The Chicago Critics Circles: Part II (Claiming Space)

The Chicago Critics Circles: Part II (Claiming Space)

The Chicago Critics Circles position criticism as a vital cultural practice—one that not only reflects Black progress, but actively participates in shaping it. As the final gathering of Court Theatre’s Spotlight Reading Series, this program offers a space to pause, reflect, and collectively ask: What does it mean to inherit, interpret, and carry forward a century of Black cultural life?

this conversation offers a deep, multi-layered exploration of the important role that both physical and social spaces play in the cultivation, preservation, and evolution of Black cultural life. Join us as we critically consider the lifecycle of these environments, how space is intentionally created out of necessity, fiercely held against the pressures of displacement and gentrification, tragically lost to systemic disinvestment, imaginatively reclaimed by new generations, and an essential pillar of cultural survival.

Artwork by Brandon Breaux.