ROMAN SUSAN ART FOUNDATION is a nonprofit art organization based in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Roman Susan develops and supports new locally-focused opportunities to create, display, and experience contemporary art. The organization is named after Roman and Susan Lewandowski.
Roman Susan maintains year-round programming: 1224 W Loyola Ave is a storefront project space for exhibitions and events; ANNEX develops projects in collaboration with local nonprofits in the fields of contemporary art, social services, and education; and Community-Hosted Collections are exploratory art collections created in order to place contemporary works of art in the homes of local residents. In addition, Roman Susan is a grateful partner of Performance Response Journal, an independent artist-run project. Please join our newsletter for programming updates.
Roman Susan accepts artist proposals year-round. Roman Susan has been organized and run with significant help from family, friends, neighborhood volunteers, and participating artists. In 2016, Roman Susan incorporated as a nonprofit organization, receiving 501(c)3 tax-exempt status as a public charity. Roman Susan Art Foundation NFP will continue to operate as an artist-run organization. The directors for the organization in 2021 will be Joanna Furnans, Ruth Hodgins, Siobhan Leonard, Joelle Mercedes, Juan Molina Hernández, José Santiago Pérez, and Tracy Taylor. Kristin Abhalter is the founder and the Executive Director of Roman Susan. Nathan Smith is the Managing Director. Public feedback guides our ongoing work.
Roman Susan maintains year-round programming: 1224 W Loyola Ave is a storefront project space for exhibitions and events; ANNEX develops projects in collaboration with local nonprofits in the fields of contemporary art, social services, and education; and Community-Hosted Collections are exploratory art collections created in order to place contemporary works of art in the homes of local residents. In addition, Roman Susan is a grateful partner of Performance Response Journal, an independent artist-run project. Please join our newsletter for programming updates.
Roman Susan accepts artist proposals year-round. Roman Susan has been organized and run with significant help from family, friends, neighborhood volunteers, and participating artists. In 2016, Roman Susan incorporated as a nonprofit organization, receiving 501(c)3 tax-exempt status as a public charity. Roman Susan Art Foundation NFP will continue to operate as an artist-run organization. The directors for the organization in 2021 will be Joanna Furnans, Ruth Hodgins, Siobhan Leonard, Joelle Mercedes, Juan Molina Hernández, José Santiago Pérez, and Tracy Taylor. Kristin Abhalter is the founder and the Executive Director of Roman Susan. Nathan Smith is the Managing Director. Public feedback guides our ongoing work.
1224 W Loyola Ave has three descending stairs to a recessed floor; regrettably, the interior of the exhibition space is not wheelchair accessible. The public washroom is a very confined space, up two stairs from the exhibition floor. If these factors or others present a barrier for your visit, please write to art@romansusan.org or leave a voicemail at (773) 270-1224 in advance for alternate arrangements. Roman Susan at 1224 W Loyola Ave is located 85 meters northwest of the Loyola CTA Station, with direct access for public transit via the Red Line train and the 147 bus line. A Divvy bike-share hub is located at the west exit of the CTA. There is on-street parking on W Loyola Ave, and a paid parking garage at 1210 W Arthur Ave immediately to the south. For all scheduled projects at 1224 W Loyola Ave, open hours are scheduled in advanced, and available at other times by request. All projects are visible from the sidewalk immediately outside the space 24/7.
In recent years it has become a trend to acknowledge traditional homelands of the indigenous peoples of a particular area through a land acknowledgment. This type of activity is designed to bring more awareness and understanding of the history of indigenous peoples and their territories. But a land acknowledgment should also be more than that; it should be a call to rethink one’s own relationship with the environment and the histories of all peoples. In partnership, the American Indian Center and Roman Susan Art Foundation have crafted the following land acknowledgment to help all rethink their relationships with the city, the land and the environment. This acknowledgment demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.
Roman Susan at 1224 W Loyola Ave is open through sponsorship and support by Chrystal + Bob Abhalter, Kristin + Nathan Abhalter Smith, Ivy + Ali Abid, Alejandro Acierto, Randy Alexander + Susan Wexler, Joni Kat Anderson, Oscar Arriola, Adam Baker, Cynthia Bargar, Lynn Basa, Rebecca Beachy, Michael Blissett, Dan Boyd + Makiko Yamauchi, Judith Brotman, Salome Chasnoff, Laura Christman, Deirdre Colgan Jones, Paté Conway, Meg Duguid, Taylor Ervin, Chad Eschman, Paul Escriva, Esther Espino + Ben Hodous, Carolina Fernandez Del Dago, Noah Firestone, Peter Fleps, Joanna Furnans + Christine Wallers, Jason House, Samantha Garcia, Amber Ginsburg, Ronen Goldstein, Becky Grajeda, Yhelena + Michael Hall, Erin Hayden + Jeff Robinson, Lorna + Curtis Henderson, Ruth Hodgins + Kit Rosenberg, Michelle Hooper, Josh Ippel, Kevin Kaempf, Colleen Keihm, Mel Keiser + Matt Martin, Millicent Kennedy, Joshua Kent + Andrew Bearnot, Vanessa Joy King, Brian Kirkbride, Thomas Kong, Mie Kongo, John-Michael Korpal, Davi Lakind, Siobhan Leonard, Leah Levine, Emily Lindskoog, Angela Lopez, Alma + Marion Lucius, Susan Maller, John Marks + Crystal Myslajek, Yvette Mayorga, Yunhee Min, Nora Moore Lloyd, Kera MacKenzie + Andrew Mausert Mooney, Joelle Mercedes, Barbara McDaniel, Sheree Moratto, Kalina Morrigan, Craig Neeson, Lara Oppenheimer, Melissa Oresky, Colleen Plumb, Diane Ponder, John Preus, Adam Rogers, Nancy Lu Rosenheim, Amina Ross, Emma Rozanski, Vida Sacic, Jose Santiago Perez, Julie Schauer, Roberta Schmatz, Levi Sherman, Madhuri Shukla, Jean + Vic Smith, Elena Solomon, Natalie + Nate Solomon, Lauren Sudbrink, Ruby T, Maryam Taghavi, Savneet Talwar, Tracy Marie Taylor, Chanel Chiffon Thomas, Ryan Thompson, Will Thompson, Karen Townsend, A.P. Vague, Tricia Van Eck, Betsy + Bill Vandercook, Zachary Vanes, Kaitlin Very, Lisa Vinebaum, Jenyu Wang, Liz Weinstein, Emily Wood, Yaloo, Andrew Yang + Christa Donner, Polly Yates, Gwyneth Zeleny Anderson, Mary Zerkel, and other supporters.
Roman Susan Art Foundation NFP is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt public charity supported in part by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, a Gen Ops Plus Grant from The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, AD3 Innovation Bootcamp, an sylvia exhibitions, Foundation Source, Lucky Pierre, Story Luck, and in-kind support from Cargo Collective and Lawyers for the Creative Arts.
If you have the means to do so, please consider supporting our work by visiting romansusan.org/support.