ABOUT THE INCUBATOR NETWORK
The Bronzeville Incubator™ is a growing ecosystem of physical spaces in Bronzeville functioning as incubation hubs for commerce, creativity, and community enterprises. The Bronzeville Incubator currently features one core program, the Bronzeville Culinary Connection, which operates primarily from our offices at 51st Street and the CTA Green Line, with a new program, the Creative Incubator, currently in development at The Forum on 43rd Street and the CTA Green Line, set to open in early 2023.
Bronzeville Culinary Connection
Bronzeville Culinary Connection brings together ambitious first and second-stage entrepreneurs, primarily in the culinary, hospitality, and sustainability industries who are committed to community development and value being a part of an enterprise wherein peers and mentors, education, and networking in these arenas.
With our team of featured chefs and specialized programming, the Bronzeville Culinary Connection also provides access to education and exploration of Black cuisine and the diverse profession of cooking.
Much of our programming functions across our culinary enterprises at 51st and the CTA Green Line, including Boxville, the Bronzeville Cookin’ facility, and our 3,000 square foot offices.
The Creative Incubator
The Creative Incubator is re-investing in the Black creative economy in order to revitalize Black Chicago. We are building on a century of storytellers, culture makers, and curators that made Bronzeville an ‘electric’ neighborhood and shaped the cultural evolution of our nation. We are helping creatives “eat off their art” while creating the next generation of culture, enterprise, and collaboration to move our community forward.
In 2021, the Creative Incubator launched the ARTrepreneurSeries, professional development panel discussions and networking events specifically for creatives who want to profit from their passion.
#ForumFridays, a dynamic series of musical performances filmed in The Forum in the fall of 2020, can be seen on our Youtube page. Check out incredible performances from Chance the Rapper, Bella Bahns, Vic Mensa, J. Ivy, MeaganMcNeal, Sam Thousand (formerly Sam Trump), HIPLET, Marqueal Jordan, and K Love The Poet.
Our current partners include Bronzeville Blues Collaborative, Black Wall Street Journey, Chicago Film Archives, and Gumbo Media, and we provide advisory support to many individual creatives. We are proud to have facilitated the creation of culture through #ForumFridays, a ‘Yarn Bomb’ public art installation at The Forum, the curation of dozens of events at Boxville, The Forum, Bronzeville Cookin’, the Bronzeville Blues Walk, and beyond.
Currently housed at the Bronzeville Incubator, we are developing our own 2500 square foot space at The Forum at 43rd and the CTA Green Line, as part of a broader “Creative Complex”.
The Creative Incubator is making plans to present a wide variety of arts & cultural programming and create a slate of valuable services and opportunities for Southside artists and creatives in 2022. For more information, please register below.
