–1:30 p.m.: Johnson Publishing Stories with Maggie Brown

A special storytelling performance featuring musician and artist Maggie Brown interpreting memories and the historic legacy of the Johnson Publishing Company offices. 

• 1–2 p.m.: Stony Island Arts Bank Guided Tour

Learn about the building's history, restoration, and the collections it houses. 

• 2–4 p.m.: DJ Duane Powell

Rebuild Foundation Resident DJ brings his unique blend of soul, acid jazz, house, and more back to the Bank’s newly remodeled lounge and bar. Enjoy art and light refreshments while listening to a soulful groove.  

• 4:30–5:30 p.m.: Avery R. Young & De Deacon Board

Performance by multidisciplinary artist, composer, and producer Avery R. Young and his music project De Deacon Board.

• Related Exhibition: A Johnson Publishing Story is presented as part of Art Design Chicago and is free to visitors throughout the day.

South Side Community Art Center
3831 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago 

• 11 a.m.–5 p.m.: Caught in the Light

An exhibition by the Chicago Alliance of African American Photographers captures the vibrancy of summer on the South Side of Chicago.  

• 5–11 p.m.: Light Up the Night 

Attend the South Side Community Art Center’s annual benefit art auction at Gallery Guichard, 436 East 47th Street. $75 *Advanced registration required. Click here for ticket information.

Washington Park Refectory
5531 South Russell Drive, Chicago
*Advanced registration required; click here for tickets.

• 1–3 p.m.: Washington Park Walking Tour

Chicago’s Washington Park is an artwork in itself. This tour explores the park’s landscape history and public artworks. Presented by Chicago Parks Foundation and led by cultural historian Julia Bachrach. $10

Art Moves (12-3 p.m. at various locations)
67th Street Beach (12 p.m.) DuSable Museum (12 p.m.) Stony Island Arts Bank (2 p.m.) Smart Museum (2 p.m.)

Presented by the Museum of Vernacular Arts and Knowledge, Art Moves: Chicago’s Innovative Structures of Address is based on grass-roots models from the late 1960s and 1970s for circulating information about black art to residents on the South Side of Chicago. Reimagined for today, the program features experienced arts educators delivering curricula about lesser known Chicago artists and genres out-of-doors and in the streets.