The Project

Black Culture in Chicago is a photography project created to counter misconceptions by presenting images and narratives that reveal the intrinsic value and diversity of Chicago’s Black culture. The images presented on this website are taken from the larger, collective project which will include a world-class exhibit and a companion hardcover book.

This project is the result of a collaboration with a twenty-member advisory committee of influencers from the south and west sides of Chicago. Understanding the transformative value of images to uplift a community and change perceptions, this group met regularly to identify the narratives that led to the photographs. Each of the 80-100 images is accompanied by an extended caption intended to engage and prompt the viewer to dialogue with the image and the text.

The exhibition project advances two main objectives:

• To promote cross-cultural understanding by creating awareness of the contributions and impact that African Americans have made to society in Chicago by using uplifting photographs with narratives

• To inspire people’s embrace of a shared human experience through photography, engaging viewers in a reflection and dialogue about diversity, identity, cultural changes, and diasporic experiences. Viewers will find opportunities to understand the diversity and complexity within the broader scope of the African American experience in the United States

Questions or feedback? Please visit our Contact page.

• View 2019 iNova Gold Certificate Award

• View 2019 iNova Silver Certificate Award

Special thanks to Schiff Hardin LLP and Great Cities Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago