Civic Arts

Sweet Water Foundation’s work in the field of Civic Arts seeks to cultivate the continued healing of the neighborhood, its land, and its people and re-rooting people in the community through arts, culture, and housing. As such, The Commonwealth has become an arts and culture destination on Chicago’s South side, offering a wide range of intergenerational arts + cultural programs, workshops, and events and providing much-needed space for artists, local organizations, and residents alike to imagine other possibilities for their community.

The Commonwealth is a vibrant Civic Arts hub for…

Performances

SWF welcomes musicians, dancers, and artists of all mediums for performances in the Thought Barn. Hundreds of children, families, and artists have visited The Commonwealth during performances such as:

Urban Bush Women Community Sing

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

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Cultural Events

SWF hosts annual events at The Commonwealth that are intentional acts of community-building, welcoming an intergenerational and intersectional audience to re-envision personhood and place, and travel from fragmentation to possibility & wholeness.

Annual Juneteenth Celebration

Annual Sankofa Living Memories Series

Civic Arts

SWF plans and delivers a variety of workshops ranging from card making to kids’ crafts to carpentry. Examples of recent workshops include:

Celebrating Black History Through Art

For more information about upcoming Civic Arts events at The Commonwealth, please visit our Events Page or subscribe to our newsletter.