Little superheroes dashed out of the Black Creativity Innovation Studio and through the Museum of Science and Industry on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, their capes blowing and badges glowing. On this museum family day, the studio was set up just for them. First they picked their superpowers, determined their origin stories, and chose an identity. And then, of course, next up was building their gear.
“By me being myself in these environments, it gives people permission to be themselves, and I think authenticity and access to authentic people is lacking in our community because we often are told we have to switch our behaviors, switch our style of speech or dress in order to be deemed as innovative or deemed as intelligent,” Mayden says. “But I think I’ve lived the life and have a career that reflects my true self. And if we can have kids feel like being who they are is enough, then that’s a blessing.”
“We added science and technology, but always kept the art,” says Angela Williams, deputy creative director at MSI. “And really, in a way, we were ahead of the curve in terms of a larger global thinking. Now, STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art, and math] is part of educational thinking in terms of what students need to be looking at towards the future.”
“Just to be in that space and to see people’s reaction to my work, being from the south side and being able to represent my age group [shows] it’s attainable, and we can do things that are pretty great right now,” Lenoir says.
Kenwood Academy High School’s Arthur Roby, whose portrait of rapper Young Thug earned him first place in the 2019 youth category, has portraits of two more rappers in this year’s exhibit— Lil Baby and the late Nipsey Hussle—along with a portrait titled MLK Smile, which on opening day prompted a group of captivated kids to yell to their parents, “Hey, that’s Martin Luther King!”
A highlight for the family was the intersection of art and innovation that Black Creativity provides. The kids loved the creative and hands-on experiences, and their parents loved the expansiveness of what they were learning.
Through 3/1, daily, 9:30 AM-4 PM, Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, 773-684-1414, msichicago.org, $21.95, $12.95 for children 3-11, free for members.
