Ep #154: Joy Is Infrastructure with Janell Nelson of Englewood Arts Collective

Hey, friends, welcome and welcome back to nosey af.Just so you know, this conversation you're about to hear was recorded live at Lumpen Radio.You may or may not know this, but every second and fourth Saturday of the month, I record nosey AF live at Lumpen Radio, which is a Chicago local radio station.And it's funny because just recently, as of July of 2026, Lassin Radio is now a hybrid digital station.And so when this starts, I'm sort of like bracing myself just for embarrassment.I've had to learn a new call out code to say our radio station.So it's a little bit of a jumble, but I'm getting used to it.But yeah, so I think that's exciting because Lumpen Radio, where it was a low powered radio station, now with this hybrid digital station, our signal goes out more, which means we get to share more of our programming with Chicago.And that's really exciting.So all that to say this is a live conversation.No retakes, no redos.We are going straight through here.Versus if you were to listen to just nosey af, you might find a more polished product.But don't get it twisted, this is still polished.Okay, today's guest is no doubt a pro.We're talking to Janell Nelson.But you'll find out all about that later.All that to say thank you for listening and yeah, enjoy this on air live segment.Talk to you later.Gotta get up, get up to the whole world.You a winner, winner.Vision of a star with a mission in the cause.What you doing, how you doing, what you're doing and who you are.Flex yourself and press yourself Check yourself, don't wreck yourself if you know me then you know that I be knowing what's up.Stephanie Graham is nosy as.WLP, NLP and HD1 Chicago 105.5 FM Lumpen radio.Hi everybody, welcome to Two O'.Clock.Welcome to nosy AF on Lumpen.I am Stephanie Graham and I am so excited to talk to today Janell Nelson.So you guys, our guest Janell Nelson is first and foremost a new leader of Chicago awardee which honestly amazing.A dream.We all wish we could be this amazing but Janell is a creative strategist, an artist and director of Inglewood Arts Collective.She's helping lead the EAC Arts Village Sculpture park at 63rd and May.Creating artists, creating space for artists, bringing more arts and culture into Inglewood and building opportunities for the community.Janell, welcome.

Hey, what's.

Up?Hi.I'm so glad you're here.

Happy Saturday.

Happy Saturday.Saturday afternoon.

Yeah.And it's beautiful right now.So.

It's weirdly beautiful.I'm like, pool time.

You sound like a true Chicago.It's really beautiful because, you know, we expect the weather to be doom and gloom now, but it's still decent.

She's holding on, that's for sure.You know, Janell, one of the things that this I know is a belief of yours is joy is a part of your infrastructure of a healthy neighborhood.I love that.Let's start there.So you start with joy.You said you believe joy is the part of infrastructure of the healthy neighborhood.What does that actually look like for you?

Well, what that means for me is there's many ways to.I'm sure you've heard, you know, joy is an act of resistance, right?Yeah.And there is in this climate, in this world, not just the current climate, but, you know, world.As long as, you know, history has been in existence, we've.There is such a thing as righteous anger.

Yeah,.

There is, but there needs to be balance, and people have different practices.And I'm very thankful to be in a.In a space and in a season of my life where I'm fully aware and confident and clear that my artistic practice is absolutely tied to what I individually need to feel strengthened and empowered to continue living life to the fullest and then throughout all of what we might be experiencing collectively and individually.And joy is such a necessary vitamin for all of that.And so for me, professionally, it means designing from a place of care, respect, and love and thinking about the audience first, the user experience.And also, who is this serving design that's been my professional.I went to art school, and I started with business, Then I pivoted to fine art.

And.

Then I was like, oh, yo, I can't graduate without a little bit more security.And I went to graphic design and loved it, because I saw graphic design as, like, the plate.

That.

I could put, like, photography and all these other mediums on, but visual communication really became.I fell in love with it.But also, it's so much more than just design.

Yeah.

My background was in publishing, but through the years, I learned so much about, like, curriculum design and how to create layouts and print materials for youth audiences particularly.But how to design in a way where information can be digested easily.

Yeah.

And then I started freelancing and working with nonprofits.

Okay.

And realizing that nonprofits really need some design help.You know, the profit's not, you know, profiting.And so the thing that tends to get cut is like investing in visuals.Right.Because they have, like, priorities.And so I felt very strongly that, you know, nonprofit World needed stronger design support.And I was very, very lucky to be supported by, you know, some black women leaders that first put me on to their entities.And then when I branched out on my own, it all just intersected so beautifully.I started my own individual company at the same time, the same year that EAC was formed.We all.It just all came together so cosmically.And today, you know, joy is a part of not just the actual visual things I produce.And it's more than design in the print sense of the word or even virtual.It's designing spaces, but also working with.With others to design experiences and letting folks know that it's not cringe.It is absolutely vital to link up with others and just enjoy what you do.The journey really is part of the process.

Yeah.

And beautiful things can come when you hold space for other people to be dope too.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I really like that because I think you always hear everything dope comes from Chicago.But.

I.

Think maybe everything dope comes from design.

Also.Right.What do.

You think?

I mean, we are all artists.We wake up and we design the life.We make conscious choices and sometimes unconscious choices to design the life that we live every single day.

Oh, wow.That's life design.

Yeah.So like, graphic design is a medium, but.But also.And we can keep speaking categorically, like urban planners, architects and fashion, but also community engagement is an art form.

Yeah.

Learning how to navigate multiple spaces, both in the bureaucratic tables and corporate tables, but also the neighborhood tables, which sometimes ain't even a table.It's.It's a lot or it's a yard or it's a porch.Right.And so designing a feeling or designing an experience to hold on to a feeling.And for me, that feeling is joy that comes from amplifying the humanity in all of us.

Yeah.

Like, I love myself.I love the people that I come from.I love where I come from, and I want others to tap into that too.

I really love that.I love your how you sort of sum it all up or definition of it in a way, because I feel like it's.

Not too woo woo.

I don't think so.I think I like it because I feel like everybody talks about joy.Like on social media.It's like joy this, joy that.It really muddles it.But I think you really just brings it, bring it back home into like, actually this is joy.It's not just a cute font.

Right.

You know, on your post.

Right.It could be, but.Yeah,.

Yeah, right.It's.It's a yes.And, you know, you know, I feel like we're so used to hearing stories about people growing up somewhere and wanting to get out, like there's nothing left from them there.But you're doing this work in a neighborhood.You have a personal connection to Inglewood.What's the relationship like for you there?

It's.It's, man, what.We don't have that much time.Right.Let me try to summarize again.So born and raised in Chicago.Actually born in South Shore.

Okay.

In a house.So that's a separate story.That's a whole other TED talk.Right.I.

Love South Shore,.

But my.My mom and my grandfather and all of.All of them people.My maternal side had a house in Inglewood, grew up in Inglewood.All my aunts and uncles, Inglewood.You know, siblings and cousins from Mississippi.Right.Great migration story.But I. I always say, too, most of my formative years, Inglewood.

Yeah.

Greater Inglewood first, Inglewood proper.My mom went to Kennedy King.I went to Yale Elementary.You could not tell me when I was young, even though Yale elementary is one of the closed Chicago public schools now.I thought Yale was Ivy League.Yale.

Yeah.

I didn't know the difference.I didn't know there was a college in, like, because the streets.There are some streets in Inglewood, you know, it's Yale, Harvard, Princeton.They're in a row.

Yeah.That's so.

True.

I didn't even make the tie to the Ivy League names.

Look, I thought my elementary school was the Yale.Like, it was prestige to me.I didn't, you know, there was no distinction.Distinction.I didn't understand a difference.And so my early, or I say, like, main childhood, and then when I got a little bit older, teen years in West Inglewood, most formative.But all of Chicago is.Is me and all of us.Like, I wrapped my set in the sense of, like, I love where I come from, and I come primarily from Inglewood, but mainly Chicago as a whole.And so I bring that awareness everywhere I go.I spent the beginning aspects of my career working in spaces where I felt sorry for folks who had never been further south than, like, 35th Street.

Yeah.

Because I was like, I got a superpower.I'm comfortable in what you call the hood, you know, with a certain amount of situational awareness.But it was like, these are people just like other people.And I was also comfortable in many other spaces.

Yeah.

I went to high school, Whitney Young.I got selective enrollment in the lottery system there and stayed in Chicago for college.Uic.

Okay.

And after my trajectory career wise, brought me to being an entrepreneur, and especially in the nonprofit space.It just feels so right to use my skills to reflect positively back on the areas that made me, while simultaneously also being in the background of designing what many people may not have realized a black woman or black woman led firm had a fingerprint in.I've designed things that have been at Millennium park and throughout the city as a whole and nationwide.And some of my proudest work is in Inglewood.

Oh, I love it.

Yeah.I think I've worked with Grow Greater Inglewood to help define their campaign we deserve beautiful spaces.And that is also a subset mantra, like, we do deserve beautiful spaces.Absolutely.Because we are beautiful.

Yeah.

And historic disinvestment in all the systematic things that we are aware of, like redlining and nefarious institutional policies that have happened and been in place before I was even born, has affected communities like Inglewood quite harmfully.But I am so proud to be able to come back to where I'm from, even from a work standpoint, because many times the work, yes, technically it's work, but it feels like just an alignment of pouring back into myself.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's such a gift.

Very thankful.

Yeah.Because I guess I'm thinking, like, you probably drive around, or do you drive around and say, like, oh, yeah, I did that.I did that.

You know, I don't.I drive around so people remind me, and I'm like, oh, yeah, I did do that.No, I drive around and I'm like, oh, I want to do this, and I want to do.Because there's so much.So many vacant lots.There's so much opportunity.

Yeah.

Yeah.So my.My mind is.I have a hard time and.But I am learning to.And this is a sea.There's a.You know, there's a reason for a season.Season.And this season is absolutely my season to amplify my portfolio.I feel like whether I want to or not, people are realizing, oh, I didn't know you designed the popcorns Inglewood branded over on, like, 63rd near Ashland.I didn't know you did the Viaduct Gateway mural when you're driving down Halstead entering Inglewood from 58th Street.And I'm like, oh, yeah, I did do that.But by the way, I also want to do X, Y, and Z.And we need to partner with Kennedy King design students to do Da da, da.I have so many plans for taking what I've learned and figuring out how to get more black designers involved in community design work.I take on an intern every year, whether it's through me or eac, for example.But, yeah, it just, you know, it feels good.That's the short answer.It just feels good.It feels right,.

You know, for our dear listener who's like, I want that in my neighborhood.

What.

What do you think are some things that every neighborhood could need?I have my thoughts, but just as you're like, as we all deserve beautiful spaces.What are those?Is there, like, a little checklist that you could think of that.

I don't know.Are you asking?I don't know if there's a checklist of physical, tangible things.Yeah, maybe more.So a goal list.A goal list.

Okay.

Of possible experiences.

Yeah.That's good.

Because, you know, love Chicago.You know, there's 77.Right.All the 77 neighborhoods.And Chicago comes together so many.I know it's a lot.And everyone.Many people have subset identities.And we're so proud of, you know, particular segments of neighborhoods, and rightfully so.You know, when I think about, like, Bronzeville or Pullman, and there's different.And I'm doing this with my shoulders, and the listeners can't see, but there's, like, different vibes, Right?

Yeah.

And.And so I think sometimes the role of a designer or any artist when you're creating things that maybe you would like to be in service of an audience or people or group, is to try your best to tap into the vibe.And how can you honor the people knowing that the people is no monolithic thing.We are all just a beautiful tapestry of personalities and feelings and experiences.But when we collectively come together, there's different tones.And I think one challenge of visual artists is to, like, use your skills to interpret a tone and know that just, like, I use the word visual language a lot, think about vocabulary in the English language.There's, like, millions of words.

Yeah.

There can be millions of ways to beautifully create a conversation.And I think designers and artists are, in many ways, stewards of the conversation.Visual literacy is a real thing when you're driving to.I don't know, let's just use the north side neighborhood, like Andersonville.There's, yes, obvious investment and density of businesses and things.And there's also, like, there's a visual identity there.There's a landscape of, like, many different styles, and it looks like investment.

Yeah.

Versus going into an area that maybe is less heavily invested.And I am just passionate about helping everyone realize that every aesthetic Especially a black aesthetic, for example, has just as much value as any other, and that it's also not monolithic.

Yeah.

Yeah.I can go off on a whole tangent about design school and how.

The.

Things we're taught are very Eurocentric at times and.Yeah.

And I think when I was thinking, like, oh, a checklist.Like, I don't know.When I first moved to Chicago, I lived in the Gold coast,.

And.

Everything was around there.Right.And I'm just like, this should be.Everybody should have this accessibility,.

You.

Know?Like, I would always see my neighbor.We'll call him George for sake.But he would always be out and about.And I would see him, like, stumbling home after getting home from a lounge, just, like, from being out and about.And I'm like a partier.So I'm like.Yeah.So I'm like, we all should be able to.

We deserve.

To move back home.

Where we lay.We deserve to play where we lay, to have beautiful spaces.

Right.

You know, joy is.Yes.Is an act of resistance, but it also just needs to be embedded in the fabric of our everyday.

Yeah.

And I mean, also, let's not let vacant lots or, you know, visual disparities be misinterpreted as markers of who lives there and who's from there.

Yeah.

There's some beautiful people that live in these areas and are from these areas, and I'm so proud to work with people that fit that.

Yeah.Let's talk about the Sculpture Park.Yes.So amazing.What did you see at 63rd in May that made you think we could do something here?

The trajectory of how we began the Sculpture Park.I don't know if we got enough time to do.

Okay,.

Let me say.

We have 10 minutes before we have to take our break.Okay.

All right, cool.So Inglewood Arts Collective, we are a group of 10 artists who are all multidisciplinary, grew up in Inglewood.We are similar in age range.Right.We're all.Most of us.Most of us are like, golden era hip hop head babies.And we formed in 2017 with, well, Tonika Lewis Johnson, kicked it off very informally and was like, hey, should we come together?I know you, and you do this and you do that.And we realized very casually, like, oh, we're all artists.That's crazy.Like, what?Like, you're a muralist, and many of us come out of, like, Gallery 37, which was a team program in the 90s.Just youth doing artwork in the Loop.But we formed with no agenda other than to collectively represent ourselves.And we have grown.We Became more active in 2020 in a very reactive space, activating vacant lots.We activated our first vacant lot in 2020 with some other orgs, altspace and some other community orgs as our first activation.And from there started applying to grants, got a fiscal sponsor.Now we're officially part of folded MAP nonprofit.

As.

The creative Place making arm.That is a term that.Yes, it sounds great on grant applications and it is an actual category that basically means using creative acts for positive impact.I say all that to say that's the lead in to say that trajectory is kind of where we are today as a group.And you know, I alone have like 10,000 ideas.You get more than like five of us in a room.We have a billion ideas of things that we want to do.Right.

Right.

And the beautiful thing about EAC is that while yes, we are technically a nonprofit, we can receive donations.We are still a collective.

Yeah.

Meaning we are individual artists with our own individual businesses, art practices, music, like we do so much.

Yeah.

But we, we come together, creative acts for positive impact.And so one of our dream goals was to develop not necessarily a building right away, but you know, we're kind of like the one of the pop up kings and queens.We love a good pop up because, you know, art is ephemeral.Many of us are graffiti or you know, muralists and that's ephemeral.The streets were some of our first museums.

Okay.Yeah.

And so we had this idea to activate an outdoor space in a more semi permanent way.And that came in alignment with us being gifted a lot through the Cook County Land bank or at least having a conversation for that that necessarily did not work out directly.There was many contingencies around that.Fiscal and remediation needs.

Hate paperwork.

Paperwork and also systemic reasons why the soil sometimes you cannot even use in certain neighborhoods because it may toxic through to like just decades of maybe a gas station was there no one know about.Yeah.Things like that.So we learned the hard way some of the reasons why.Additional reasons why you can't necessarily build just on any lot.Right.Without investing many, many dollars that we don't have.And so during that process, I'm over here applying to grants, trying to get some fundraising.Turns out when that deal didn't necessarily manifest for us, we, meaning Tonika and I went to our local alderman of the ward that was a few blocks down from the lot we were thinking about and just made a pitch and just very formally said, here's what's going on.Here's what we would like to Do.We're kind of in a corner now because we got so excited to do X, Y, and Z.And we just want to know, is there any way you could work with us to help us figure out.Figure out how we can activate space in your ward?And, you know, you know, we're a good bet because we've worked with you before.Here's our portfolio.Here's what we can do.We came correct not just with our handout.It was like, here's, like, many reasons.Here's a good argument.Here's how we have raised funds to do at least something that can be mutually beneficial.And I'm so thankful for elected officials that get it, that understand the value of artists not just as folks that make things look pretty, but can be stakeholders in the community.

Right.

And so 16th Ward Alderman Stephanie Coleman worked with us to activate three vacant lots directly across from her office.

Wow.

And these lots technically are owned, but the owner was not ready to do anything with it.And so through the power of her position, worked with us to come to an agreement to essentially have these lots for three to five years.And this fits so beautifully in the spectrum of something that I have been chewing on for a little while, which is the power of a popup.

Okay.

There's many folks doing many long form investment, strategic community development, revitalization work, and that is so important.These things take time.

Yeah.

And so what happens?What do you do in the in between time before the Inglewood Nature Trail is ready, before the Go Green on Racine initiative manifests all of the really robust things that they are working on and so forth and so on.You know, you think about the Astor and the things that he's doing with the landscape, which is amazing.And there's.I mean, Chicago's dope.We really are a case study for so much.

Oh, yeah.Y' all getting down for sure.

We work.We are workers, city.And so, you know, I think about EAC and how we fit in the landscape.And one thing that's very important to me is that we don't try to be something we're not.We are artists with this going.I'm doing this now my fingers.It's like we're like in 10,000 directions, because we all have our own ambition.But there's something really powerful and special when we come together.And how can I.How can I manifest the power of a good pop up?So what we're doing now with the EAC Arts Village Sculpture park, it's a long form pop up.

Okay.

What can Happen in three to five years.

If.

You let artists that are deeply rooted in the community activate space in the community to drive positive foot traffic and help.Not just their initiatives, which our initiatives are to help develop Inglewood as an arts and culture hub, to use arts and arts and culture and humanities as a way to support other entities, specifically along the 63rd street corridor in revitalization efforts.And so this park is arts for art's sake, but so much more.Thanks to a kickoff grant from Chicago Community Trust as part of their community and arts development grant, as well as me using my design nerdness to apply for a design.A small design grant from the Design Museum of Chicago and.And was awarded a Driehaus grant for the built environment.

Congratulations.

Yeah.So it won one of three awards.Designing a Better Chicago award.And that's important to me, not just for the dollars, because it wasn't that much, but it's for the respect and the amplification.Like, yes, Inglewood is just as beautiful and high quality as any other neighborhood in this city.And we had a successful soft launch of the sculpture park August 2nd.Stephanie.We started breaking ground and not breaking too deep in the ground because we couldn't build there.But we started in, like, April,.

Right?Yeah, that was a thought I had.I was.

Like.

That seemed to come together sort of fast.

After the break, I can talk.I want to talk about all the partners, because that's a whole other thing.But the Sculpture park is our long form.Pop up three to five years.This year was really just the launch to say, hey, come and enjoy art for art's sake.You too, can walk through it.What a beautiful, like, garden pathway thing in Inglewood with artwork that we can just sit and enjoy or walk through and enjoy.And then next year, so excited to activate it more with programming.

Oh, my gosh, that's amazing.So, yeah, so right now we can walk through there and, like, sit there with our bike and have a lunch.Our lunch.

Well, there's no benches.No.

Benches.

That is intentional.But.

We can lean on our bike.

Yeah.And if you really want to sit down, there is the Fresh Market right down, like, not even down the street.It's, like, across.

Diagonally.

And that's what I mean by this.Acting as a way to support other things happening in the corridor.

Yeah.

So go to the Fresh Market and get lunch.

Right.

Which I also designed.

Oh, I love it.

Shout out to Iman.

I love it.

But then, you know, come to the Sculpture park and enjoy the exhibitions that we have there now.

Okay.

And take some photos and have a photo shoot.

Yeah,.

Shoot a music video.You know, pick up some trash.Help us keep it clean.

Okay.

Enjoy it the same way you would enjoy walking through Fulton Market.

Yeah.

We take for granted those highly invested areas.And it's like we expect it to look dope over there.Oh, look at that huge mural from so&so.We have beautiful murals here too.

Yeah.

Yeah.And so before we close for winter and winterize, the artwork that's there.Yeah, it's open from 10 to 4 every day.

Amazing.

We have an audio guided tour.There's a flyer before you walk in, you can grab a flyer and scan it.And we put up a playlist on Bandcamp and you can listen to us talk to you about the artwork that's there.

Oh,.

Yeah.

Okay.I love this.That's like an actual, like, afternoon.We'll get our lunch and actually go to the Sculpture park.

As.

An activity.

Yeah.And I'm actually having one last guided tour November 19th.I think that's a Thursday.And we will promote it on Instagram.

Okay.

But I'm gonna have one day where we just host one last guided tour.If anyone wants to show up and hear from us, you know, how it came to be and how you can tap in.That's a good day.And we're also thinking about having one more volunteer day.

Okay.

We've got a little winterization work that needs to happen.

Oh, wonderful.Okay.This is all so exciting, you all.We are here with Janell Nelson.We're gonna take a quick break and we will be back.Real Talk.How many opportunities have you bookmarked and never applied to?I know I have.And you know what?It happens.The admin part of the work we're doing is understandably boring and tedious, but when you neglect it, it can cost you real opportunities.That's why I created Artist Admin Hour.Because behind every exhibition is a clear budget submitted.That makes sense.Admin is the flex.It's the work that makes the work work.But you don't have to do it alone.Every Wednesday, 7 to 9pm Central, artists show up on Zoom to tackle what we've been avoiding.Residency applications, grant apps, budgets, invoices, whatever's on your list.Two hours of body doubling with structure, no shame, and real community.25 To 45amonth.Get you in.But if that's not doable, email me, because getting this done is very important.We will make it work.Stop letting admin sabotage your practice.Join us today at artist admin hour.com.Foreign.We are back.WLPNLP and HD1 Chicago 105.5 FM Lumpen radio.We are here with Janell Nelson and we were just talking about the EAC Inglewood Arts Collective Sculpture Park.

Yes,.

Yes, continue.Let's just, just so you know, listener, when we say eac, that's a little insider lingo for Inglewood Arts Collective.Just so you know.

Yeah.Break down the acronym.Yeah.The EAC Arts.It's such a long title, but it's intentional.

No, it's good.

The EAC Arts Village Sculpture Park.

Okay.

It is an outgrowth of the EAC Arts Village pop up programming that we have been doing for about five years for the Englewood Music Fest, which really was the IP that I came up with to describe what happens when all of us come together and create artwork with and in community, but definitely with.So the Arts Village up until now has just been a one day engagement.

Okay.

It was during the Music Fest.EAC would have a footprint within the festival where we were like the day party within the larger party where the grandmas would come and line dance with us, the babies would come and do like clay making and bubble blowing.And we had like skating rinks and skateboard deck design.And I would use our funding to hire other artists for the day to like run activations like printmaking and all types of things.And so folks came knowing they could walk away with a tote or a poster and we would all just design together.And that was our like capstone programming event.So now that we have this long form.This long form pop up.

Yeah.

I'm like, oh, it's still the Village.It's still the Village that we started, that we came up with six years ago.It's just an expanded version of the Village.So the EAC Arts Village Sculpture park is an outgrowth of that ip, you know, arts and culture, narrative change and joy.You know, these are popular phrases.You know, there's like 10,000 collectives out here now.And I love it.I love it.

Come on, little eacs.

I mean, no, no, no.They their own things.I'm not.We don't have.Well,.

Yeah, no, no, no.But the model could be inspirational.There.

You.

Go.Yeah, yeah,.

Yeah.Yes.But you know, our neighborhoods deserve to be recognized.

No smoke, please.I.

Mean, you can bring the smoke, I'll put it out.But I'm just saying everyone, everyone is beautiful in their own way.And if any way we inspired somebody, then yes, please go forth and show everybody how dope you all are.Because we're not a membership org.We literally just tap into the strengths that we have with our limited capacities and make magic happen.And.

We need all hands on decks.

All hands on deck.And there's so many hands.We deserve to be recognized for our assets and creativity, not just our challenges.So that also is at the root of.Of what we do.But to get back to the Sculpture park, there's so much I can say.Yeah.I'll talk a little bit about.It's.I gave you kind of the history of how it began.

Yeah.

And then we started.It's like, okay, we had an idea.Now we gotta.

Now let's.

Do it.

Right.

Yeah.Like, so I'm a designer.Right.Graphic design.I am not an architect.I respect architects, but that's not my medium.

Yeah.

And.And I can sketch out and mock up a layout.And we were going to do it.It's like, we gonna just make it happen.And there is something.I just implore folks to be like, own your gift, but.And be.And, you know, own your dopeness.Don't not be confident, but still be humble enough to acknowledge and recognize the gifts of others.

Oh, my gosh.Yes.

Because.Because without that, this park would not be.This project would not be.Yes.I am the steward.I am, like, at the helm, but there are so.There's like a whole pyramid underneath me of folks that have made it happen and are keeping it happening.Working very closely with Hector Gonzalez.He is an artist in his own right who has an amazing sculpture up right now at Chicago Park District.Yeah.Follow our Instagram for the exact address.I can't think of where exactly at, but it's by the lakefront.But he is a fabricator who worked with EAC for many years on, like, Unblocked Inglewood.That.That beautiful Block Club sign that's on 66th and Aberdeen corner.

Yeah.

Part of Tonika Johnson's Unblock Inglewood project, where EAC were stewards of the vacant lots.Hector helped build the sign.I designed it.He built it.So we had a good relationship.Yeah.He first worked with us at the EAC Arts Village at the Inglewood Music Fest years ago because he built some letters for us.I wanted some big EAC wood letters, and he built it.So it's like, hey, homie, can you help me figure out.Can I get your advice on some stuff?And he was just so down to, like, help physically build things.

Yeah.

And Resolver Studio, where Haley Ocard, Dania and his wife Claudia, I worked with them previously with Some design students from IIT they're architects.We were working together on a project for unblocked Inglewood that didn't necessarily manifest the way we thought it would.Ran into him in a coffee shop, told him about what I was doing.He was working with someone else who had these bricks from the Chicago Architecture Biennial.And he was like, Janell, I have 2,000 bricks that.That were in front of the Museum of Science and Industry.Do you want them?And I was like, I don't know what to do with them, but I have this vacant lot.And we started talking, and then he got excited and inspired, and he just started offering pro bono services to just help with, like, because I'm not good at math, I was like, don't ask me to measure.Nothing.I don't know.

Seriously.

So he was.He was working with, like, letting me know about accessibility requirements for Pathways and, you know, wheelchairs need this.Like, he had all this expertise.

Yeah.

He reached out to the original architecture firm that was part of the Chicago Architect Biennial, Brizzio Rocio of Brizzio Studio.And I had one zoom with her, and she was like, I'm not sure what this is, but I want to.Do you mind if we give you CAD drawings?And then we just started talking, and they ended up working with me, and we designed the whole, Like, I had professional arc Pro bono.

Yeah.

Free 99.

Everybody's so excited about.

They're excited and it's mutually beneficial because now they're entering it for, like, design competitions of their own.And that's great.Go forth and get whatever awards you need to get.And so that's just the architect component.And I also am very proud to say all Latino architects, brown folks that helped, and the fabricators, all black artists, except for one.This is truly.And most of the artists connected to EAC in some way.

Yeah.

You know, Cujo da lead muralist, lead partner, led the mural along these storage.These shipping containers that Hector had the idea to put.Put some boards up.And he was like, if we attach boards to the shipping containers, it could be like a wall.And I was like, oh, we could put a huge.Like, everyone just kept spitballing off of each other.

Yeah.

And.

This is so cool.

It was very.It's still very exciting, but this is how it got built.It was.And I'm really good with pitch decks and presentations, so every time we had a new idea, I just went to Canva and made a new page and made a new slideshow and sent it out to everyone and just helped Everyone else visualize what was in my head.

Yeah.

And then just called in the homies.Jordan Campbell of altspace.I know he had this recycling program with plastics.

Oh, yes.

There's a liquor store that had a whole bunch of debris and recycling, like, plastic stuff.And I just wanted him to create something because I was like, what if you use your redemptive plastics program to give us something for the gate?Because I don't like the way the gate looks.Cause it's ugly, you know?These are how the conversations were happening.Happening.Reaching out to TJ of the Community Engagement Officer for 16th Ward and telling him that I wanted to cover up the ugly Hennessy ads on the liquor store of the building that was flanking that basically served as the backdrop to the sculpture park.

Oh.

And it has nothing to do with the current developer owner that owns the land.That's a separate entity.It's like, I don't.It.

Yeah,.

No, I was like, it's gotta go.This is, like, part of the visual landscape of the park.

Yeah.

And he was my, like, security in a sort, you know, just that literally just stood next to me and introduced me to the person that owns that building.And I was being very annoying and.

Like, man, take these down for this girl, man.

Yeah.They were like, what do you want to do?And I'm like, it's going to be so dope.They'll just trust us.And, you know, we're amazing.Do you know who we are?And he's like, no.And I'm like, well, you need to know.Like, I was so irritating to this guy.He was like, look, okay.And I'm like, are you even making money off of these ads?I bet you'll get, you know, like, why don't you just let us explore?If you don't like it, you can paint over it.Like,.

Yeah, just try it.Adopt an experimenter's mindset.

Yes.Had no funding for a mural.I just pitched permission, and then, I swear, the clouds parted.And it's so amazing what can happen if you're, like, activating in a true flow state.

Yeah.

Because about two weeks after we got permission to put a mural up, and I just stuck a pin in that idea.I said, I know we don't have the money for it right now, but maybe next year we can put a mural there and that'd be great.But for now, let's just take the Hennessy ads off.Or it wasn't just Hennessy.It was other liquor ads.

Yeah.Take it down.

And then Ryan Tova Katz Amazing murals, amazing muralist, very unassuming, adorable, beautiful little white girl reached out to Tonika Cold called Tonika and said, hey, you know, once a year, once or twice a year I do a pro bono project.And I don't know, I just want to work with you.I really like your work.Is there any way she was just kind of reaching out?And Tonika said, well, I don't have nothing, but why don't you talk to Janell?And we talked to Ryan and she's a beautiful spirit.And she's the one that painted this like 40 foot mural.

On.

The side of the building.

Wow.

And I had the idea of, well, if you're going to paint a mural, it should be of someone from Inglewood.And I took one of Tonika's award winning Gordon Parks exhibition photography that she took that was part of an Inglewood campaign 10 years ago.Inglewood billboard campaign of a girl picking up a dandelion in a vacant lot.And that's the photo that Ryan painted.

Oh, wow.And.

That girl is now 20 years old.And it's just all these beautiful stories for every, like every piece of the park came together in a way that is just amazing.And leveraging the, the, the way we exist now, we're a nonprofit.So now I'm able to work with other artists.Ryan is a business.Right.She is an official muralist.You should follow her Instagram.It's.It's sick like what she does.She's amazing.And we're able.I'm like, you know, we can do pro bono work for you and it can maybe be a write off.You donate your time, you know.So now we are officially legally able to give folks, for example, paperwork from our accounting firm and say, hey, you know, this person gave us X amount of free labor.And now that actually a donation.I like thinking about these things strategically to support the ecosystem artists.The well established artists take us up on that offer.The less established artists, I want to make sure that I can get some funding to pay them.So I don't really advocate free labor unless you're offering it.

Right.

And yeah, we paid our mirrorless Kari Black and Bianca Pastel and Static and just Flo who worked with Cujo to paint the mural, working with Courtney from CNL Projects, who was the one that hired me to help her conceptualize sculptures for Magnificent Maya last year.

Oh, wow.

Mag Mao had a contract with her.She reached out to eac.I was the lead in ideating what it could be.And there were some temporary star sculptures.The Chicago Flag Star made into a sculpture built by Hector Gonzalez.You see how it's all connected.

Yes.I love this relation.All these relationships.

It just keeps coming back.And it was up temporarily at Mag Mile Association.It was a tourist destination spot.There was a whole story around how we're all stars, too.Hollywood might have their walk of fame, but Chicago is full of stars.And all the artists who worked on those stars were from EAC's network.We curated that.Well, that was always going to be temporary.So once those stars went away, they were going to go into storage.And I reached out and thank goodness.Austin, who worked for the Mag Mile, he worked with me, and he was like, okay, Janell, I'm going to figure out how to get these to you.Because I told him I really wanted them for our sculpture part.

Yeah,.

They didn't have to.But you know what?Back in the day, 63rd Street, Inglewood was its own Mag Mile.It used to be a shopping district.There's an interesting symmetry there.Right.And even though.Yes.EAC was contracted to create some artwork that was used for a specific purpose, and that was the client.The Magnificent Mal Association.I think it's important to acknowledge that very often artists from.Or that represent.Or black artistry or black and brown talent, sometimes it can feel a little extractive.This is a way to take more ownership of that and keep that from being the narrative.

Yeah.

It's like, yeah, we helped you beautify this and represent the city.And now let's get these sculptures back where they can live permanently in England.

Exactly, exactly.Because they're just gonna be in storage.Like, bring them out.Let people continue to see them and enjoy them.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yes.And then my hope also is that in a year's time, new sculptures can be unveiled here.And whenever the Sculpture park sunsets in the future, the sculptures that's made here can perhaps live on at the Inglewood Nature Trail.

Yeah.

It can be launched here and go on to teamwork.Englewood's building that they're working on, that They've acquired for 63rd and Halstead.

Yeah.

And other entities and other places that in Inglewood.So I want eac, and we have been.But I really want to.I feel compelled now to amplify that.You know, it is an ecosystem.That's another buzzword.Right.But it really is.

Our joyful ecosystem.

There you go.There you go.So, yeah,.

I love it.I love that you are so intertwined.Maybe this is because of your work, but it just seems like also you, like, know all the spots, obviously, in Inglewood, but maybe that just becomes, I.

Don't know, all the spots.Okay.You know what's huge, by the way?The geographic makeup of it.That's a whole other conversation.Really?Yeah.

Oh,.

Yeah.

Okay.I had no idea,.

But go ahead.Sorry.

Yeah.No, I just feel like it just seemed.It seemed like listening to you talk that you're like, oh, and then this place, and then this place and this place.I'm like, oh, who knew that there was so much to do?

There is.There's so much to do.And there's so many folks that have been doing the work for so long too, I think.You know, I just mentioned a couple of orgs, but like, there's the residents of Rage, for example, active residents that have been just doing work that is invisible and unseen and sometimes seen.You know, I think about Imagine Inglewood if.And the amazing work that they're doing.I think about the many other artists that support other initiatives, whether it be Fatale's work and Inglewood Branded.I think about Heavy Crowns, who, you know, is like one of the representatives of.There's so much talent and beauty from and within and in and of this community.Yeah.You know, eac, we're dope.We are, but we're not necessarily unicorns.I say that all the time.I think about folks, younger artists like Kristen and Michael, and there's just so many people that.And maybe I'm just getting a little nostalgic because EAC is coming up on our 10 year anniversary next year.

Oh, really?

Yes.

Party.

I know.

That's exciting.

Yeah.So I'm thinking about, like, legacy and other folks, not necessarily under us, but like parallel to us.And the ways in which we want to acknowledge the work we've done, continue in ways that make sense, inspire and partner in ways that continue to propel intentions.

Yeah.And.

That's a whole lot of word salad.That basically means that, you know, no matter who's at the helm, art should never be discounted and artists should never be seen as like, just merely decorators.

For sure.

We really are stewards and we.And various ways.

Yeah.

That does not mean that every artist needs to feel the pressure of, you know, being a politician, for example.Right.Sometimes you just want to make us make a poster or whatever.

Yeah.

And you still can.

Yeah.

But sometimes our very existence is political.

Yeah.

And whatever your craft is, whether it's knitting, whether it's being an emcee, keep doing that and keep doing it unapologetically.But I know firsthand that there is so much power in partnerships.

Right.

That's been kind of our sweet sauce.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

What has the reception been about, the sculpture part?

It's been interesting.I mean, again, we're still at the very beginning.

Yeah.Yeah, that's true.

But I will say, largely very positive.Yeah.There were a few keyboard warriors in the beginning who just.

Oh, no kidding.

I mean, that's.That's the world we're in.Right.You know, people may question why, like, why is this.Why are you doing this when there's so many other X, y, and Z needs.Right.And people make assumptions, which I honestly sometimes have to look at as a.As a backward, backhanded compliment, because people will look at something that's high quality and assume, oh, you're getting all this money and.Or, you know, you mentioned the alderman.It's like, oh, the ottoman gave you money to do.No, no, not a dime.Not a dime.Just some time.Right.And you all are getting rich to do.There is no.I am rich in relationships.

Yeah.

So it's like, wow, thanks for the compliment.You must really think we're just millions of dollars here.It looks like it.And we deserve it.We do deserve.So, you know, there's somebody.Mackenzie Scott, whoever wants to call me.But.

Yeah.

So those type of comments came at the beginning, which I saw and we.We all saw as an opportunity for more explanation.

Okay.

An opportunity to craft our messaging a little bit stronger, which we still have to do.Right.We have a lot of homework.So that's the only negative thing I could say is, like, people's initial confusion.Not a lot, but just a few.That was like, huh, I wonder why you're doing this and not doing.Building a storefront.And it's like, well, there are people that are.

Yeah, you build the stuff.

This is not.This is not separate from.

Yeah,.

This is in concert with.

That's true.Right.

Art is just as vital.

Yeah.

Like, yes, we can.We do need more jobs.Yes, it does.Needs to be more.Less things that contribute to food deserts.Right.

Yeah.

But this supports that.We are driving positive foot traffic, not negative gentrification.We are working with people and representing the folks that are here and from here.George, another George is our local neighborhood handyman who.This man loves us down.This elder comes out and picks up the trash and mows the lawn and.And brings in.Yeah.And he.And he called me, and he'll say, oh, I'm Ms. Janell.You know, I just want you to know that it rained yesterday.But I went in the storage container, and I put a tarp up over the boards.Cause I saw they weren't.They weren't coated yet, so I didn't want the wood to get warped.Like, he's taking care of the space.

That's really nice.

Yeah.So I was like, we gotta get George on payroll.We gotta figure it out, you know?And so that's just one example.But I think, if you ask me, how has the reception been?It's been inquisitive.Sometimes that inquisition comes with opportunities for clarification.

Yeah.

But I would say that's about 10%.

Okay.

90%.So positive.

Yeah.

And I am.So that's another thing that excites me is like, leveraging the ways in which folks are letting us what they want to do with the space.Somebody asked us if they could get married there.I don't know how serious they were, but I was like, let's talk about that.

Yeah,.

It's not built for that right now.There's no bathroom or, you know, like, you got to rent a porta potty.So, like, this is informing some of the ways we're going to plan out 2027 and beyond.We don't have all the answers, Sway, So y' all bear with us.We are figuring so much out as we go.Because I thought that this project would primarily be about exhibitions.And me this being a capstone in my portfolio, this is really like a Janell going crazy project.Because I've been behind the scenes on many things for many years, and this is such a.An expression of my work because I work with so many.This is, like, kind of like my, like, project in the way of this is what I do.I work with others, and I create things, and it's exciting, and we do events and experiences.It's a platform for that.But it's also opening up other possible avenues that we have not even considered.We knew we wanted to do art markets, and that's still on the docket.We will share out on our Instagram before the year is out, a form for people to inquire on how they can be part of the art markets.Because part of this will be intentionally to drive economic growth for other artists.There's farmers markets.Let's have art markets.

Yeah.

But there's also possible event space rental.I don't know.I'm.

Thinking Girl Scouts can sell their cookies there.

I mean, I don't know.Like, I. I was saying at first, this is going to be intentionally art specific, but I have to Acknowledge that when you create a space and hold place in a place where this space is kind of not seen often, the community will let you know what it might need to be.And I think there's beauty in that.The alderman had a pop up last week, had nothing to do with us directly other than she wanted to utilize the park to live stream the socks game.

Oh, fun.

And I was like, okay.I mean, do you boo, like go for it.And that was a great example of okay, if there's going to be community events that again, amplify joy, let's play where we lay.Let the alderman's office kind of drive that.

Yeah.

And then the arts and culture and public humanities specific programming, EAC can drive that.That was a decision I made in real time.And that's a great example of like how the space, now that it's up, is informing more guidelines, I guess.

Great.

Yeah.It's literally a living, breathing project that has like hard things that I know need to happen.There's certain maintenance things that need to happen.And then there's this whole bucket of like question marks.

Right.

That we're just going to figure it out when the opportunity arises.Like.

Yeah, like so much of the stuff you have to start and then see what happens to inform what happens next.

Exactly.Yeah.Yeah.I mean, right now we are very blessed and thankful to have.We are premier partners with the Stories of Us exhibition currently on view until November 22nd.Okay.So slide through now if you want to see it.But that is long story short.Stories of Us is a storytelling platform and initiative of these 9 foot tall African drum sculptures.

Wow.

That rotate throughout across the country.So they make different stops in different cities.

Very cool.

And every time they come to a new city, they commission three to five new sculptures.

Oh my gosh.

And so right now, this was their first Chicago stop.They were at Essence Fest, New Orleans and then Detroit and then Chicago.When they came to Chicago, they were at Douglas Park, Navy Pier and the EAC Arts Village sculpture.

That is super impressive.

Yeah.And Navy Pier had a short run.So we just acquired the Navy Pier sculptures now.So we currently have 10 sculptures in the park.And long story short, it's about the stories of us, us black and brown folk, but also folks of color in general in the United States.So it's like a play on us.And Pugs Adams, one of our co founders, was the EAC lead that painted one of the sculptures.But we have some really dope artists that are like nationally and really some of them world renowned artists.Pieces in the park right now.And each one has a QR code where you can hear about the artist's story and learn more.And.And it's the story of their ancestry and the history of them and their families.And it's up until November 22nd.And we have a virtual component where you can go online and upload your own story.

Amazing.

So that's changing.That's leaving the park, and I think there's room for more rotating exhibitions to come to Inglewood.Inglewood is a premier area for the city of Chicago now to host outdoor public art.

You know, we've come to the end of our conversation, which I feel I'm like, oh, my gosh, we need to have like, a part one, part two, part three, part five.Let's.

Go.You know, I'll see you in the winter.We come back in the spring.Yes,.

Please.You know, oh, my God.I still have so many questions for you, but can we tell the folks November 19th is a walkthrough, right?

Yes, yes.Let me double check my calendar.But yes, we're gonna have one last walkthrough.Guided tour.Guided tour.You can come any day,.

Right?

But.

The guided, guided tour.

We're going to have a guided tour the morning of Thursday.Yeah.November 19th, from, like, 9:30 to, like, noon.

Oh, I love that.Okay, and then give us the websites, please.So for more information on Englewood Arts Collective, we can go to.

Yeah, it's very easy.It's Englewood Arts Collective, not Inglewoods.It's not jules.

Yes,.

Inglewood artscollective.org.

Yes,.

We're currently going to update the website very soon, but for now, Inglewood artscollective.org backslash support.

Okay,.

That is the page to go to to learn just the general FYI about the Sculpture Park.

Okay.

And you can link to our guided tour, the Bandcamp link.You can sign up for a guided tour.Much more stuff to come there.

Amazing.And for yourself, just for Janell Nelson, all things Janell.

It's my narcissistic website.It's janellnelson.com J A N E L L. No E at the end.I know, chat GPT be putting the E at the end, but.

Knock it off.

I can tell when people write an email using that AI too, because it always misspells my name.

Oh, my gosh.

Janell Nelson.J A N E L L N E L S O N dot com.That's my personal website.And just follow J to the nail at Instagram or Ingle Arts Collective.On Instagram.

Oh my goodness.Well, you all, thank you so much for joining us here on Lumpen.And it is now 3:03.And so we turn you back to your afternoon.Thank you so much for your time and see you next time.

Bye.

That's a wrap on another episode of novaf.Thank you.Conversations about art, activism and social change.I'm your host, Stephanie Graham.If you enjoyed today's conversation, please leave a five star rating and review.Wherever you are listening to the show, it helps new listeners discover it and say, hey, if these folks like this show, maybe I will love it too.Check out full show notes and transcripts@nosy af.com and while you're there, sign up for nosey AF Dispatch, a newsletter where every month I send a roundup of episodes, behind the scenes stories, studio tales and interesting finds straight to your inbox.Thank you so much for your time today.Thanks for listening and as always, stay curious and take care.Bye.