Blanc Gallery

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Blanc Gallery

A Culture of Conversation In its heyday, Bronzeville was home to the cream of Chicago’s African American society. Now Mr.

In the forefront of the neighborhood’s many cultural institutions, artists, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs engaged in a robust dialogue on matters of importance to the community. Recent years have seen a powerful resurgence of this creative energy, with art galleries, restaurants, schools, theaters and event facilities providing vital new public forums. Cliff Rome, proprietor of Bronzeville’s Pa

rkway Ballroom, is committed to rekindling this Culture of Conversation. Thousands have gathered at the Parkway for art exhibits, fashion events, literary readings, dance competitions, and film premieres. Rome introduces Blanc, a fine art gallery, to Bronzeville. Blanc’s bold mission is to engage African Americans and all Chicagoans through the arts and to ignite dialogue on issues of spiritual, political and social significance. Four times a year Blanc showcases one artist in an exploration of a compelling theme. The gallery also fosters a wide-reaching exchange of ideas through its multi-faceted approach:

· “Speak Easy”: Hosting diverse events for the public—openings, artist talks, panel discussions.

· “Do Well/Do Good”: Sponsoring events for non-profit agencies whose work intersects with the concerns of the artists. Each cycle, Blanc identifies two local non-profits and highlights their missions, helping them to raise awareness and funding.

· “Do Right/Do Good”: Recruiting corporate sponsors for each cycle. This gives emerging artists access to the sometimes-impenetrable world of commerce, and business people an opportunity to support the arts along with the work of the not-for-profit community.

· Private Rental: Blanc is also available for rental by the public; the art on its walls creates a vibrant and engaging ambience for any private event. Blanc: a center for ideas and a meeting place for people…a Culture of Conversation

05/26/2026

EXHIBITION OPENING: NEXT FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 6-9PM

In partnership with the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, we are honoured and proud to present

FROM MEMORY TO MOVEMENT: EMMETT AT 85,

A powerful group exhibition commemorating what would have been the 85th birthday of Emmett Till (b. July 25, 1941).

Curated by artist and cultural worker Raymond A. Thomas, the exhibition brings together a distinguished roster of Black Chicago-bred and Chicago-based contemporary artists whose works reflect on memory, identity, resistance, grief, and liberation.

Opening June 5, 2026, the exhibition serves not only as an act of remembrance, but as a call toward collective reflection and continued movement. Through painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, participating artists reexamine the story of Emmett Till beyond martyrdom, asking urgent questions about Black life, inheritance, historical memory, and the future of justice in America.

Featuring the work of:
Paul Branton (), Roger Carter (), Gerald Griffin (), Candace Hunter (), Tonika Lewis Johnson (), Bryant Lamont (), John Caleb Pendleton (.pendleton), Max Sansing (), Norman Teague (), Raymond A. Thomas (), Bernard Williams () and Kevin (WAK) Williams ().

05/20/2026

You got two more opportunities to see this beautiful show -

Tomorrow evening for the screening of Kooley High

AND

SATURDAY FROM 11-3PM for our closing reception with an artist talk, community games and music. We bringing vibes and good energy to close out this show; a special one. A reflection on the legacy and continuing importance of Chicago's Black communities and the various ways they have shaped and determined the heartbeat of this city.

Two more opportunities. Don't miss out.

I Used to Live in Chicago, curated by
and featuring the work of , , , , and

And you know what it is. Video, as ever, whipped together by our maestro

❤️

05/08/2026

Come by tomorrow at 1.30pm for Sonorous Somatics 010.

And then on Sunday we have Open Hours from 11-3pm.

05/04/2026

This Saturday, May 9, at 1.30pm we're back with Sonorous Somatics 010 presented by the one and only .gold

For this installment, BSA has invited Ernest Dawkins - a longtime fixture in Chicago's music landscape - who, in dialogue with the New Horizon Quartet, will perform a meditation on our current exhibition, "I Used to Live in Chicago."

Curated by Anefertiti Bowman, the exhibition brings together leading contemporary artists , , and , alongside elder Chicago artists , , & . Together, their work forms a layered, intergenerational dialogue rooted in lived experience, cultural memory, and the evolving realities of the city.

RSVP via the link in our bio.

We can't wait to see you there.

05/01/2026

Just a little reminder that we'll be open tomorrow, Saturday May 2nd, from 11-3pm.

If you haven't come through to see our latest exhibition, I Used to Live in Chicago, this is your next opportunity to do so. Curated by and featuring work by , , , , , and

Then, on Sunday May 3, join us for a vibrant afternoon of art, history and conversation with photographers Diana Solís and Patric McCoy, who will be in conversation about their decades-long work documenting Chicago's q***r histories - from Solís's powerful images of Latinx, feminist and LGBTQ+ movements in Pilsen to McCoy's iconic portraits of Black gay life captured during his 1980s bike rides across the city. Presented by the as part of the public program running alongside their current show OUT HERE.

04/24/2026

Two weeks ago tomorrow we opened our doors to Exhibition 02 of our 2026 exhibition program.

I Used to Live in Chicago is a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring memory, displacement, and cultural resilience across Chicago's historically Black neighborhoods. It's a love letter and a retrospective. It gestures towards a Chicago many remember not as perfect, but as deeply alive, and rooted in connection, creativity, and possibility.

Curated by and featuring the wok of , , , , , and this is not a show to miss.

This weekend we'll be open from 11-3pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Come through. It's a beautiful show and it really places you in the breadth of memories and stories that connect us to this city.

Video made by our gallery manager, the wizard

04/17/2026

Last week Friday we opened the beautiful exhibition, I Used to Live in Chicago, curated by and featuring the work of , , , , and

If you weren't one of the 200+ people that made it to the opening or to see the work over the opening weekend then pull up on us tomorrow from 11-3pm.

04/04/2026

Exhibition 02: I Used to Live in Chicago
Opening: Friday, April 10, 5-9PM
RSVP via link in bio

We can't wait to welcome you through our doors for the second exhibition of our 2026 program:

"I Used to Live in Chicago" is a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring memory, displacement, and cultural resilience across Chicago's historically black neighborhoods.

Curated by Anefertiti Bowman, the exhibition brings together leading contemporary artists , , and , alongside elder Chicago artists , Tyrue “Slang” Jones, & . Together, their work forms a layered, intergenerational dialogue rooted in lived experience, cultural memory, and the evolving realities of the city.

At its core, I Used to Live in Chicago is both a love letter and a retrospective. It holds the emotional weight of change while honoring the communities that have long defined the city’s cultural fabric. We invite viewers into a space of reminiscence and nostalgia, of pickles and peppermint, of front porch conversations that felt like ceremony, of a time when ease lived more readily in our bodies and belonging felt less fragile. It gestures toward a Chicago many remember not as perfect, but as deeply alive, rooted in connection, creativity, and possibility. A city where basslines from passing cars became a shared soundtrack, and community existed not just in proximity, but in practice, embodied and lived in real time.

See you on Friday!

03/18/2026

Sonorous Somatics 09 is this Saturday at 2pm. Doors at 1.30pm.

Featuring the incredible musicianship of Micah Aléc Collier with his trio, Proximity.

It's another opportunity for you to see Jordan Campbell's solo exhibition, Loud & Clear, which reflects on art’s power to serve as therapy, testimony, and social critique, responding to the cycles of harm and resilience within Black and Brown communities, using visual storytelling and immersive design.

RSVP FOR FREE AT THE LINK IN OUR BIO

03/16/2026

We hope you held a lil space open in your calendar for this Saturday, March 21, at 2pm because we are back with some magic for your ears and soul with Sonorous Somatics 009.

If you're new to Blanc and what we do, Sonorous Somatics is a companion series to our exhibition program. Pairing each show with music, it centers sound as both medium and method, challenging the primacy of the image and proposing an alternative sensory experience. Curated by the incredible musician BSA Gold, it invites audiences to move behind visible imagery and consider how auditory elements can evoke, shift,.or expand visual interpretations.

For the first SS of 2026, we are welcoming the inspired sounds of Micah Aléc Collier (aka Proximity), who will respond to Jordan Campbell's solo exhibition, Loud & Clear.

Drawing from Campbell's use of wood and natural material, inviting Micah Collier as a bassist who's sound travels primarily through a wooden instrument felt like natural alignment. A staple in the music community and beyond, Collier's deep, resonant, and playful style is rooted in Black American music and is a shining testimony of the resilience, creativity, and perseverance emphasized through Campbell's storytelling in Loud & Clear. For this performance Collier engages the themes of the exhibition in an immersive and powerful soundspace.

BIO: Micah Aléc Collier is one of Chicago's young and promising bassist, teacher and composer. His love of traditional jazz and funky bass lines helps to create a powerful musical voyage. Through the classic sounds of McCoy Tyner with the electric sounds of Marcus Miller, as well as his love of Chicago House Music, Micah bridges these influences to create his unique sound of Jazz Fusion. He expands the understanding of jazz to be inclusive of other genres to create music that feels good to the soul.

Date: Sat, March 21
Doors: 1:30pm
Performance: 2:00pm

RSVP VIA LINK IN BIO

Address

4445 S King Drive
Chicago, IL
60653

Opening Hours

1pm - 3pm

Telephone

+17733734320

Website

http://www.blancchicago.com/

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