Pangea Properties, through its nonprofit 501(c)(3) community service arm, Pangea Cares, has partnered with The Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI) to launch Artists on the 9, an art gallery and workspace in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. Representatives from Pangea and GCI were joined by city and state officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, April 26.
Located in a Pangea-owned property at 735 E. 79th St. in Chicago, Artists on the 9 is one component of a broader effort to develop the Mahalia Jackson Cultural District. This initiative aims to reclaim vacant storefronts along 79th Street and convert them to fully functional workspaces and galleries for artists in the Chatham area.
The 1,400-square-foot storefront features three private workspaces, a gallery, an exhibition room and a kitchen. Artists on the 9 will also be open to the community for gatherings and events, providing exposure for the artists’ work. Pangea’s construction arm, Motus Construction, served as the construction contractor for the project and fully rehabilitated the formerly vacant space.
Artists on the 9 is a venture in the underserved Chatham neighborhood. The intent of the space and the ambitious Mahalia Jackson Cultural District initiative is to stimulate economic and social transformation in the area, particularly along the historic 79th St. corridor. The space offers a haven for area artists to work and display their art, while simultaneously providing Chatham residents with a gathering space and exposing them to the artists’ work.
The Artists on the 9 project was developed in honor of Dr. Betty Howard, a special education teacher at Gwendolyn Brooks Preparatory Academy. Dr. Howard was a notable leader in the community and a beloved educator who was fatally shot in 2014 while working at her second job at a real estate office formerly located in the space.
