Art on My Mind A Chicago Critics Table Public Salon Series (Nov 15)

Join us for a two-day public salon inviting writers, curators, artists, and cultural workers to engage with the ideas and reflections of the 2025 Chicago Critics Table cohort. Designed by this cohort’s facillitator Tempestt Hazel, Art on My Mind will take the form of an open studio for writers. Drawing from the essay and book of the same name, these gatherings take on bell hooks’ call for us to deeply involve ourselves in visual culture and the politics of seeing, in community and conversation with one another.

Saturday, Nov 15 | Featuring: Bri Robinson, Cortlyn Kelly, Maira Khwaja, AND Tempestt Hazel

Bri Robinson | Do You Remember?: On Digital Griots

Bri is conducting an inquiry regarding the lost art of music design and sequencing, exploring the relationship between music as entertainment, memory portal, and literary tool.

Cortlyn Kelly | Motion Picture Propaganda: Trailers Theory

Exploring how short-form editing has shifted to better capture and keep the audience’s attention. The discussion will focus on how trailers (and other short-form advertising tactics) influence our willingness to engage with art in its full form.

Maira Khwaja | Who Benefits from a Social Practice? The Aesthetics + Impact of Social Practice and Public Art

An analysis and exploration of examples of artist-initiated social practice projects and efforts to spark material change. The discussion will focus on what social practice is, what the work is doing, and who it is intended for/who it actually serves and benefits.

Tempestt Hazel | Sonnets, Bows & Arrows: On Protection, Preservation, and the Words of June Jordan

An early glimpse into my curiosity about the ways that artistry intersects with practices of protection and preservation, especially within and adjacent to community organizing spaces, diasporic lineages, and the lifework of artists.

All APL programs are free and open to the public. To help us continue to provide these programs and build a hub for arts & culture on the South Side, we appreciate donations of all sizes. Your support sustains the rich ecosystem of artists that make the Arts Block so vibrant. To make a donation, please visit our giving page.