celebrating 70 years

South Side Community Art Center has been instrumental in launching the careers of many nationally and internationally established artists, starting from the era of the Works Program Administration to the present. Poet Gwendolyn Brooks wrote and taught at the Center, photographer Gordon Parks had his first darkroom in the Center’s basement, and Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett shared what they learned from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with other artists who could not afford the tuition.  These names are just a few of the many artists who have contributed to the Center’s rich legacy. These artists over the years have also been instrumental in keeping the doors of the Center open when the WPA (Work Progress Administration) funding was discontinued.

With the elimination of art education from the public school system, increased museum and class fees, and other factors that have reduced the exposure to the arts, SSCAC has currently played an even more vital role in filling this void by providing cultural and art education to our youth.

South Side Community Art Centers mission is to seek out and teach talented young artists; provide gallery space to exhibit the works of artists; develop a body of collectors of African American art; and to serve as a reference for African American artist throughout the greater Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding communities.