SSCAC PUBLICATIONS HIGHLIGHT BLACK WOMEN COLLECTORS AND THE INGENUITY OF ARTISTS

Christina Steed, Rachel Dukes, and Patricia Andrews-Keenan. Work by Delita Martin on the cover of Beyond Frames Exhibition, where works from the collections of Steed and Andrews-Keenan were featured.

The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) has announced the release of two important new publications that further its legacy as a steward of Black cultural history and contemporary thought in Chicago. Developed in conjunction with recent public programs, both books center Black creativity, scholarship, and community-based knowledge as vital cultural resources.

The first publication, Beyond the Frames: Black Women Collectors Shaping Cultural Heritage in Chicago, expands on a convening that highlighted the critical yet often underrecognized role of Black women collectors in shaping artistic legacy and institutional memory. The volume features works from several private collections, including pieces from the collection of Pigment International Founder Patricia Andrews-Keenan, underscoring the impact of Black women as cultural custodians and advocates.

The second publication, Art and Resourcefulness in Black Chicago, emerges from a symposium examining how artists and cultural workers have historically leveraged ingenuity, collaboration, and care in the face of systemic disinvestment. Curated by Lamar Gayles and Bethany Hill, and edited by rachel dukes and Rebecca Zorach, the book traces intergenerational strategies of resilience that continue to shape Chicago’s Black art ecosystem.

Together, these publications reaffirm SSCAC’s role as a living archive and intellectual hub. Copies of both titles are available by e-mailing curator Rachel Dukes at rdukes3@uic.edu.