Little Black Pearl Workshop

Little Black Pearl Workshop is an arts and education facility serving the Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, and Woodlawn neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side. Its 40,000-square foot cultural arts center provides courses and production space for arts, culture, and entrepreneurship to youth, adults, and families through after-school and evening programs. With this award, Little Black Pearl Workshop develops a plan for long-term sustainability given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will reimagine the use of its physical space to best serve the community with co-working and exhibit spaces for artists, making productive use of the facility as its traditional programs are offered virtually.

Little Black Pearl Workshop is an arts and education facility serving the Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, and Woodlawn neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side. Its 40,000-square-foot cultural arts center provides courses and production space for arts, culture, and entrepreneurship to youth, adults, and families through after-school and evening programs. It also operates the Little Black Pearl Art and Design Academy, a high school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. This award provides general operating support to Little Black Pearl Workshop as part of the Foundation’s Culture, Equity, and the Arts program.

Little Black Pearl Workshop is an arts and education facility serving the Bronzeville, Kenwood/Oakland, Hyde Park, and Woodlawn neighborhoods on Chicago’s south side. Its 40,000-square-foot cultural arts center provides courses and production space for arts, culture, and entrepreneurship to youth, adults, and families through after-school and evening programs. It operates the Little Black Pearl Art and Design Academy, a high school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. This institutional support award enables Little Black Pearl to develop and execute a strategic plan, expand staff capacity, promote leaders of color in the Chicago arts community, and upgrade its technology.

To support a transition plan for program and facility expansion.