Today ! From 10am - 4pm on Saturday April 24, enjoy a day of Environmentally-focused activities at MANA Contemporary, a leading arts center located in Pilsen.
Bring your surplus art, office + school supplies for our Green-Out! Donation Drive and take part in creative reuse demonstrations of Imagination Journals and Zero Waste Weaving with CCRx Artists Kathryn Trumbull Fimreite and Macus Alonso, among many activities from notable artists, activists, and organizations focusing on the theme of resource use and reuse.
Mana Contemporary Chicago
2233 S Throop St, Outdoors and Floor 1 Lobby
Hourly capacity of 50 guests at a time, so click here to RSVP.
Most activations will take place in open air spaces with socially-distanced capacity at each station, with few indoor projects limited to five guests at a time. Dress for the weather! All visitors must check-in, wear masks, and observe social distancing : )
Starting with Off-Site Pre-Event:
10AM–12PM GEOLOGICAL SIGHTINGS WITH DEEP TIME CHICAGO
Location: Canal Origins Park Entrance,
2701 S Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608
(Park on the east side of Ashland Avenue and facing Bubbly Creek.)
Starting at Noon at Mana Contemporary Chicago:
12–1pm PAPER-MAKING DEMONSTRATION with Deep Time Chicago
12–2:30 INDIGO TRANSPLANTING WORKSHOP with Cathy Hsiao
12–4pm CCRx DIY CREATIVE REUSE DEMOS
12–4PM STEM-AND-REPEAT INSTALLATION with Full Spectrum Features 12–4PM BETTER OR EQUAL USE DEMONSTRATION with Jonas Becker
12–4PM PERRO CALL TO ACTION
3–4PM MUSICAL PERFORMANCE by Brother El
Details:
10AM–12PM GEOLOGICAL SIGHTINGS WITH DEEP TIME CHICAGO
Location: Canal Origins Park Entrance,
2701 S Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608
(Park on the east side of Ashland Avenue and facing Bubbly Creek.)
Learn about the social, ecological, and environmental history of the Canal Origins Park with Deep Time Chicago members Stella Brown, Beate Geissler, and Tamara Becerra Valdez. Anish Tailor and Erika Chávez from the Freshwater Lab at University of Illinois at Chicago will provide water and land acknowledgments, and share more about resource sovereignty and how Chicagoans can develop a meaningful connection with their neighboring river and water system. Participate in a litter clean up of the park that will lead into a paper-making workshop at Mana Contemporary.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own work gloves, notebook, and wear comfortable clothing and waterproof shoes for this activity.
Starting at Noon at Mana Contemporary Chicago:
12–1pm PAPER-MAKING DEMONSTRATION with Deep Time Chicago
12–2:30 INDIGO TRANSPLANTING WORKSHOP with Cathy Hsiao
12–4pm CCRx DIY CREATIVE REUSE DEMOS
12–4PM STEM-AND-REPEAT INSTALLATION with Full Spectrum Features 12–4PM BETTER OR EQUAL USE DEMONSTRATION with Jonas Becker
12–4PM PERRO CALL TO ACTION
3–4PM MUSICAL PERFORMANCE by Brother El
More details below.
12–1PM PAPERMAKING DEMONSTRATION
WITH DEEP TIME CHICAGO AND TAMARA BECERRA VALDEZ
Artist Tamara Becerra Valdez and interested participants will produce paper sheets and forms from collected and recycled paper waste, seeds, and plant matter.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own work gloves, notebook, and wear comfortable clothing and waterproof shoes for this activity.
12–2:30PM INDIGO TRANSPLANTING WORKSHOP WITH CATHY HSIAO
12 - 2pm Artist Cathy Hsiao will demonstrate planting indigo from seed and explore the life cycle, chemistry, and history of indigo blue. Participants will learn plant and growing tips, and receive free seedlings for replanting in their own garden. A planting session will take place 2–2:30pm. Participation is limited to 15 people.
12–4PM CCRx DIY CREATIVE REUSE DEMOS
Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange (CCRx) aims to educate and empower the public to reduce waste, rethink surplus, and share. CCRx volunteers have designed and assembled several different kits for individual DIY activities. The kits appeal to a range of ages and interests, using materials donated to their warehouse and encouraging the use of found materials too. Limited seating is available for this activity.
12–4PM STEM-AND-REPEAT INSTALLATION PRESENTED BY FULL SPECTRUM FEATURES
Film producer Grace Hahn (Princess Cyd, Once Upon a River) presents an interactive and compostable floral installation based on a red carpet classic: the step-and-repeat. Guests will be invited to take photos with the installation and participate in an open dialogue about sustainability in the film industry.
Full Spectrum Features is a non-profit organization committed to driving equity in the independent film industry by producing, exhibiting, and supporting the work of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers. They aim to educate the public about important social and cultural issues, utilizing the power of cinema to foster understanding in our communities.
12–4PM BETTER OR EQUAL USE DEMONSTRATION WITH JONAS BECKER
Jonas Becker will be presenting works from Better or Equal Use, his current photograph series that uses coal dust to depict redevelopment projects—including prisons, strip malls, and golf courses—on former mining sites in Appalachia. Rendered using coal drawn from each site, the images highlight cycles of extraction, from mining to incarceration and consumerism.
Becker will have work from the series on view, as well as work prints, coal and other material he uses to make these prints. Live streaming on an adjacent monitor, Becker will be producing new prints live from his darkroom at Mana Contemporary.
Five guests will be permitted to view this activity at one time.
12–4PM PERRO CALL TO ACTION
PERRO stands for Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, a grassroots community group of Pilsen residents that formed in 2004 to fight the disproportionate amount of pollution in the Pilsen neighborhood. PERRO will share information on the city of Chicago’s new initiatives for dealing with lead contamination from the city’s lead water service lines. Guests will learn health and development risks posed by lead and the city’s lead water pipes, as well as the city-assisted options for lead service line replacement.
Five guests will be permitted to enter at one time.
3–4PM MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY BROTHER EL
Lional ‘Brother El’ Freeman is a composer, multidisciplinary creative, and educator. He constantly pushes boundaries. Raised in the hip hop aesthetic and DIY movement, his creative practice is a convergence of arts, education and wellness.