Re-imagine space, race and residency through performance, poetry, film and conversation, on the occasion of the release of “The Residential is Racial: A Perceptual History of Mass Homeownership” by Adrienne Brown. Featuring the premiere of a new movement piece, interactive theater, rap performance, visual art presentations, excerpts from works by Lorraine Hansberry and Gwendolyn Brooks, and conversation with the author, the program rethinks the “book launch” as an opportunity to engage with a text through creative activation of the themes it raises and through dynamic interaction among artists, scholars, readers and viewers.

Featured artists include 2024 APL Performance Residents Quenna Lene Barrett and Roy Kinsey, 2024 Artist in Residence Candace Hunter, current Education instructor Kierah ‘KIKIi’ King and APL staff and 2023 Performance Resident Alyssa Gregory, as well as a few surprise guests.

Presented by Arts + Public Life with generous support from the Department of Race, Diaspora and Indigeneity and the English Department, and from the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture as a part of Re-Imagining the University: Race + Arts.

Adrienne Brown is Associate Professor of English and Race, Diaspora and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago and Director of Arts + Public Life. She is the co-editor with Valerie Smith of Race and Real Estate, an interdisciplinary collection rethinking narratives of property and citizenship. Her book, The Black Skyscraper: Architecture and the Perception of Race—winner of the Modernist Studies Association’s 2018 First Book Prize—recovers the skyscraper’s drastic effects not only on the shape of the city but the racial sensorium of its residents. Her most recent book, The Residential is Racial: A Perceptual History of Mass Homeownership, uses literary and bureaucratic archives to chart how mass homeownership changed the definition, perception, and value of race. Her writing has also appeared in Designo, Curbed, Jewish Currents, Harvard Design Magazine, Foreign Policy, and Public Books.

Quenna Lené Barrett

Chicago native Quenna Lené Barrett is a dynamic theater artist, director, performer, and educator. Rooted in Black radical wisdom, her work amplifies marginalized voices, fostering collective dreams for bold action. As an Associate Professor of Applied Theatre at Governors State University, Quenna shapes participatory, theater-based programs at prestigious institutions like the University of Chicago and Goodman Theatre. Adept in devised and social justice theater, she conceived and directed “Re-writing the Declaration,” a groundbreaking play interrogating the nation’s founding by centering Black, queer femmes. A versatile collaborator, Quenna has contributed to projects with Paramount Theatre, NYU Steinhardt, and For Youth Inquiry, among others. Quenna is a 2024 Performance Resident at APL.

Alyssa Gregory

Alyssa (Uhh-lee-sa) Gregory is a Chicago based performer, choreographer, teaching artist, and arts administrator. She’s worked with some of Chicago dance’s greatest including Erin Kilmurray, The Moving Architects, Joanna Furnans, The Leopold Group, Jenn Freeman/Po Chop, and The Fly Honey Show. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters of Arts in Performing Arts Administration from Roosevelt University. She has worked in Marketing, Communications and Social Media for the Dance Presenting Series, Honey Pot Performance, The Fly Honey Show, the Arts Club of Chicago and is currently Communications Manager at Arts + Public Life. She is also host of The Process Podcast which highlights the creative process of Chicago dancers, dance makers and all-around booty shakers. Alyssa was a 2023 Performance Resident at APL (she/her)

Candace Hunter

Based in Chicago, artist Candace Hunter (chlee) specializes in creating captivating collage, paintings, installations, and performance art. She intricately weaves stories through appropriated materials, offering viewers new landscapes rich with history and beauty. A highly respected Midwest artist, chlee has earned recent honors such as the Elevate Climate Changemakers Award (2022), 3Arts Next Level Award (2021), and the Tim and Helen Meier Foundation Award (2020). Notably, her Brown Limbed Girls series, over 130 painted and collaged 20 x 20 inch works born during the pandemic, spotlight brown girls in joyous states. Featured on billboards, book covers, and in major shows, chlee’s art has garnered widespread acclaim. An avid fan of Octavia Butler, she curated an immersive exhibition of Butler’s “Xenogenesis Trilogy” and the “Parables” series at the Hyde Park Art Center. Candace is currently a 2024 Artist-in Residence at APL

Kierah {KIKI} King

Kierah {KIKI} King (They/She) received their BFA in Dance with a minor in Black World Studies from Columbia College Chicago with the class of 2020. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Kiki was homeschooled in their family’s café where they learned the power of service, education and creativity as central to life. KIKI’s work in Chicago comes from their passion and commitment for social justice, activism, and community building which present itself through forms of media, performance, choreographic work, demonstrations, workshops and sessions held throughout the city to bring in necessary social intervention & dialogue. Kiki is currently a Community Actors Program Educator at APL.

Roy Kinsey

Born and raised in Chicago, Roy Kinsey defies tradition as a black, queer-identified rapper and librarian. Unapologetically non-conformist, his albums, including “Blackie: A Story by Roy Kinsey” and “Kinsey: A Memoir,” explore his life with potent musical performances. His upcoming release, “A Westside Story: The Legacy Project” (September 2024), promises more autobiographical depth. Shaped by witnessing threats to Black and queer bodies in Chicago and beyond, Kinsey’s works meditate on his experiences coming of age. Featured on major publications like Chicago Reader and Billboard, his storytelling prowess solidifies his place in black music and literature. As a librarian for 11 years, his profession fuels self-examination, reflected in his impactful rhymes. He believes his heartfelt creations will resonate widely. Roy is currently a 2024 Performance Resident.

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Tags: Adrienne Brown, Adrienne Brown: The Residential is Racial, Alyssa Gregory, Arts + Public Life, Candace Hunter, Chicago, Green Line Performing Arts Center, Gwendolyn Brooks, Kierah ‘KIKIi’ King, Lorraine Hansberry, Quenna Lené Barrett, Roy Kinsey, The Residential is Racial, Washington Park, Ways of Dwelling A Conversation Through Art