Closing Reception: Envisioning Liberation

Join us as we further our dedication to creative placemaking and storytelling by way of an evening of closing reflections for esteemed local Chicago artist and arts organizer Shirien Creates' exhibit: Envisioning Liberation: An exhibit on healing, resistance, and imagination. The program will include a final viewing of the exhibit from 5:30-6:30p cst, followed by a live performance featuring Lakota rapper and IMAN Roster Artist Frank Waln, and a panel featuring Shirien Creates, Frank Waln, and Janell Nelson, Executive Director of Activations for Englewood Arts Collective. The panel will be moderated by IMAN’s Founding Executive Director, Rami Nashashibi. Event details: Parking is available in both of IMAN's parking lots and on the street. Heavy Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served. Agenda 5:30-6:30p | Gallery Viewing* 2745 W. 63rd St. *Please note: The gallery is located in IMANifest Arts Studios at 2745 W. 63rd st. If you plan to view the gallery, please enter via this entrance. - 6:30-8p | Panel & performance* 2755 W. 63rd St. *Please note: If you plan to attend the panel & performance only, please enter via IMAN Central at 2755 W. 63rd st. If you intend to attend both portions of the evening, please enter via the gallery which is located in IMANifest Arts Studios at 2745 W. 63rd st. COVID-Protocol: Masks recommended but not required. Meet the artist Shirien Creates is an artist, designer and organizer based here in Chicago, the homeland of the Council of the Three Fires (the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations). She was born in Chicago with Palestinian roots. Shirien received her bachelor's and master's degree in sociology from DePaul University. For over 10 years, Shirien has dedicated herself to community organizing and social justice advocacy work. Shirien brings her passion for social justice into her art and design work, seeking to challenge systems of oppression and uplift heavy and bleak topics with boldness, color, and hope. She uses her creativity as a tool to uplift movements and to amplify marginalized groups, to promote community healing, and to envision a better world. Last year, Shirien was awarded a Silver Anthem Award, presented by the The Webby Awards, for her mural Immigrant Resilience Day mural. She also recently received the John F. and Sharon Mahoney Award for Service and Arab Women's emPOWER Award. In recent years, she has done creative work with organizations such as the Center for Cultural Power, International Rescue Committee, Democracy for All, Interrupting Criminalization, the Movement Strategy Center, National Immigration Law Center, and others. Shirien’s work has been featured by Adobe, ELLE, Allure, LA Times, CNN, Bust, Hypebeast, Mic, TIME, and more. You can find her work on @shirien.creates on Instagram. Meet the panelists: Frank Waln Frank Waln is an award winning multi-genre music artist, public speaker and educator representing the Lakota Nation from on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. With a Bachelor of Arts in Audio Arts & Acoustics from Columbia College Chicago, he has received numerous awards for his work, including three Native American Music Awards and fellowships from organizations such as NDN Collective and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. Frank Waln’s creative contributions have graced museums and art institutions around the world, and he has held artist residencies at the University of Delaware, Southern Methodist University and Harvard University. He has made appearances on MTV, CNN and ESPN for his music, making him a leading voice in fostering a deeper understanding of Indigenous history, culture and art. His role as a curator and his dedication to preserving Lakota culture have left an undeniable mark, most notably seen in the music interactive exhibit he curated at the Field Museum in Chicago. Currently, Frank Waln teaches in the music department at Western Michigan University. Frank Waln’s self produced and self published music is available on all streaming platforms. Janell Nelson Janell is a Creative Strategist, Thought-partner-meets-visual-solution-producer and Artist. She serves in the following capacities: Public Art producer. From sculpture concepts to project management of murals, I manifest magic with the community served. Art Director with almost 20 years of graphic design experience in educational publishing and non-profit spaces. Owner of JNJ Creative LLC, an award-winning micro-biz producing collateral & design concepts for philanthropic and public-serving entities. Co-founder and Director of Activations & Engagement for Englewood Arts Collective , a dope lil’ group of professional artists from this south side Chicago neighborhood, working to reframe the narrative of what can be. More Info below.