The Re-Do

“The Re/do: A Journey into Upcycling” is a creative workshop series that explores the process of transforming otherwise discarded materials and turning them into beautifully memorable jewelry, adornments, and other forms of wearable art.

What You'll Learn:
Participants will learn how to transform discarded or unused materials into beautiful and unique jewelry or decorative adornments, encourgaing participants to think creatively and sustainably while also learning and exploring new fabrication techniques.

What You'll Get:
The instructor will provide tools and equipment, such as pliers, wire cutters, jewelry findings, and other assorted metalsmithing and craft utensils, to help participants assemble their creations. During the class, the instructor will offer guidance and tips on how to make the most of the materials provided and participants will learn how to repurpose these materials to create fresh designs in various shapes, sizes and styles.

It's a Potluck, Y'all | What YOU should bring!

In a “potluck” fashion, participants are encouraged to bring items that they wish to give a new life or no-longer find valuable to share with other participants in order to generate a shared sense of creativity and exchange. Examples: Old jewelry pieces, scrap metal, fabric remnants, pottery, belts, handbags, shoe laces, worn leather and other recyclable materials!

About the Instructor:
The workshop is guided by Etiti, a Chicago-based metalsmith, textile artist and recycling enthusiast. Having traveled frequently to West Africa to source material and knowledge, Etiti experiments with found objects where she repurposes materials to create, reuse and rebuild a world that feels colorful and purpose-driven.

About the Curator & Invited Lecturer:
LaMar Gayles (a native son of the South Side of Chicago) is an archaeologist, independent curator, material culture scholar, and technical art historian. He has researched and curated exhibitions on Black American material culture and its historical progressions from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first century.

ReSOURCE: Art and Resourcefulness in Black Chicago

Since the time of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, Chicago's Black culture has been defined by its creative ethos of resourcefulness. Thinking ecologically before there was an environmental movement, generations of Black artists have worked their alchemy to transform simple materials and castoff objects into beautiful art, breathe life into the city's forgotten corners, and reinvent and reclaim ancestral traditions. The South Side Community Art Center's ReSOURCE exhibition brings together 40 artists and 70 artworks (including 4 projects commissioned for the exhibition) in partnership with local community gardens and urban farms to tell this story. Learn more on the .

ReSOURCE: Art and Resourcefulness in Black Chicago is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. ReSOURCE is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

3831 S Michigan Ave, 3831 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, United States