Takeover ResidenT
Spring 2022
ALT_ Chicago
A collaboration between Jon Veal and Jordan Campbell, alt Space Chicago (abbreviated alt_) was incepted by the two artists in response to the trauma of surrounding communities and the belief that art could be used as a tool for healing. Campbell’s family history of entrepreneurship and Veal’s lifelong passion for art met in a resolution to positively disrupt their communities through tangible acts of service. Sharing the mutual motivators of family, community, change and servanthood, Veal and Campbell moved forward to create alt_.
Since its inception, alt_ has expanded into an artist-led, Chicago-based non-profit that is dedicated to revitalizing communities through art and culture. alt_ provides an alternative to the dominant cultural narrative, manifesting new opportunities in a time of need on the South and West Sides of Chicago.
Oak Park Public Library
The Oak Park Public Library is excited to be partnering this spring with Compound Yellow, Oak Park's independent, multi-functional, artist-run space and artists' residency. To support our work with Compound Yellow, the Library is designating part of an A Library for All grant, awarded by the State of Illinois to the Library for public programming that amplifies the voices of local artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). This month, the Library is proud to feature Compound Yellow's Spring Artists-in-Residence, Jon Veal and Jordan Campbell, founders of alt_ Chicago.
Takeover Events
About the Takeover residency
We invite our Takeover Residents to re-envision our physical space and fill as much as possible with their unique style and themes. Each Takeover Resident will be working on-site over a three-month period developing a program of exhibitions, workshops and performances.
What makes our Takeover Residency different from other programs, is its interactivity with our entire ecosystem. Takeover Residents are expected to collaborate with our organization to co-curate their seasonal programmatic calendar alongside our larger community of artists who submit proposals, book events, and want to experiment at our artist-run space. Takeover Residents help us curate each of these artists in a place and context within their residency that maximizes the impact of each participant and allows for the greatest amount of generativity.
PREVIOUS TaKEOVER RESIDENTS
Fall 2021
Ciera McKissick
During her tenure at Compound Yellow, curator Ciera McKissick of AMFM highlighted the work of emerging artists, many of them artists of color, through two exhibitions, collaborative programming like the Tanda with Chuquimarca, performances from local artists, activations like Makers Day, where people learned new skills from artists, and had conversations with featured artists about their work.
Summer 2021
Regin Igloria
Everything Moves With Me
Summer 2021 Takeover Resident, Regin Igloria, presented Everything Moves With Me, a three-part exhibition and performance series. Part 1 began on June 12th, when the gallery space reveals a makeshift production facility housing parts, materials, and plans for the buildout of a variety of mobile sculptures. In July, Part 2 of the Takeover encouraged visitors to interact with the mobile units as both indoor and outdoor sculptures throughout the campus. Performances directly engaging with the objects took place most weekends.
Alongside the gallery exhibition, the X Gallery was transformed into Wheels, an evolving “movement shop” featuring objects, wearables, zines, and ephemera. Intended to resemble a hybrid bike and skate shop, this non-retail environment interprets movement through a variety of wheeled contraptions and some of the values found within these subcultures of design and athleticism.
The project culminated in August with a procession featuring several of the mobile units. Workshops and other participatory events will be announced throughout the three-month residency.
Collaborating artists and performers included Madeline Aguilar, Katie Chung, Sam Lewis, Portmanteau (Stephanie Diaz and Jessica Mondres), Jenny Polak, and North Branch Projects. More artists to be added throughout the summer.
Spring 2021
Alberto Aguilar and Alex Bradley Cohen
This, That, and Everything
For the three months, artists Alberto Aguilar and Alex Bradley Cohen made playful, intuitive art in, on, and around our space. Throughout their residency they hosted three public receptions of their evolving work, titled This, That, and Everything.