This year the Black Student Union is putting on the Black Excellence and Jubilation Show to honor black art and artists in our school and around the world. Sometimes when talking about the Black experience the narrative easily becomes negative or focuses on the struggles that we as black people face. We created this show to be a reflection of the excellence and joy that black art brings us. As artists and creatives black art influences us on a day to day basis and it’s important to celebrate that. There will be a  wide variety of amazing art categories being represented by the students and club members. We are so excited to share this with everyone! Get tickets to the show below. All proceeds will go to benefit The Chicago Freedom School.

Note: Current Academy students will be able to attend a school-wide performance during Flex period on February 10.

All donations will benefit The Chicago Freedom School.

ABOUT THE BLACK STUDENT UNION

The Chicago Academy for the Arts Black Student Union was started by two alumni in 2018, Princess Lang (Musical Theatre, ‘20) and Kennedy Frye (Visual Arts, 20). The purpose was to create an open and honest space for the black students and to bring us closer together to instill that sense of community. From there the group has grown tremendously with amazing black upperclassmen leading discussions, activities and our wonderful Black History Month Assembly.

Black Student Union Leadership: Arayah Lyte (Dance, ‘22) Arielle Wood (Dance, ‘22) and Gabbie Cannon (Theatre, ‘22)

ABOUT THE CHICAGO FREEDOM SCHOOL

The Chicago Freedom School is an organization that catalyzes youth led social change. Rooted in the long legacy of liberatory education, the Chicago Freedom School provides training and education for young people and adult allies to create a just world.

IMPORTANT COVID-19 INFORMATION

When we come together in-person for Academy performances, shows, and exhibitions, our first priority remains the health and wellness of students, families, and faculty and staff. The Academy is implementing a COVID-19 Vaccination and Mask Requirements plan for indoor performances through the end of 2021. The specifics of this policy — which is in line with most performing arts venues in Chicago — include:

  1. Wear a mask: All patrons, regardless of vaccination status, will need to wear a face covering throughout their time at an indoor Academy event, including the duration of the performance.

  2. Proof of vaccination OR negative test: guests will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine in order to attend an indoor performance and must show proof of vaccination and identification at the time of entry. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose vaccine.

    Those ineligible or unwilling to be vaccinated may alternatively provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance start time.

  3. E-tickets: There will be no physical tickets to Academy events. Tickets will be delivered to your email shortly after your purchase, however it is not necessary to present them to be allowed admittance. The ticket email is just a confirmation. The Academy will have a list of those with tickets for the event, and you simply need to check in at the security desk.

Please note: these requirements were created based on current circumstances and may change without notice.