LAN Archive

Neighborhood Sound Archive

Listening Across Neighborhoods (LAN) is an annual neighborhood-centered, youth-oriented, listening, learning, and leadership program that includes workshops, peer-to-peer interaction, and public presentations. LAN is unique in its combination of sound, education, relationship building, and leadership opportunities, with hands-on participation, encouraging individual experiences and opinions.

Listening Across Neighborhoods is intended to address two needs: neighborhood preservation in the face of investment/divestment, and relationship building/communication skills. Balancing preservation, planning, and sustainability are key elements to maintain a sense of place both for current residents and to attract new residents. Preserving a neighborhood’s character begins with an understanding of its current and historic features. In Listening Across Neighborhoods the two intersect via sound. Listening Across Neighborhoods is unique and innovative in its combination of sound and communication studies, leadership opportunities, and community participation. Also unique is the pairing of students/youth (30-40 total) from different neighborhoods giving them the opportunity to engage with each other and learn about their communities.

The communities impacted by the project are diverse Chicago neighborhoods that are suffering from disinvestment and/or rapid gentrification, resulting in lack of funding or over investment. Individuals and communities suffer from lack of investment–food deserts, crime, poverty–or are priced out of their neighborhoods by rapidly changing property values. LAN aims to use listening and public speaking to understand the current state of a neighborhood and through research and collecting sound, activate youth to become engaged in the social and political process of neighborhood development.

Goals

Instructor-Led Technical Learning: Sound, Recording, Storytelling, Public Speaking
Student-Led Learning: Neighborhood Discovery and Meaning, Introduce Model/Example
Deliverables: Recorded Public Presentations, Neighborhood Sound Archive

Activities

Based on a “Learning for Life” model, LAN will consist of the following four activities that build on and amplify each other to have a lasting impact on participants, their families, and their communities:

Learning Workshops: Sound – Listening and Learning (3 workshops), Public Speaking (1 workshop) and Public Presentations (2 presentations)
Data Collection and Organizing: soundwalking, recording, editing, reflecting (three weeks)
Public Presentations: Conversations within the Community and the City (minimum three events) to include one or more presentations in each neighborhood and at 2024 Open House Chicago
Neighborhood Sound Archive/Sound Map: Ongoing Archive for Community Participation and Learning.

What is Listening Across Neighborhoods?

Listening Across Neighborhoods is a unique opportunity to gain skills with audio technology and public speaking while exploring the city of Chicago and learning more about your neighborhood.

Discover: Learn about Chicago’s unique neighborhoods through sound.
Engage: Participate in soundwalks, workshops, and public presentations.
Create: Contribute to the Neighborhood Sound Archive, preserving the acoustic heritage of your community.

Is There Compensation?

Earn $200 for completing the program and making your public presentation.

Why Listen?

Make a Difference: Identify neighborhood investment and disinvestment through sound.
Develop Skills: gain life skills in active listening, sound recording, storytelling, and public speaking.
Build Community: Connect with peers and different neighborhoods and share your findings.

Who Can Join?

High school students and youth: from all Chicago Neighborhoods.

When Is It?

4 Workshops between August – September, 2025
Sound Workshops: August 9, August 16, August 23, 2025
Public Speaking Workshop: September 6 or 13, 2025

LAN Staff

Mallory Qiu, teaching artist

Mallory Yanhan Qiu is a rising artist and curator based in Chicago, Illinois, born in Chongqing, China in 2000. Her interdisciplinary approach reflects her deep passion and honed expertise in the areas of live video and sound performance, sonic exploration, body movement, poetry, and digital visual art. Qiu has performed at Epiphany Center for the Arts, Elastic Arts, Mana Contemporary, {} () {} ∆ ‡ | () {} Nonation Art Lab, Research House for Asian Art, SAIC.

Sam Anthem, teaching artist

Sam Anthem is an artist working across sound, performance, and media to better understand social patterns of thinking of and being in the world. Through creative approaches to archives and interactive technology, they believe art can reshape how we relate to our natural surroundings and communities.

Phillip Purkett, leadership and public speaking trainer

Phillip Purkett is a senior moderator and leadership coach with over two decades of expertise as a facilitator and instructor specializing in leadership and organizational development, as well as collaboration, effective communication, individual consultation and team training. He serves in leadership roles at the local, district, and regional levels in his church. He is a community activist and neighborhood coordinator.

Marco Guagnelli, project assistant

Marco Guagnelli specializes in creating, teaching and researching performance, community-based theatre and contemporary art. With over 7 years of professional experience his work uniquely combines methods of scholarly research with creative practice.

Eric Leonardson, project manager, Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology

Eric Leonardson, a Chicago-based audio artist, is President of the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology and Vice-President of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. He is an Adjunct Professor in Art and Technology/Sound Practices at SAIC. As a performer, composer, sound designer, and inventor, he performs internationally and promotes acoustic ecology, connecting communities through sound, listening, and the environment.

Christophe Preissing, project director, NON:op Arts and Humanities

Christophe Preissing is the founder and artistic director of NON:op Open Opera Works. He is also a composer, sound artist, producer and artistic instigator, whose work tackles social, political, and cultural issues. Since 2020, he and NON:op have been focused on facilitating radical access, experimentation, and creativity across communities while working collectively towards a more just society.

Thanks to our Listening Across Neighborhoods funders and partners: