At the Hop: A Virtual Gallery Spotlight on Roots & Culture
In response to temporary business closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, DFA presents “At the Hop,” a series highlighting local art galleries we miss hopping to. Our aim is to keep a spotlight on our community and stay engaged with one another. Each feature includes an overview of the gallery’s current show and some remote insights from the gallerists. Answers may be lightly edited for length and clarity.
Featuring: Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center
Location: Noble Square, Chicago, IL
Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center provides career-strengthening opportunities for Chicago artists and curators with a mission to bolster the cultural landscape for all Chicagoans. Roots & Culture supports the local artistic community through various programming initiatives and from the voluntary and monetary support of our community. Executive Director, Eric May shared some insight on these programs.
When did the space open and could you tell us a bit more about your programming initiatives?
We opened our doors on November 4, 2006. Since then, we have hosted nearly 120 exhibitions, showcasing the work of over 450 artists. We offer two core programs– Double Exposure, which consists of two-person exhibitions and CONNECT, which is a curatorial residency for women of color. Both programs are submission-based with rolling calls for proposals. We also feature a public art program called Yr It!, which is visible 24 hours a day from Milwaukee Avenue. Yr It! is curated sequentially where the current artist “tags” the next month’s artist. Importantly, R&C is a space for and by the community. We strive to offer a welcoming experience and a warm sense of hospitality, which encourages audiences to relax and take their time while engaging with the artwork.
How are you keeping connected with the art community during this time of physical distancing?
It’s really a tall order to adapt a program centered on real life experiences to online content. We’re doing our best by sharing highlights from our deep archive on Instagram. I participated in an enlightening Zoom panel for Hyde Park Art Center and their postponed show Artists Run Chicago 2.0. We were in the first iteration ten years ago and we’re eventually participating in the show for the second time.
For me personally, I am now juggling full-time childcare which has seriously consumed most of my day-to-day time and energy. I think it’s important for everyone to focus on the most immediate concerns in life right now–health, family, and home. Eventually, we’ll reopen, maybe starting with installations viewable from the street.
What are some of your favorite local restaurants or coffee shops?
If you know me, you know I’m food-obsessed. And honestly, the immediate neighborhoods around the gallery are not exactly destination-worthy zones for the best food. But, I do have my favorites and standbys, and everybody could use patronage right now. Closest to the gallery is the infamous old school Polish diner, Podhalanka. Up toward Wicker Park there is Falafel & Grill, which actually might make my favorite shawarma anywhere in the city. There’s a new spot on Ashland Avenue that makes good pho called Phodega. To the east on Chicago Avenue, I love Egg-o-holic which makes egg-centric Indian food. Then on Grand Avenue--in the tradition of the neighborhood’s Italian American roots--I love Coalfire which is well known for pizza and Tempesta Market which has artisanal deli sandwiches.
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