Vacant lots in Englewood have too often been treated as symbols of what the neighborhood lacks. But at 63rd and May, Englewood Arts Collective (EAC) is asking residents and visitors to see those lots differently.
Since 1960, Englewood has experienced decades of population loss. This loss wasn’t simply the result of residents choosing to leave. Disinvestment, a decline in industrial jobs, the construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway, foreclosures, and the demolition of deteriorating housing all contributed to the landscape of vacant properties.
Tanya Ward, cofounder of EAC, contends that these spaces are not vacant. They are unused. That distinction is at the heart of EAC’s new Arts Village Sculpture Park, a “long-form pop-up” that is transforming three underutilized lots, with permission from their private owner, into a multi-year public arts destination. On August 2, the collective hosted a soft opening, featuring a performance by Meagan McNeal and a live band. On August 12, they activated the sculpture park in a collaboration with the Englewood Music Fest, which took place next door at 63rd and Halsted.
Visitors can enter the garden through gates on May Street, which open to a winding path speckled with star sculptures originally commissioned by the Magnificent Mile Association with CNL Projects. On the far end of the garden is a vibrant mural spelling out “Englewood” bold and clear, painted by EAC members and affiliate artists. Finally, a larger-than-life collection of African drums, titled “The Stories of Us,” stands in front of the wall—a national touring exhibition visiting Chicago for the first time.
Founded in 2017, EAC is a creative “placemaking” collective of artists who grew up in Greater Englewood. The collective uses art and collaboration to transform spaces, celebrate local talent, and create new possibilities in historically disinvested neighborhoods. The collective operates within the Folded Map Project, founded by EAC cofounder Tonika Lewis Johnson. The project connects Chicagoans from mirroring addresses on the South and North sides—encouraging people to understand how Chicago’s neighborhoods are structured, question the systems that created these divisions, and imagine how we can create change. The collective has used public art, cultural activations, mutual aid, and community-centered programming to challenge harmful narratives about Englewood and drive economic empowerment.
The Arts Village Sculpture Park is EAC’s newest endeavor, aiming to create positive foot traffic that can benefit neighboring businesses along the 63rd Street corridor, create economic opportunities for artists, and serve as an incubator for public art projects that can live throughout Greater Englewood, and eventually be purchased by private collectors abroad.
“It’s important for people to be able to experience public art and find beauty within their own neighborhoods. We shouldn’t have to leave to feel that,” said Ward.
According to EAC, the beauty artists are creating cannot be reduced to pretty spaces. They are helping communities imagine, communicate, and build the future they want.
“We hope the Sculpture Park becomes an incubator for public art and collaborative revitalization models that reverberates throughout Greater Englewood, sparking ideas, inspiration, and action,” said EAC Director Janell Nelson.
Nelson was recently named a 2026 Leader for a New Chicago, an initiative of the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. The recognition affirms what EAC has been demonstrating for years: when artists are trusted to lead, art can become a tool for economic development, storytelling, community pride, and neighborhood transformation. For Nelson, that means artists cannot be invited into community development only after the major decisions have already been made.
“Artists should help shape investment, not simply decorate it after impactful decisions have been made. We are community stakeholders, too,” said Nelson.
Nelson understands that meaningful neighborhood transformation cannot happen in isolation. Throughout the corridor, EAC has partnered with organizations like Englewood Branded, Go Green Community Fresh Market, and Alderperson Stephanie Coleman’s office. Ward sees the current moment as an even bigger opportunity for artists to influence the future of Englewood.
“The thing that I am mostly hopeful for is the possibility for local artists to make a cultural impact on projects like the coming Englewood Nature Trail. We hope this adds to the rich history that artists have always brought to Englewood, with the community reaping those benefits,” said Ward.
Englewood Art Collective’s collection of “rising star” sculptures—painted by Cujodah, JustFlo, Pugs Atomz, Stef Skills, Bianca Pastel, JoVonna Jackson, and Janell Nelson—originally commissioned by the Magnificent Mile Association with CNL Projects, are gathered in the center of the lot that would become the Arts Village Sculpture Park on July 19, 2026.
The Nature Trail—a community-driven plan to turn an abandoned railroad corridor in Greater Englewood into a roughly 1.8-mile greenway for walking, biking, nature, and community activity—represents another major investment in the neighborhood.
What is taking shape at the corner of 63rd and May is a declaration that Englewood is not empty, forgotten, or waiting to be saved. It is a community filled with artists, culture, ideas, and people who are actively creating a different future.
“At the heart of this work, we keep asking ourselves: What if? Why not? And now, together, we are figuring out the how,” said Nelson.
Because public art isn’t just about aesthetics. It is about belonging and leadership—what becomes possible when the people who know a place best are given the opportunity to design its future.
Arts Village Sculpture Park, 6300 S. May St. 10am–4pm most days, subject to change. An audio tour is available on Bandcamp, and a brochure is available at Alderperson Stephanie Coleman’s office, 1137 W. 63 St., Unit C. englewoodartscollective.org/
Dionne Victoria is a journalist, writer, artist, and educator whose work centers Black culture, community, creativity, healing, and the stories often overlooked by mainstream media.