Trailer: Welcome To Inside The Walls

Speaker 1 00:30
Welcome to Inside the Walls, Threewall’s new podcast Inside the Walls is hosted by me Jeffreen Hayes, the executive director of Threewalls. Who or what is Threewalls? We are a Chicago based nonprofit that fosters contemporary art practices that respond to lived experiences, encouraging connections beyond art. So what does our mission statement mean? It means that we are an art organization supporting contemporary visual artists who make art that reflect their experiences in the world, in their community, in their neighborhood. This is what leads to connections that move beyond the art and to the human level. Threewalls is also an organization that has been reimagined through the lens of blackness, and black feminist practices. We unapologetically value black lives. And when I say this, I mean all black lives, disabled, queer, trans, non binary, non gender conforming, and all of the intersections of our identities and who we are. We love blackness and always, in all forms, welcoming folks as they are. To know this is to know that Threewalls is a black space, led by a black team, for blackness to exist without permission. Threewalls is a black space. With that, Threewalls is also a space for BIPOC, meaning black, indigenous and people of color, and ALANA, meaning African, Latinx, Arab, Asian and Native American artists and creatives. It may seem that I'm repeating myself by naming black people or people of African descent. However, we understand that our struggle for space is intertwined with other folks who struggle. As civil rights activists, Fannie Lou Hamer said, nobody's free until everybody's free. So Threewalls is a black space that welcomes other underrepresented and under resourced artists and creatives. You must have an understanding of who you are, value our humanity, and always engage us with respect, love and care. This leads me to white people. We welcome co conspirators and accomplices. We have no room, though, for white allies. Because what we've learned and what we know of white supremacy, is that white allies are in name only and do the bare minimum of supporting black space, black freedom and black radical imagination. White allies want to be in proximity of black genius and creativity without doing the heavy lifting to make sure blackness survives and thrives. If you're not using your privilege to contribute to blackness being free, then Threewalls is not for you. And Threewalls is always evolving and taking note of our work, our impact and how to share with others in the struggle. What I hope is that the organization and this podcast offers you a space to be vulnerable, be open, and to see yourselves wherever you may be in the work. The podcast is a space to share what and how we do what we do. So join me in dreaming and building a new racially just and equitable world through the lens of art, creativity and black radical imagination. Thank you for listening to Inside the Walls. Until next time.

Speaker 1 04:26
The sound designs that you hear at the beginning and at the end of the podcasts are by Jerry Brown. The podcast is also supported by the Illinois Arts Council agency, the Andy Warhol foundation for visual arts and the Surdna foundation.