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Chicago Humanities Festival Returns to In-Person Events

Chicago Humanities Festival will return to in-person events with an exciting lineup of outdoor programs, centering Chicago neighborhoods. CHF’s summer programs will kick off with an outdoor Community Gardens event on July 24 at Rainbow Beach in Chicago’s South Shore.

A GARDEN image2
A Garden Image from Rainbow Gardens

In neighborhoods all over Chicago, community gardens bring people together. They offer beauty and respite, preserve foodways, support well-being and social cohesion, and facilitate neighborhood self-sufficiency. As part of our Neighborhood Initiative, CHF and community-based partner organizations on the South Side co-create a morning of conversation and exploration in and around the historic Rainbow Beach Victory Garden.

A panel of urban agriculture leaders will discuss the importance of community gardening on the South Side, and local partners will offer hands-on engagement with the surroundings—including tours, demonstrations, scavenger hunts, and more! For information, visit [https://tinyurl.com/4ythwky5].

Summertime with CHF will continue on August 11 at Navy Pier with a comedy showcase featuring sets from up-and-coming local comedians, curated by CHF and improv mainstay Abby McEnany, whose Showtime series “Work in Progress” returns this summer for a second season. Then, on August 21, CHF will host a screening and conversation highlighting the film culture of Chicago’s South Side at the Gary Comer Youth Center.

ABBY MCENANY
ABBY MCENANY FROM Work In Progress (Photo courtesy of Showtime)

Now that in-person events are returning all across the city, CHF is focusing on reflecting the concerns of Chicago’s diverse communities through collaborative partnerships, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

By co-creating events with local communities, CHF is developing a more sustained presence on the South Side, learning how we can re-engage with our neighbors to thrive. This approach to Neighborhood Programming will allow CHF to be a more active participant in local communities and host programs focusing on what is truly important to Chicagoans.

“Over the past year we’ve been meeting regularly with a number of community leaders, and we’re really excited by how these partnerships are evolving,” said Alison Cuddy, CHF’s Marilynn Thoma Artistic Director.

“The programs we’ve developed together reflect a wide range of community-driven experiences and underscore how essential Chicago neighborhoods are to the creative vitality of our entire city.”

In-person programming won’t end in the summer but will continue with an extended fall season through November. The Chicago Neighborhood series will continue with a celebration of South Side musical legacies on September 17 at Hamilton Park. CHF’s annual benefit will take place on October 18. During several weekends in October and November, in-person events will feature high-profile speakers at locations all across the city.

CHF will also continue to host virtual events throughout the fall.

For information about programs, visit [www.chicagohumanities.org].

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