Title:
“Daughters of DuSable: Retirement Lodge for Lesbian Women of All
Colors”
drawing and paper collage
Daughters of DuSable
Retire Lodge for Lesbian Women of All Colors
Development Proposal for the DuSable Park Site (post-thorium clean-up)
The Lodge is built to resembel a giant bath tub as a gentle referral to a well-known line from lesbian songwriter Chris Williamson’s seventies song the Changer and the Changed: “Filling up and spilling over.” Individual balconies will allow the ladies residing on the three sides of the building in suits with windows facing the lake, the river or the canal to fish at their convenience. The open rooftop garden is protected by an enormous horizontal roof, a tongu-in-cheek reference to prairies school architecture. Though the lodge is built on sloping land and faces on its fourth side the mountainous skline of Chicago’s loop the roof mirrors the horizontality and calm of the lake and the surrounding prairie. A very miniature golf course, small harbor and a mock campsite with tents are available for the residents and their guests. The lawns are manicured; literally, in summer the pink clusters of flower beds are numbered, positioned and shaped to resemble well-manicured nails; a welcome sight for especially those ladies residing on the higher floors. A mock bar with piped-in disco music greets at the entrance with its strobe light. The ladies feel at home when breakfasting at the sounds of “I am working on the chain gang,” or “It’s raining men.”
The annual DuSable Festival cheers up those no longer able to get to the
Michigan Women’s Music Festival. With its many colored flags, boat
excursions and special vegetarian meals of peanut butter and bananas on
bread among other festival favorites the ladies feel that they remain
connected to the spirit of that event. As they consider themselves trail-blazers
and explorere of their own time they have a special affinity for Jean
Baptiste DuSable. The sculputre context that awards the work considered
best to commemorate him is the highlight of the festival. Chain saws,
pick axes, table saws, drills, crocheting and knitting needles, chisels,
hammers, soldering and welding equipment, sewing machines, wood, metals,
stone, paper, spools of wool, fabrics, film, cameras, dark room equipment,
computers and xerox machines are all made available by the city and by
its lesbian-focused educational and social service organizations. The
unveiling of the works and the awarding ceremony are the climax of the
lovely week-long festivities. In true community spirit everyone gets a
prize even those not participating.
Anna Horvath
AnnaH@howardbrown.org