Featured Artworks

Gimme Shelter Mixtape Mixtape Artwork by Dredske As the Resident Curator for Chicago Sinfonietta’s Community and Public Programs, I directed and co-produced Gimme Shelter Mixtape in partnership with Urban Gateway’s Street Level. The mixtape showcases Chicago's up and coming musical talent through narrative storytelling in hip hop and classical music. Gimme Shelter takes inspiration from the 1969 hit by the Rolling Stones, capturing the sociopolitical climate of uprisings in the 60's amidst the Vietnam War. This mixtape explores the impact of contemporary social conditions and notions of shelter and safety in Chicago. Featuring Street Level participants DJ Aced Spade, Draii Blac, Marko Stat$, Nasa, Young Conscious, guest artist Roy Kinsey, music producer Mike Jones, and Chicago Sinfonietta orchestra members Karla Galva, Seth Pae and Edith Yokley. Co-Directors: Sadie Woods, Matt Woods
; Engineer: Lisa Lust
; Mastering: Carl Saff ; Art Director: Sadie Woods ; Artwork: Terence Dredske88 Byas; Executive Producers: Chicago Sinfonietta, Black Madonna Press, The Vinyl Factory
The People's Radio The People's Radio installation at Hyde Park Art Center The People’s Radio explores radio as a technology developed and pioneered by the U.S. military industrial complex as political warfare and public radio as a conduit for Black expressive culture and radical imagination. This broadcast is sourced from a variety of sources, including cultural and online media, experimental sound, political speeches like "I am a revolutionary" by Fred Hampton, excerpts from Black Panther Party rallies, and oral histories propelled through Black music. The People’s Radio emphasizes resistance during times of social unrest and aims to make repressed histories legible, reminding us of the political dimensions under the surface of everyday life.
Ghoema Installation Documentation Ghoema explores the migration, history, and culture of the Malay people in South Africa’s Western Cape through photography, video, sound and installation. The ghoema, or drum, is associated with colorful rhythms and euphoric/altered states conjured through its hypnotic sound. It is the centerpiece of carnival performances created by enslaved peoples to mock their oppressors with encoded songs and later as a celebration of slavery abolition. Gheoma stretches beyond representations of embodied memory and journeys through diasporic traditions of ritual resistance, exploring memory itself as a radical and defiant act in the face of colonial occupation and oppression.
Ghoema Street Carnaval, Cape Town, South Africa Ghoema explores the migration, history, and culture of the Malay people in South Africa’s Western Cape through photography, video, sound and installation. The ghoema, or drum, is associated with colorful rhythms and euphoric/altered states conjured through its hypnotic sound. It is the centerpiece of carnival performances created by enslaved peoples to mock their oppressors with encoded songs and later as a celebration of slavery abolition. Gheoma stretches beyond representations of embodied memory and journeys through diasporic traditions of ritual resistance, exploring memory itself as a radical and defiant act in the face of colonial occupation and oppression.
Lean Wit It, Riot Wit It Mixtape Artwork by Sadie Woods From the days of the Civil Rights Era to Ferguson to Baltimore to downtown Chicago in wake of Laquan McDonald, the public expression of Black rage that escalates into physical confrontation or property damage is often framed as mindless barbarism by authority and mainstream media with the word “riot.” In this sonic exploration, DJ and sound artist Sadie Woods recuperates and challenges our notion of the riot and reframes it as legitimate, even loving, insurgency or rebellion. It Was A Rebellion has been in development for three years. An early version was performed as a pirate radio broadcast at Homan Square, a former Chicago Police Department black site. It Was A Rebellion mixes music from the Civil Rights Era and music of contemporary social movements, news reports and political speeches, and ephemeral and symbolic sounds to articulate public expressions of Black rage. This sonic work was performed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination and the Chicago riot of April 1968 as an act of rebellion, and to redeem King’s more radical impulses and invasions in the public space that are fundamentally expressions for hope and change. It Was A Rebellion Mixtape was released on Juneteenth to the public to celebrate Black liberatory practices in the wake of continued state sponsored violence and global social unrest. Mixtape by Sadie Woods.
Party As Protest Mixtape Mixtape Artwork by Ishita Dharap arty As Protest features musical works drawing from themes of the civil rights era and social struggles, centering BIPOC voices and celebrating cultural heritage. This mixtape showcases a variety of artists who have contributed to Chicago’s expansive music scene and continued history of mobilizing traditions through music from soul to hip hop, afrobeat to rock, and experimental electronic music. Featuring Bella BAHHS, Chezeré, ESHOVO, Illuminati Congo ft Rocker-T, Isa Starr, Roy Kinsey, Damon Locks, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu and Kai Alexander, Pinqy Ring, Pugs Atomz ft Wes Restless, Frank Waln, Avery R. Young and more. Compilation by Sadie Woods.