Chicago Design Summit To Explore New Ways For Art To Address Emerging Conversations

We live in a rapidly changing age where art and activism have become inseparable. As a Chicago resident, there is never any shortage of art in public space. From the murals across each neighborhood to the many permanent sculptures to timed exhibitions, Chicago has always been the breeding ground of new ideas.

However, artists alone do not bring public art to life. The programmers, organizations, curators, researchers, and scholars are just as critical when redefining the relationship between art, community, and humanitarian and societal crises the world faces. This Saturday, join The Graham Foundation, Floating Museum, and Chicago Architecture Biennial for Chicago Design Summit, and look into the process that allowed Chicago to progress in public art. Focusing on rehearsing critique, production, and relations, Chicago Design Summit: The Future Real Conditional is here to challenge each and every one of us look into new ways to explore the relationship between art, our communities, and our environment.

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There is limited availability and reservations are mandatory. You can secure your tickets here.

The Graham Foundation is pleased to partner with the Chicago Architecture Biennial to host the Chicago Design Summit, led by the Floating Museum—artistic team for CAB 5, the fifth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial,This is a Rehearsal, opening September 2023. The Summit convenes leading practitioners to explore emerging ideas in contemporary architecture and design and serves as a forum for research and the development of the CAB 5 program.

This is a Rehearsal–the title of CAB 5–explores how contemporary environmental, political, and economic issues are shared across national boundaries but are addressed differently around the world through art, architecture, infrastructure, and civic participation. CAB 5 builds on and expands Floating Museum’s ongoing work, including site-responsive art and design projects and public programs, to explore divergent interpretations of infrastructure, history, and the role of aesthetics as a mode for expanding how we frame the relationship between our environments and ourselves.

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The all-day celebration of Chicago’s finest design masterminds and innovative trendsetters kicks off with an introduction led by Floating Museum at 10:30 am. An art collective known for its innovative approach to the relationship between art, community, architecture, and public institutions, Floating Museum has always been at the frontline in developing new models for the public to interact with art using site-responsive art, design, and programming, their projects.

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The first session, Rehearsing Critique, will explore rehearsal as a practice of systemic and structural critique—living with and within systems to identify what has been overlooked, unconsidered, and uninvestigated—to establish a duty and standard of care as a prerequisite to performative, political, organizational, or environmental engagements or actions. This is the perfect session for anybody interested in public art programming, works in an art organization, or deeply involved with artistic activism.

The second session runs from 1:30 pm to 3 pm, exploring rehearsal as a practice of individual and collective attunement to build organizational power through mutual understanding. Think of interactive art, community art, and immersive experiences (but not just for show and fun). And finally, the third session will regard rehearsal as a practice of production through improvisation, speculation, and iterative development in response to social and climatic change.

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There will be a lunch break from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, and closing performance and reception at 5 pm. The performance will feature Floating Museum’s avery r. young, joined by artist Monica Rickert-Bolter to remix their performance of translator.05 [joy] from Floating Museum’s Translator collaborative performance series.

Can we reconcile, embrace, or navigate these contradictions by rehearsing new architectural and urbanistic production processes? How do we develop new programs and environments for attuning collective relations? And what feedback loops can we establish to inform critiques of the systems that shape our personal, interpersonal, and cultural experiences? Find the answers to these questions at this year’s Chicago Design Summit! Tickets to this year’s Chicago Design Summit are limited, so we highly recommend you to secure your seat here!

About Chicago Architecture Biennial

The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) is dedicated to creating an international forum on architecture and urbanism. It produces year-round programs and a biennial exposition of city-wide activations for a diverse audience of designers, educators, advocates, and students. CAB’s mission is to engage and inspire professional and public audiences, highlight the transformative power of architecture and envision a future for the field that is equitable and sustainable.

About the Graham Foundation

Founded in 1956, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The Graham realizes this vision through making project-based grants to individuals and organizations and producing exhibitions, events, and publications.

Featured Image: Chicago Architecture Biennial