Cabrini Art House

04/16/2026

Today we celebrate the birthday of our co-founder, .

On behalf of , we want to say thank you.
Thank you for your vision, your creativity, your consistency, and all the energy and life you pour into this space and this mission every single day. Cabrini Art House exists in part because of you, and we are better because of it.

Now… from co-founder to co-founder, and from friend to family.

We I think of our story, I realized that I don’t even remember exactly how we met, but I know without a doubt that meeting you changed my life. To have a friendship that has lasted over 3 decades is rare and priceless.

We’ve had seasons where life pulled us in different directions. College, business, family, growth. But every time we found our way back to each other, it was like we never missed a beat.

And now, to be building Cabrini Art House together… it feels like a full circle moment. A rebirth of the same friendship we built many moons ago, freestyle rapping in your small bedroom in that basement apartment in the orange doors.

You’ve always been a light.
Positive energy.
A force that brings people together and makes spaces better just by being in them.

I’m proud of you.
I’m grateful for you.
And I’m honored to be on this journey with you.

Forever my best friend. Let’s make history.

Happy Birthday, Merk 🖤 and I love you for Free!

01/24/2026

We were blessed with the opportunity of hosting our second watch party of 70 Acres of Chicago in our backyard at Seward Park. This time, we had a few of the stars of the piece in attendance: Cook County Board Commissioner, 1st District, Tara Stamps , and neighborhood jewel Raymond "Shaq" McDonald.

This particular production was part of the Chicago Park District’s Night of Racial Healing. Before one can heal, one must first acknowledge the pain. The conversation we had this night helped put the pain center stage, and Cabrini Art House is honored to create space for healing.

Be sure to join our mailing list to stay in tune with future events. CabriniArtHouse.org

01/07/2026

Cabrini Art House is proud to host our second community watch party in partnership with the Chicago Park District

This screening of 70 Acres in Chicago holds special meaning for us. Seward Park was a formative place in both of our childhoods.

A space for after-school programs, friendships, and community connection. Returning to this park to host a conversation about home, memory, and belonging feels deeply intentional.

More than a film screening, this gathering creates space for dialogue around the lasting impact of urban renewal, displacement, and cultural memory while also centering the voices of those most connected to the story.

We are especially honored to host a fireside chat with Shaq, one of the young people followed in the documentary, adding lived experience and reflection to the evening.

This event is FREE and open to the public. We invite our community partners, neighbors, and families to join us. What we are building requires collective presence, shared stories, and continued connection.

We look forward to gathering, reflecting, and reconnecting with our community, right where so many of our stories began.

Please share, register, and join us.
Jan 21st 5:30 - 7:30 pm
👉🏾 https://cabriniarthouse.com/ 👈🏾

12/07/2025

And just like that… we did it again.
Another powerful community screening of 70 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green and another night that reminded us exactly why Cabrini Art House exists.

The film was raw, honest, and spot-on. It highlighted the love that existed within Cabrini, the truth behind gentrification, and the misconceptions placed on public housing residents. It broke down how these developments were shaped so the world can stop pushing the false narrative that people “chose” this life. The truth is deeper and this film captures that truth with purpose.

But what moved us most was seeing the faces of our people on the screen.
Pillars like Marion Stamps, her daughters Justice Stamps and Tara Stamps, and so many other community leaders who shaped generations, including the mother in law of one of our board members, Tammy Stewart.

We were inspired by young excellence, whose voices in the documentary reflects the brilliance Cabrini cultivated regardless of how the world tried to portray us. Cabrini created excellence, supported excellence, and protected excellence. Cabrini Art House is honored to be a continuation of that legacy, a baton passing of sorts.

We were equally moved by the diversity of people who showed up.
People we grew up with, new supporters discovering our movement, community members, and partners like the Chicago Park District who continue to support these important gatherings.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to filmmaker Ronit Bezalel, the director and producer of 70 Acres in Chicago, for telling our story with honesty, respect, and clarity.

Last Friday refueled our mission. It reminded us of our why. And it reaffirmed our commitment to building a space that honors our past while creating opportunities for future generations.

As we close out the year, we are launching a small fundraiser to support our programming and upcoming screenings. Every donation helps, no matter the amount. You can support at:

👉🏾 CabriniArtHouse.org

And Stay tuned, we plan to host several more screenings and community conversations in 2026.
Our story matters. Our community matters. And we will continue to make sure our history is preserved, honored, and celebrated.

12/03/2025

This Friday we’re turning Cabrini Art House into a community watch party and fireside conversation around 70 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green.

The film digs into the history, memory, and displacement that shaped Cabrini. The conversation afterward is about where we go from here.

Free. Open to all.
Come be inspired, challenged, and part of the dialogue.

More info on our mission visit CabriniArtHouse.com
Presented in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

10/01/2025

This past Saturday, Cabrini Art House brought our walking tour into the classroom for the very first time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. 💜

We wondered if the experience would feel different without walking the Cabrini-Green soil itself. What we discovered is that the stories we carry are not bound by place they live in people, in memory, and in the lessons we share together.

In that room, we heard powerful stories:

A church community that lost its original building but chose to move together from space to space, keeping their community intact.

Individuals born outside of the U.S. who built new homes here, but cannot revisit their original homelands.

And of course, stories from those blessed to still walk into their childhood home today.

Hearing these stories side by side reminded us how important it is to honor origin stories in all their forms. They push us to think differently about how we build, how we plan, and how we create better lives for our families.

One of the reflections shared during the session was this:
As we work hard to achieve our goals, the dream home, the beautiful life we want to give our families, we must make sure our desires for success don’t trample over someone else’s story and legacy.

We left this experience encouraged, motivated, and reminded why this work matters. Everyone deserves the right to have their origin story within reach.

🙏🏾 Thank you to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for welcoming us.
💜 Thank you to our dedicated Cabrini Art House team for ensuring we always show up in excellence.
📸 And thank you to Miguel OF Dsgnrz. for capturing this moment so beautifully.

We look forward to sharing this experience again. If you’d like us to bring the Cabrini Art House classroom experience to your school, organization, or community, please reach out at [email protected] and continue to support at CabriniArtHouse.org.

09/23/2025

📣 Cabrini Art House at the MCA – Learning Series
Date: September 27, 2025 • Time: 11:00AM - 2:00PM
Location: Crown Family Room, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

We’re excited to share Built Rebellions and the Art of the Collective, the theme for MCA’s 2025-26 Learning Series. This year, we’ll explore how grassroots, arts-led programs (like ours) build creative infrastructure, uplift living history, and transform communities. 

Our Digital Walking Tour — born out of the legacy of William Walker’s “For All Mankind” mural — will guide participants (especially students & educators) through stories of displacement, erasure, and community vision. It’s our way of holding space for history, art, and collective resilience. 

Join us, bring your curiosity, and let’s learn together. Everyone welcome.
🔗 RSVP & Tickets: MCA Learning Series 

⸻

Learning Series | Cabrini Art HouseSeptember 27, 202511:00 am - 2:00 pmGet TicketsCrown Family Room About the Event For our 2025–26 Learning Series we explore the theme of Built Rebellions and the Art of the Collective. We invite participants to explore the development and impact of grassroots con...

08/17/2025

On August 15th, Cabrini Art House held our 2nd Cabrini Green: What Was, What Is walking tour, and it was nothing short of powerful.

This was not just a history lesson. It was about truth, memory, and the human experience of Cabrini Green. Together, we stood in the middle of what used to be our homes and told the truth about what displacement really means.

Because displacement is not just moving people from one place to another it’s erasure.

✔️ It’s the loss of schools, buildings, and spaces where life happened.
✔️ It’s realizing you can’t bring your children back to the block that raised you.

And while those truths are heavy, this day was also full of beauty. We were joined by 13 organizations and former and current residents. People even traveled from other states to stand with us. That kind of solidarity is what keeps us going. 💜

We also want to pause and give a special thank you to our moms. 🦸🏾‍♀️ They’ve always been right by our side, not only with this mission, but every mission we’ve taken on. Their unwavering support, strength, and love are the foundation of Cabrini Art House.

To every single person who walked with us, supported us, prayed for us, or simply held space for this story, Thank You🙏🏾 . This is not easy work, but your presence reminded us it is necessary and worth it. And to our team, and the Bustling Spaces Fam, your the real MVP and we could not have done this without you. 💪🏾

Now let us be clear, this is not the end. This is just the beginning. There will be so many more ways for you to come out, walk with us, and stand for this story. But in the meantime, we need your help:
❤️ Share this story far and wide.
❤️ Donate what you can to help us keep building.
❤️ Visit www.CabriniArtHouse.com to pledge, give, or grab apparel.
❤️ Connect us with grants, media outlets, and resources that can amplify this mission.

This is bigger than us. It’s about reclaiming the canvas of our community. And with your continued support, we know God is smiling down on this work.

With love and peace to the Gods,
The Cabrini Art House Founders

08/17/2025

Oh God, we thank you. 🙏🏾

On August 15th, Cabrini Art House held our 2nd Cabrini Green: What Was, What Is walking tour, and it was nothing short of powerful.

This was not just a history lesson. It was about truth, memory, and the human experience of Cabrini Green. Together, we stood in the middle of what used to be our homes and told the truth about what displacement really means.

Because displacement is not just moving people from one place to another it’s erasure.

✔️ It’s the loss of schools, buildings, and spaces where life happened.
✔️ It’s realizing you can’t bring your children back to the block that raised you.

And while those truths are heavy, this day was also full of beauty. We were joined by 13 organizations including Chicago Park District, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Near North Unity Program - NNUP, Chicago Housing Authority, Senator Lakesia Collins, Hug A Child Nfp, and former and current residents. People even traveled from other states to stand with us. That kind of solidarity is what keeps us going. 💜

We also want to pause and give a special thank you to our moms. 🦸🏾‍♀️ They’ve always been right by our side, not only with this mission, but every mission we’ve taken on. Their unwavering support, strength, and love are the foundation of Cabrini Art House.

To every single person who walked with us, supported us, prayed for us, or simply held space for this story, Thank You🙏🏾 . This is not easy work, but your presence reminded us it is necessary and worth it. And to our team, and the Bustling Spaces Fam, your the real MVP and we could not have done this without you. 💪🏾

Now let us be clear, this is not the end. This is just the beginning. There will be so many more ways for you to come out, walk with us, and stand for this story. But in the meantime, we need your help:
❤️ Share this story far and wide.
❤️ Donate what you can to help us keep building.
❤️ Visit www.CabriniArtHouse.com to pledge, give, or grab apparel.
❤️ Connect us with grants, media outlets, and resources that can amplify this mission.

This is bigger than us. It’s about reclaiming the canvas of our community. And with your continued support, we know God is smiling down on this work.

With love and peace to the Gods,
The Cabrini Art House Founders