Humans-in-Residence: The Black School Residency at The Commons

In early August 2019, Sweet Water Foundation welcomed Shani Peters and Joseph Cullier III, Co-Directors of The Black School, to The Commons for a 10-day Humans-in-Residence immersion. The Black School is “an experimental art school teaching Black/PoC students and allies to become agents of change through art workshops on radical Black politics and public projects that address local community needs.” The Black School was first introduced to SWF in late spring through Chicago Architecture Biennial Curator, Sepake Angiama, who identified synergies and potential future collaborations between the two organizations. Read on to learn more about The Black School’s experience at The Commons.

Shani, Joseph, and their three year old daughter arrived at The Commons on July 31 to begin their immersion with Sweet Water Foundation. They toured The Commons, met the SWF team, and settled into the Think-Do House where they would stay for the entirety of their residency. Their first two days were spent plugging into everyday tasks at The Commons such as weeding on the farm, harvesting for SWF’s Farmer’s Market, and engaging in art and carpentry work with apprentices and members of the SWF team. Following their “disorientation,” Shani and Joseph began planning hands-on art workshops that focused on a reciprocal exchange of artistic practice between the organizations and individuals at The Commons. 

The first workshop delivered shared The Black School: Process Deck with SWF team members and apprentices. The Black School: Process Deck is a tarot-style interactive methodology tool for brainstorming and designing creative activism projects. Through a series of questions and choices, participants identified issues, discussed and defined the terms and context around those issues, and brainstormed impactful projects to address them.

Next, Shani designed and led a collard leaf printing workshop inspired by the abundance of collard plants on the farm and her experience as a printmaker. Members of the team, including apprentices, team members, and fellow Human-in-Residence, Tanya Scruggs Ford, gathered in the Thought Barn on a warm afternoon to print the leaves on large, floor-to-ceiling pieces of sheer fabric that would hang from the top of the barn. 

Sweet Water Foundation is grateful to have had the opportunity to exchange practices with The Black School and looks forward to future collaborations with Shani, Joseph, and family.