Civic Commons Studio #2: Inspiration from Chicago

June 6, 2017

by Bronlynn Thurman 

(Previously posted here)

It’s messy and you will make mistakes. That was one of the first things that people told us at the second Civic Commons Studio in the windy city. I could visibly see sighs of relief as the group became more comfortable in the unpredictable nature of working with humans. Building relationships is hard, messy and complicated, but in the long run, they’re worth every precious second.

This was my first Civic Commons Studio and being in a space such as Chicago brought about many feelings for me. Although Akron is approximately 30 percent African-American, you do not see well-supported black spaces such as those in Chicago. I was amazed by the strength of black culture in the area. Theaster Gates is a powerhouse of creativity and his interest in ethical redevelopment is inspiring.

Personally, I gained more from exploring his spaces and hearing his partners speak on the tours, than I did from the sessions. It is one thing to listen to others speak about projects, challenges, successes, and ideas, but it’s another to stand in those spaces and see the fruits of that labor. Theaster has created an ode to black people and you can feel the love, care, and attention in every project.

 Photo by Bronlynn Thurman

Not to say that Chicago is without its own issues, but coming from a city like Akron to Chicago has shown me what intentional focus on building spaces where people can coexist and mix without sacrificing their dignity can look like.

Here are my top three takeaways from the Civic Commons Studio #2 – Chicago

-Partnerships are key. Chicago Art + Industry Commons is building solid partnerships across both the private and public sectors.

-Document your process. You need to document where you began and the journey to the final product because that is vital information to showing the success of a project.

-Keep things flexible! People are unpredictable and needs change dependent upon a variety of factors that may be out of your hands.

 Photo by Bronlynn Thurman

As much as I don’t believe in leaving the revitalization of a city to one person or a small group of people, I do wonder, where is Akron’s Theaster? And how can the civic commons help bring him or her to light?

Bronlynn Thurman is Akron Program Associate at Knight Foundation and Program Assistant at GAR Foundation.