Week 2: Stories in the Street

Hi, I’m Shawnell, a 2026 NPHM/LBBA intern and I’ll be sharing weekly updates on what interns are up to. This week the National Public Housing Museum’s summer interns began working on their projects.

We learned about an exhibit that will be coming to the National Public Housing Museum this September, where Osage artist Lydia Cheshewalla will create a temporary wall installation. Cheshewalla will first have a gathering event, where residents who once lived in ABLA Homes, alongside interns, will collect natural elements around the museum and land where the Jane Addams Homes used to stand. Interns Zyrria, Janiyah, and Kaniyah will be working on this project, and an event flyer for the gathering. Intern Zyrria, who was excited to work on a flyer for the first time, said that the most difficult part of it is perfecting the flyer and making improvements based on feedback given by supervisors.

Interns Deondre and Quannis spent this week working on a new playlist to welcome visitors into the museum. They researched artists that have lived in public housing and curated a playlist of songs, exploring the early lives of these artists and their experience living in public housing. Deondre states that the artist he enjoyed learning about the most was the artist Most Def. Quannis says he enjoyed learning about Tyrese Gibson, because his growth in popularity came from a Coca Cola ad that jump started his career.

I spent this week working on a future exhibit, researching different historic public housing projects across the nation. I started building a profile on the Cabrini-Green Homes, gathering photos, diving into the history of why the project was built and why it was demolished. What interested me the most about my project this week is how public housing in each state has its own unique history!

This week, interns also learned about the importance of oral history. We learned that oral history offers different perspectives and insights into different sides of history. It ensures that there is no single story, and that we remember the impact that history has on the lives of different individuals.

Lastly, we learned more about Project Greenway from Eleanor Sweeney at the Collective Learning Lab. What I found interesting about this project is that it prioritized voices of the youth in Altgeld Gardens, and instead of focusing on what the community did not have they created an amazing piece of art showing what the community could have. Sweeney gave us the task of creating banners that represent our prospective neighborhoods. Zyrria’s banner promotes a message of peace and love reading, “Our Community Loves Peace and Joy”. Janiyah’s banner depicts beautiful yellow flowers and a message that reads, “Our Community Loves Peace and Joy”. Kaniya’s banner depicts vibrant skylike watercolors with the message that “Freedom Needs Fighters”.

I’m excited to see what other work the interns produce in the coming weeks!

The 2026 Stories in the Streets summer lab is offered in partnership with the architecture firm LBBA and the Near West Side Community Development Corporation. It engages youth in collaborative projects that explore how arts and culture can shape public spaces and tell powerful stories about home and community.