For Immediate Release

Today Arts Alliance Illinois, Partners for Sacred Places, and Bustling Spaces, LLC announced a new program connecting South Side artists with local sacred places that have space and amenities to share, activating under-utilized space within sacred places and giving artists access to low-cost space to create and exhibit their art.

South Side Artists in Sacred Spaces is a collaboration between Arts Alliance Illinois, Partners for Sacred Places, and Bustling Spaces, LLC – working in close collaboration with religious leaders in Chicago’s South Side – to address the acute need for affordable, accessible space for neighborhood artists: a longtime need further exacerbated by the pandemic. 

The program will connect congregations that have available space and a need for additional ongoing revenue to artists and arts organizations in need of affordable, accessible space for rehearsals, performances, classes, administrative needs, and other programming. Participating congregations that complete the training program will be eligible to apply for capital grants of up to $35,000 to improve accessibility and make their spaces better suited for the arts. Participating artists and arts organizations that complete the training program will be eligible to receive rental assistance to help fund their ongoing use of the spaces.

“Not having dedicated spaces to work has long been a barrier for artists on the South Side of the city,” said Claire Rice, Executive Director of Arts Alliance Illinois. “This program is a win-win: artists get the space to create, and congregations get a sustainable new way to expand their community ties. We’re thankful to the City for fostering sustainable community partnerships like this that provide foundational needs for creatives.”

“We are thrilled to launch this program in the historic South Side neighborhood of Chicago and connect artists with congregations in mutually beneficial ways that also add vibrancy to the community,” said Bob Jaeger, president of Partners for Sacred Places.

Applications are now available for South Side congregations and artists and arts organizations and can be found on the Partners for Sacred Places website at sacredplaces.org/southsideartists. All applications are due Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 11:59pm CT. 

South Side Artists in Sacred Spaces is supported by a Chicago Arts Recovery Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The project is supported by federal assistance listing number 21.0237 awarded to Arts Alliance Illinois by the US Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fundes in the amount of $250,000, representing 100% of total funding. 

Interested artists, arts organizations, and congregations are invited to participate in one of two information sessions in August:

• Tuesday, August 8 from 4:30pm – 6:00pm (in person) at First Presbyterian Church in Woodlawn 
• Tuesday, August 22 from 12:00pm – 1:30pm (online) via Zoom 

Inquiries about South Side Artists in Sacred Spaces can be sent to Henry Wishcamper at henrywishcamper@me.com.

About Arts Alliance Illinois
Arts Alliance Illinois champions arts resources and policies that benefit their members and all Illinois residents. With 25,000 active subscribers and hundreds of members, the Alliance connects the people and ideas that are shaping the future of the creative sector. As the only multidisciplinary organization concentrated on the strength of arts and culture across the state, Arts Alliance takes on challenges that no single organization or artist can fight alone. To learn more, visit www.artsalliance.org.

About Partners for Sacred Places

Partners for Sacred Places is the only nonsectarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to the sound stewardship and active community use of older sacred places across America. Partners provides a variety of fundraising, building stewardship, space-sharing, and community engagement services through grant-funded programs and consulting so that sacred places can live into the vital roles they play as community assets in their neighborhoods and our wider society. To learn more, visit www.sacredplaces.org.

About Bustling Spaces

Bustling Spaces LLC supports artists, community groups and creative businesses in historically disinvested communities to manifest their vision, access new resources, and tell their stories. Bustling Spaces’ founder, Henry Wishcamper is a cultural planner, community developer, storyteller, arts advocate and strategic consultant with over 20 years of experience as a theater director, producer, playwright and non-profit administrator. He was an Artistic Associate and member of the Artistic Collective at Goodman Theatre from 2011 – 2022. He recently graduated from the Masters in Urban Planning and Policy program at the University of Illinois Chicago with a custom specialization in cultural planning. His primary academic focus was on the role that arts infrastructure and cultural programming in public spaces can play in generating equitable hyperlocal economic development in historically disinvested communities.