Stockyard Institute
DuSable Life House
The 3 Acres on the Lake Project was an exploration, an ideal situation that was examined and executed by a handful of youth from the Stockyard Institute and developed over a 3 month period.
The project began as it ended with long, heart-felt conversations about the fundamental questions all felt were inherent in the proposal and provided poignant moments of thoughtful, considerate observation and self-reflection.
The use of land, the idea of a Mexican Beach and the quick assessment of individual skills guided the early discussion. A bike was designed, services and accessories were provided by renderings and accessed from medical supply catalogs, and web research. The two large panels were a composite (32" x 40" each) that served as a final resting place for the ideas and notes shared and exchanged by the youth artists. A small photo-album operated as our notebook in which to identify the many components of a home for those who had no friends or family. A warm, well-equipped space that the city could and should provide for those who deserved a few days of dignity before they departed.
Stockyard Institute is a Center for Exploratory Arts Practice in the Austin and Back of the Yards communities of Chicago.