Chicago Park District Spotlights the Rich History of the Young Cultural Stewards Program in New Exhibition at the South Shore Cultural Center Gallery

A celebration of interdisciplinary art created by teaching artists, youth and community members as part of Park District’s arts & cultural programs

Chicago Park District announces the opening of Young Cultural Stewards Retrospective, an exhibition featuring the works created by the Young Cultural Stewards program. The exhibition features interdisciplinary art from teaching artists, youth participants and community members involved with the Park District’s youth art programs. The public is invited to South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive, on Saturday, October 25 for the opening reception taking place from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Young Cultural Stewards Retrospective’s opening reception will feature hands-on art making workshops, guided tours of the exhibition and music from DJ Love Marie. The closing reception on Saturday, November 8 will be hosted by TRACE (Teens Re-Imagine Art, Community & Environment) and feature a facilitated workshop and other youth-led activations.

Young Cultural Stewards is a program that engages youth ages 5 – 25 through different mediums, including but not limited to art, nature, music, cultural programming, job training and mentorship. The exhibition celebrates the Park District’s current youth art programs under the Young Cultural Stewards ecosystem, including Teens Reimagining Art, Community and Environment (T.R.A.C.E), Inferno Mobile Recording and Media, ArtSeed, *small is all*, Climate Justice & Arts Cohort and Queering in the Parks. Visitors can expect to see visual art, multimedia installations, oral histories, podcasts, documentary films and more from over 25 artists.

“Young Cultural Stewards Retrospective is a visual reminder of the powerful role that art plays in connecting communities, and giving a voice to underrepresented communities,” said Chicago Park District Superintendent and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa.  “The Park District is proud to host an exhibit that celebrates our young artists and the programs that cultivate them as agents of change.”

This is the Park District’s third exhibition at the South Shore Cultural Center this fall. Back in September, the organization presented TEN TOES TOWN in partnership with the Englewood Arts Collective and VESSELS, an exhibition featuring ceramic pieces from the Park District’s summer programming, debuted in October. Young Cultural Stewards Retrospective comes at a time when Chicago’s art scene continues to face funding challenges.

To learn more about the Young Cultural Stewards programs, please visit chicagoparkdistrict.com/young-cultural-stewards.