To Washington Park, With Love is a book of stunning black and white photographs, capturing the events, people, and landscape of Chicago’s Washington Park during the summer of 1987.

Located in Chicago’s South side and designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Washington Park takes its name from the first president of the United States. But in 1987, for at least one joyous summer, the community claimed it as their own—even renamed it Harold Washington Park—as depicted in this vibrant collection of work by Chicagoan and photographer, Rose Blouin. The resulting images represent a profile of Chicago’s Black community in a place where they come together for recreation, festivals, sports, community events, parades, weddings, and other arts and cultural events.

These photographs brim with the delights of summer: a verdant natural world, food, fun, music, family gatherings, and a community inhabiting the vast expanse of the Chicago park.They embody the diversity, strength, and humanity of the people for whom Washington Park is a summertime gathering place. To Washington Park, With Love includes forewords by Eve L. Ewing and Adrienne Brown, contextualizing and celebrating the 140 black and white photographs from Blouin’s indispensable body of work.

**We ask that all in-person attendees wear masks in the event space during the program for the health and well-being of the speakers and other guests. We will have a reception afterwards with light refreshments and books available for purchase.**

Speakers:

Rose Blouin is a self-taught photographer who has created documentary and fine art photography since 1980. Her work has been exhibited widely including, ARC Gallery, The South Side Community Art Center and others. Their work earned juried exhibition awards including University of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts "Chicago Jazz: A Photographer’s View," and DuSable Museum Annual Art Fair. To Washington Park, With Love: Photographs from the Summer of 1987, was mounted at Arts + Public Life Arts Incubator Galleries in 2021.

Amina Dickerson is a seasoned leader, coach, strategist, and consultant in the corporate, non-profit and philanthropy sectors. Her areas of focus include leadership development, cultural planning, and strategic partnerships and diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility (DEIJA). She held executive posts with the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Chicago Historical Society, and DuSable Museum of African American History.

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This event is sponsored by Haymarket Books. While all of our events are freely available, we ask that those who are able make a solidarity donation in support of our important publishing and programming work.