Raising Products

Raising Products

PART II, APRIL 23, 2020
ERIN HARKEY (DEPUTY COMMISIONER, PROGRAMMING, DCASE) AND YOHANCE LACOUR (SHOE DESIGNER AND FABRICATOR, ENTREPRENEUR)

PART III, APRIL 30, 2020
PAOLA AGUIRRE OF BORDERLESS STUDIO AND OBI NWAZOTA OF ORANGE SKIN

Raising Products was proposed by Chicago designer, curator, and educator Norman Teague of blkHaUS studios. Raising Products exposes the design process and its relation to fabrication, economics, and artisanship, and starts an economic conversation about the history of Chicago design and its relevance to contemporary communities of color. Primary goals are to illuminate the design process; provide opportunities to develop economically valuable pragmatic skills, and establish creative outlets that expand arts industry in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood.

We believe that design can be an agent of change that uplifts and transforms marginalized communities and are convinced that craftsmanship, the act of creating with one’s hands, is extremely valuable monetarily and socially. The multi-phase project utilizes the unique nature of South Shore and works to bring attention to the legacy and relevance of Chicago’s designers of color.

The work on this project was driven by funding, and the museum and blkHaUS partners Teague and Fo Wilson were able to move forward with an event sponsored by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Featuring BIPOC artists, designers, and scholars discussing art, design, and communities of color, the conversations expose the design process and its relation to fabrication, branding, and artisanship. Discussion also addresses the future of the field as it concerns people of color and ways to open paths to more opportunities, acknowledgment, and visibility — what systems, structures, platforms, and support do artists and designers of color need to thrive?

We look forward to continuing the conversation and hopefully funding all phases of the project in their entirety in the near future.

---