AJ McClenon
Black Water: Polarity, Sharks, Adolescence and Being the Darkest Girl In the Pool

January 5, 2019 - January 19, 2019

Ralph Arnold Annex
1131 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago IL
January 5, 2019 - January 14, 2019

Roman Susan
1224 W Loyola Ave, Chicago IL
January 10, 2019 - January 19, 2019





Performance: Saturday, January 19 // 8

Black Water: Polarity, Sharks, Adolescence and Being the Darkest Girl In the Pool at Ralph Arnold Annex and Roman Susan will be projected each evening after sunset, visible from the street. Join the artist for a concluding performance beginning at 8 PM on Saturday, January 19 at Roman Susan. Black Water is a multimedia performance series that draws personal, historical and political relationships between Black people and water. Inspired by elements of theatre, modern and popular dance, personal stories, and historical events and circumstances, Black Water considers water contamination, aquatic migrations, and the historical segregation of pools in the United States. Performances and screenings of this ongoing work have taken place throughout Chicago at spaces like Filmfront, Comfort Station, Pinky Swear, and Links Hall. Workshops have been held at Mana Contemporary as a part of High Concept Labs.



AJ McClenon is an artist and educator from Washington, D.C. McClenon received a BA from University of Maryland College Park, and an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. AJ is a faculty member at The School of the Art Institute at Homan Square, a co-founder of F4F, and a director of Beauty Breaks. For more information, please visit ajmcclenon.com.

This project is part of One Thing Leads to Another – organized in collaboration with Ralph Arnold Gallery, Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University Chicago.