NON:op's Immersive Platform for Virtual Performance and Participation
volume 6:2, February 2025
Please join us as we investigate alternative futures through
music, art, poetry, performance, research, observation, and activism.
Â
 SHARE. INTERACT. COLLABORATE.Â
 AND SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMMING WITH A DONATION.Â
|
|
NOT TO BE: Art and Activism at Theatre Y
Saturday, February 15 at 2pm
3611 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60623
LEFT TO RIGHT: BENNY RIOS, DECEDRICK WALKER, TYRONE BREWER JR., MICHAEL SULLIVAN / PHOTO KARL SODERSTROMSince 2018, Theatre Y Co-Founding Artistic Director Melissa Lorraine — together with a team of filmmakers, actors, activists from DePaul and PNAP, and 25 men sentenced to die in prison — have been engaged in movement therapy for trauma rehabilitation while co-creating original works of art. We would love for you to meet the 25 amazing human beings who have become our beloved brothers, but these men are currently serving life sentences without any possibility of parole. (Learn more about parole in Illinois.)
Tragically, when Stateville Correctional Facility was closed by court order in September 2024, our friends were scattered and sent to prisons all over Illinois, shattering our community. We were left with stories, footage, and a burden to introduce our 25 Shaman to the outside world; a world that has buried and forgotten so many of its brightest treasures. NOT TO BE represents our first film assembled from footage from our interactions with these men.
In support of NOT TO BE, Theatre Y's first film, NON:op is happy to provide equipment and technical support to screen the film this Saturday, February 15 at 2pm. Join us at Theatre Y located at 3611 West Cermak. For more information visit Theatre Y's website.
|
|
|
New Name, New Partnerships, New Address
Christophe Preissing
 Wewelcome February, the third month of winter and its serious and not so serious holidays—Black History Month, Presidents Day, Valentines Day, and Groundhog Day. For me, it is a time of renewal, contemplation, and preparation for what will come forth in the ensuing months. Last summer NON:op participated in numerous strategic planning workshops, including those presented by Chicago's DCASE and New Music USA. From these workshops and numerous conversations we are developing plans to sustain our organization, its programs, and the communities we serve. As part of this strategy, we are adopting a new name and embracing a new identity—NON:op Arts and Humanities—that better reflects our programming goals, our audiences, and our partnerships. Continuing the work from last year, we are embarking on a Board Building project with Public Communications Inc., are planning to hire a managing director, and moving to a new home in North Lawndale.In this difficult time, and as the world—our creative world, our families and friends, our communities, and our nation—is under attack, we bide our time. It's okay to take a break and to take care of ourselves. However, let's not stick our heads in the sand, ignore what is going on around us, and hope that things will get better or that someone else will come to the rescue to fix it. I am constantly reminded of the airplane safety message before takeoff, "Put your mask on before helping others." After self-care, let's support and take care of each other, reach out to those in need, and band together to support each other's communities and to create new communities and a sustainable movement to push back against what is already here and what will come. Powerful forces are counting on us to be demoralized by the assault on and evisceration of basic rights and respect for human dignity.
NON:onLINE's first issue was published in the summer of 2020, during the height of the pandemic and the assault on our Black brothers and sisters. In response NON:op created new programs—SAY THEIR NAMES, L'sGA, Viral Silence—to support communities suffering from government attacks, mismanagement, and ignorance. Five years later we find ourselves in a similar situation—only worse. Make no mistake, the next four years are not going to be easy. This government and those who support it mean business, and they are serious about taking your rights and destroying your country for their own personal gain. Our job is to be equally serious, vigilant, and resilient in the face of unrelenting attacks. It will not be easy, it will take time, and it will take all of us, working together, supporting each other hand-in-hand. No one is going to rescue us. We are the ones we are waiting for.
|
|
|
[ OPPORTUNITY ]Â STN Commissioning Program
SAY THEIR NAMES: Remembering Black Americans Killed by Police Violence is a memorial and interactive map that tells the stories of the lives of Black Americans killed by police. As part of SAY THEIR NAMES and with the support of Healing Illinois, NON:op and the Guild Literary Complex are commissioning two to three poet/composer teams to create new works in response to SAY THEIR NAMES — whether in response to individual cases, groups of cases, the map, or the entire project.
Commissions will be publicly announced at the April 6, STN Engagement Salon at Experimental Station in Woodlawn and will be presented in a concert with other works in the Fall of 2025. Selected commissions will receive a total of $1,000 for their commissioned work.
More information on the SAY THEIR NAMES project, proposal requirements,
and application form may be found HERE.
- op -
SAY THEIR NAMES Community Engagement Salon
Join us on April 6 at Experimental Station in Woodlawn as we remember Black Americans killed by police violence and honor the memory of Ronald Browne, lead researcher and one of the originators of the SAY THEIR NAMES project. Join us for food and drinks, a demonstration of the new and database, live art-making, and the presentation of the STN commissioned artists who will talk about how their new works will engage with the map.
April 6, 5pm • Experimental Station
6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
Experimental Station is wheelchair accessible.
Tickets are sliding scale with a suggested donation of $30 per person.
|
|
|
[ NEW PROGRAM ]Â Equipment Sharing Program
Do you need AV equipment for your next show or project,
but can't afford to purchase or rent it?
?
Beginning in February, NON:op will begin offering audio and video equipment and services to toher small Chicago non-profit organizations and individuals with whom we share a vision and creative aesthetic. This high-quality gear—purchased with funding from DCASE's CARP grant—may be used for both in-person and live-stream productions. Equipment and services will be made available at a very reasonable rate and/or in exchange for equipment and resources that we do not have.
For more information about this exciting new program,
contact Theo at [email protected].
|
|
|
[ INTERACT ]Â New Website Launch
We are very, very excited to be finishing a year-long web development project and will be rolling out our shiny new website on February 1. This new interactive website will make it easy to directly participate in multiple NON:op projects. Here's a peek at the home page...
|
|
|
[ PARTICIPATE ]Â 2025 Performances and Events
Mark your calendars for the following 2025 performances and Events:
- March: Hear Below, Listening to Chicago Underground, our annual partnership with the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology. Stay tuned for details and routes.
- April 6: STN FEED Salon at Experimental Station in Woodlawn. This engagement salon and gathering will include the presentation of our first STN commissions, a demonstration our new STN map, and food and beverages in a relaxed and engaging setting.
- May: Feed Salon with performances and location to be announced.
- August - October: Season two of our Listening Across Neighborhoods
- October: Performances of Christophe Preissing's RE|ambiguation and IS : SI NG, a collaboration with visual artist and poet Matt Bodett. Venue to be announced.
- Other collaborations with Andy's Music and Theatre Y are in the works and will be announced soon.
|
|
|
[ WOW ]Â 2024 Fundraising News!
- op -
|
|
IMPACT THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES: JOIN THE NON:op BOARD!
NON:op is growing, and like many organizations coming out of the pandemic, we are growing with projects, installations, and performances. It's quite an exciting time for us! Are you savvy about one or more aspects of running a non-profit? Join our board of directors. Do you have a passion for planning engaging events and projects? Join our programming committee. For more information, contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org. And to find out more about NON:op Arts and Humanities and our initiatives visit our WEBSITE.
• • •
Governing and Programming Board Positions
Do you believe in the work we are doing? If so, please contact non [at] nonopera [dot] org to find out how you can support NON:op as a Board member. NON:op is seeking creative, passionate, and inspired individuals to join our board of directors in one of the following roles:
Programming Committee
The programming committee meets monthly with the artistic director and is responsible for supporting current programming and devising and producing future programming and events.
Governing Committee
The governing committee is responsible for finances, governance, and legal matters in support of the organization and its programming. The governing committee meets once per quarter and is joined by members of the programming committee.
|
|
|
Thank You to All of Our Funders
- Healing Illinois for SAY THEIR NAMES public engagement support
- Richard H Driehaus Foundation for two-year funding for Listening Across Neighborhoods and a board development project
- Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Chicago Arts Recovery Program and CAP Grant to improve our digital and technical infrastructure, create a new website and to support general operations
- Field Foundation, A Road Together, to support general operations
- New Music USA New Music INC grant to support general operating and organization development, and to fund a New York performance of L'sGA
- ComEd/Powering the Arts for a series of three L'sGA concerts in three Chicago neighborhoods
- Field Foundation Funding to support the continued development of the SAY THEIR NAMES Project and a public launch of the updated interactive map and database
- Illinois B2B grant to support general operations
- MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to support programming and general operations
- Robert H. and Terri L. Cohn Family Foundation for their generous support of our programming and general operations
- Illinois Arts Council Agency grant to support general operations
- Illinois Humanities to support SAY THEIR NAMES
- Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council to support SAY THEIR NAMES
- op -
 Volunteer, Intern, and Other OpportunitiesNON:op is seeking volunteers, interns, participants, assistants, artists, and all who have creative ideas and who would like to work with NON:op to implement a shared vision. Please contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org if you would like to find out more and join us as we create an alternative future.
- op -
Click here to order and support NON:op and its artists. |
|
|
Thank you for taking care of each other by staying indoors and practicing social distancing.
We hope you and yours are well and staying safe as we work to create an alternative future.
SHARE. INTERACT. COLLABORATE.
Christophe, Saba, Theo, Ja Nelle, Jason, and all of NON:op's creatives, staff, volunteers, and interns
NON:op is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Please consider supporting NON:op's program initiatives, creatives, and mission with a donation today.
All donations are tax deductible according to federal guidelines. Thank you. Â
|
|
|
|
|
Volunteer, Intern, and Other Opportunities
