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Our mission is to preserve, promote, and propel the right of all people to a place where they can live and prosper—a place to call home.

    Programs

    36 Questions for Civic Love

    The National Public Housing Museum offers a variety of educational, cultural, and advocacy programs, engaging with public housing history and communities in Chicago.

    Free programs, events, and digital engagements

    All initiatives
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    Ongoing

    Program

    36 Questions for Civic Love

    Want to connect with strangers, or strengthen relationships with your neighbors, comrades, and colleagues? Check out our unique program and toolkit.

    Learn More

    Program

    Public Events

    Our public events leverage arts, culture, and storytelling to impact public policy and engage participants in explorations of provocative ideas.

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    Program

    Free Toolkits and Podcasts

    All of our toolkits and podcasts are free and accessible to all, either via our website or other online platforms.

    Do you have experience living, working, or organizing in public housing communities?

    Many of our learning and engagement programs are designed with and for people from public housing and adjacent communities.

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    Program

    Oral History Programs

    Harness the power of narrative for
social impact through our Oral History Programs, which center lived experience, and are accessible to people all ages
and backgrounds.

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    Program

    Empowerment Hub

    Rooted in the creative economies and cooperative networks that power public housing communities, our E-Hub program helps to sustain this remarkable history.

    Are you an artist or creative organizer working on issues related to housing?

    Check out our artist residency programs designed to link arts, culture, and public policy to make creative interventions and broaden narratives around housing and related issues.

    Learn more
    More About Our Programs

    Drawing on the power of place and memory, our programs and events on Chicago’s Near West Side and beyond, leverage arts, culture, and storytelling to impact public policy through engaging participants in explorations of the provocative ideas of innovative contemporary artists, scholars, and organizers. Through our programs, we are committed to telling an inclusive and diverse history of public housing, and examining contemporary issues around housing policies and practices, including intersections with issues of race, education, wellness, and more. Join us and be a catalyst for change.

    Garlic
    Laurel Foglia (Taylor Street Farms) teaching a young person how to plant garlic in the museum’s cooperative garden bed.
    ASL interpreter Makeda Duncan, Leah Rothstein, and Richard Rothstein sit in a row in front of a screen at the Chicago Cultural Center.
    Book launch for Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law by Leah and Richard Rothstein, moderated by Marisa Novara at the Chicago Cultural Center.
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    Shooting hoops with residents at the ABLA Resource Center on a prototype of a play-based art installation designed by artist Marisa Morá Jahn and architect Rafi Segal
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    MC Roxanne Shanté brings the mic to the people at our On the Lawn concert at Millennium Park for a singalong!

    Our public programs are partially funded by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts Program, Good Chaos, Illinois Arts Council, the Julian Grace Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Landau Family Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and many other generous donors.

    Contact Us

    Please email Tiff Beatty, Associate Director, with any questions, concerns, or if you’re interested in getting involved.

    Email Us Today

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