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Still Here

On a sideways piece of lined notebook paper with old fashioned handwritten text, a pencil drawing of three indigenous women wrapped in blankets look directly at the viewer. At the top of the page is a sliver of a Chicago street map.

Spirit of Kittihawa, Chris Pappan, 2019.

Exhibition

  • Special Exhibits Gallery,
    2nd Floor

  • Free

Still Here: Linking Histories of Displacement

Still Here uses art, archives, and public dialogue to explore and connect histories of displacement on the land where the National Public Housing Museum is located. As an institution that addresses displacement of public housing residents, we also want to understand the forcible removal of Indigenous peoples that came before and grapple with how those experiences are interwoven.

This exhibition includes a large public wall mural by Andrea Carlson (Ojibwe) that is part of the city of Chicago’s Monuments and Memorials Project.

Curated by Dr. Lucy Mensah. Designed by Bodwe Group, whose mission is to grow the economy and legacy of the Pokagon Band of the Potowatomi.

Still Here is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that aims to expand understanding of Chicago’s creative communities, past and present.

Lead support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. 

Additional support provided by Dedrea and Paul Gray and Marisa Novara.


More exhibitions

Black and white image of a 1940s Jane Addams Homes kitchen. A mother stands at the counter with her two sons.

Historic Apartments

Experience the texture and fabric of public housing throughout time by visiting three recreated historic apartments showcasing different families’ experiences at different moments in public housing history between 1938 and 1975. The intimate individual, family and community stories become the lens to understand large national public housing policies and their impact…

Two wooden bookends, each with a copper baby shoe inscribed with the name “Daniel,” sit on a wooden table.

History Lessons: Everyday Objects from Public Housing

“What is an object that tells a story about your life and experiences in public housing?” History Lessons: Everyday Objects from Public Housing is a national effort to collect objects from public housing residents in diverse communities across the USA, and work with residents in storytelling and writing workshops to write their own labels…

Taylor Street Memories

As you walk down Taylor Street, meet one of our founders, Commissioner Deverra Beverly and learn about the changing neighborhood through the stories of past residents. These exhibits are accessible from the outside of the museum.


Exhibition Resources

Additional resources available at the front desk.