National Public Housing Museum

“The museum explores the history of public housing through a wealth of exhibitions, installations and recreated apartments. It opens April 4 inside the remaining building of the former Jane Addams Homes on the Near West Side.”? The Chicago Sun-Times previews the new National Public Housing Museum

Celebrate the power of place as the National Public Housing Museum opens the doors to our new home! Join our diverse community of public housing residents, advocates, storytellers, art lovers, historians, and others for this festive opening weekend, April 4–6, 2025. Be among the first inside our renovated building—the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes—and explore our inaugural exhibits and installations, from the Animal Court and the REC Room to the lovingly recreated Historic Apartments. Check out the full schedule: https://lnkd.in/g8_zYHXr

“The long-awaited opening fulfills the vision of public housing leader Deverra Beverly and other housing advocates who in the late ’90s had the idea to start a museum about public housing.” Block Club Chicago on our grand opening, April 4-6, 2025.

Together with our friends at Court Theatre and their landmark production of the play “A Raisin in the Sun,” we’re sharing some book recommendations that feature Black American experiences and reflections on home, social mobility, and dreams deferred. The reading list was pulled together with our program partners as a resource for this week’s “A Dream Deferred” conversations about the history of housing injustice. Head over to our blog and explore ten books that shed light on some of today’s most urgent inequities with wit, suspense, and humor: https://lnkd.in/gAMwgCKc

In the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and actions reverberated throughout the Hatch household in the Jane Addams Homes. The Chicago Freedom Summer’s focus on racial equity and fair housing informed the family’s activism for peace and justice. We are honored to share the Hatch family’s intimate recollections of this time—in an audio tour narrated by Lil Rel Howery and written by Nate Marshall—when we open soon. The recreated Hatch family apartment is the heart of the National Public Housing Museum, offering an ongoing invitation to reflect on Dr. King’s immense legacy and a daily call to act against persistent racial and social injustices.

Fellowship alert! We're excited to be a part of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Leading Edge Fellowship program, which places recent humanities PhDs with nonprofit organizations committed to promoting social justice in their communities.

20th Anniversary Spotlight on multimedia artist Marisa Morán Jahn’s mobile art installation, “HOOPcycle,” which celebrates the equal right to housing, infrastructure, and safe recreational spaces. ? Jahn, a 2023 #JoyceAwards recipient alongside The National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, worked with architect and MIT professor Rafi Segal to combine a tricycle and basketball, bringing the game’s MesoAmerican roots—a vertical rim— to the forefront. “I wanted to capture the laughter and joy of kids playing together that I experienced all around me when I lived in public housing as an adult. Receiving the Joyce Award enabled me to spend time creating artwork that centers this same levity and celebrates recreational equity.” — #marisajahn Inspiring connection through play, Jahn hosted public workshops leading to the creation of a ground mural, “OOPS,” on view alongside “HOOPcycle” in the parking lot of The NPHM, which is slated to open to the public in early 2025. Stay tuned as we celebrate #joyceawards20 and our many honorees this year! ??: (1, 5, 7) Merawi Gerima, 2024 (2) Marisa Jahn, 2024 (3) Scott Shrigley (4) David MacMillan, 2024 (6) Andrea Crandall, 2024 (8) Lisa Yun Lee, 2024 #JoyceAwards #publicart #contemporaryart #marisamoránjahn #basketball #mesoamerica

This Giving Tuesday, your gift helps us achieve a bold vision. Together, we are building an institution that is much more than a museum. It is a workforce training center that leverages the rich cultural capital of public housing residents. It is a community anchor that provides a welcoming, free space for people to gather. It is a civic incubator that inspires visitors to take informed action for housing justice. Because of your generosity this Giving Tuesday, the National Public Housing Museum models a world of abundant opportunity where everyone has a place to call home. Please consider donating today: https://nphm.org/donate/

?? Exciting News from the National Public Housing Museum & Public Housing Community Fund! Congratulations to Derval Fairweather, winner of the first-ever National Public Housing Museum membership card design competition! Derval’s vibrant design celebrates the spirit of community and resilience in public housing, featuring children reading together—a beautiful testament to the creativity within New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) communities. #NYCHA Residents: Join the National Public Housing Museum for FREE! Membership perks include: ? Free admission ? Guided tours of historic apartments ? Shop discounts ? Exclusive digital content The museum’s permanent home opens in #Chicago in early 2025. Sign up now at https://lnkd.in/eAhpJsYP using code NYCHA24! #publichousing #art #artcompetition #freemembership

Meet our 2024–2025 Artist as Instigator! Natasha Florentino is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and video producer whose practice involves deep research, community engagement, and a sustained commitment to revealing the power dynamics behind displacement. Learn more and join us for an upcoming artist talk: https://lnkd.in/g3Yud_us