Archiving Cook County

Archiving Cook County

Welcome to Activating Heritage 2021!

Presenter: Skyla Hearn, Cook County Historic Archives

The Cook County Historic Archives and Records Office (CARO) is responsible for compiling local governmental records, past and present, in Cook County, as well as preserving the history of our region, and explaining the role the county played in the growth and development of the region, state, and nation. The documents compiled at CARO underscore the significance of each Cook County agency, providing a greater understanding for residents of the importance of these agencies in the County government. CARO also offers greater access to historically significant records. Learn from the CARO Manager of Archives, Skyla S. Hearn about this new and amazing resource and how it will benefit Chicago’s cultural landscape.

Intersections in Art and Educational Curriculum

Intersections in Art and Educational Curriculum

Welcome to Activating Heritage 2021!

Moderator: William Estrada, Artist and Educator, Chicago Public Schools and UIC

Panelists: Carlos Bossard, Kay Kihwa Rho, Julia deBettencourt, Helena Swanson-Nystrom, Robin Koelsch

Learn the most effective strategies for crafting an educational curriculum that will harness your cultural insight and share your community’s stories with Chicagoland youth. William Estrada educator, artist, and specialist in arts education curriculum development highlights the Alliance’s Cultural Heritage Curriculum Incubator program (CHCI), and offers advice pertaining to curriculum development. This session offers new insight on sharing educational content and programs with educators at Chicago Public Schools.

The Significance of Community Gardens

The Significance of Community Gardens

Welcome to Activating Heritage 2021!

Moderator: Tony Pena, Chicago Botanic Garden

Panelists: Sherry Williams, Michael Howard, Mario Longoni, Mattie Wilson, Angela Taylor and Johnnie Owens

A panel of community stakeholders, urban agriculturalists, and environmental anthropologists discuss the significance of community gardens in the wake of COVID-19. Community gardens are a source of wellness and are especially pertinent to local engagement with the great outdoors. Each panelist in this session is creatively utilizing community gardens to address neighborhood needs and will be sharing their work, as well as tips and suggestions for those interested in getting involved or starting their own garden.

Stories of Covid-19 Era Resilience

Stories of Covid-19 Era Resilience

Welcome to Activating Heritage 2021!

Moderator: Cairo Dye, National Hellenic Museum

Panelists: James Deutsch, Jacob Campbell, Madeleine Tudor, Alicia Zeimet

How does one go about documenting a series of global events which not only impacted one community, but rocked the entire world? How might the process of museum collecting and storytelling create opportunities for reflection, solidarity, and healing? Learn how the Smithsonian Folklife Digital Magazine, Field Museum of Natural History Pandemic Collection Committee, and Chicago Cultural Alliance Stories of Arts Resilience project are leveraging community engagement, oral history, storytelling, and the generation of art in order to offer novel approaches toward museum collecting and documentation of the pandemic.

 

Strategies for Local Advocacy in the Arts

Strategies for Local Advocacy in the Arts

Welcome to Activating Heritage 2021!

Moderator: Jonathan VanderBrug, Arts Alliance Illinois

Panelist: Ben Lau, Ahmed Flex Omar, Gabriela Juarez

Advocacy is critical to organizational sustainability. It is imperative that non-profit leaders, especially those working in the cultural sector, foster strong working relationships with their local representatives, including alder-people, officials in chambers of commerce, and visitors’ bureaus. Learn some of the effective strategies others in the non-profit sector have developed for advocacy and build strong working relationships with your local representatives in order to be a more effective champion for your community.

Contested Narratives: Chicago Monuments

Contested Narratives: Chicago Monuments

Welcome to Activating Heritage 2021!

Moderator: Tiffany Tolbert, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Panelists: Jaime Rivera , Sherry Williams, Joi Boose, Elsie Hector Hernandez

Monuments and memorials frame our built environment in Chicago, both reflecting and impacting our civic life. Concern over which figures are memorialized is not new. However, over the past year the global pandemic and racial justice movements shed further light on deeply entrenched racism and discrimination which have been normalized in the fabric of our society. The Chicago Monuments Committee arose as a response, and opportunities now exist for the public to weigh in. Discover the complex legacies certain monuments embody, and foster a deeper understanding of why some communities are deeply impacted by their presence while others remain oblivious. Panelists also discuss alternative strategies of enlivening our public spaces.