Thank you Open Books for the opportunity to work on this project! We cannot wait to see "By the Book" at its final location across from Open Books North Lawndale on 16th Street!
During October, Open Books partnered with artists, architects, and community organizations across North Lawndale for the 3rd annual Chicago Sukkah Design Festival. The Chicago Sukkah Design Festival brings together the cultural and historical heritage of both the Jewish and Black communities of North Lawndale through the collaborative design of sukkahs. We were honored to be a partner with the festival again this year and I'd like to extend a big shout out to Chelsea Ridley, our Director of Community Engagement, for all of her hard work and dedication to this project over the past few years. We are excited to have our own sukkah which will soon live permanently across the street from Open Books' North Lawndale location where we host after school and community literacy programs for youth and families and provide access to free books for youth and adults. It will live in our Playful Learning Landscape where anyone passing by will be able to sit, play, and enjoy a colorful reading nook. A very big thank you also to Palmyra Stefania Geraki and alt_ Chicago for their partnership on this project in helping the Open Books sukkah come to life sustainably and their continued support of our work!