Art Seed: The Chicago Community Group That is Using Art to Inspire Change

Octavia E. Butler published Parable of Sower in 1999. Her startling account of a post-apocalyptic world tells the story of a young Black woman faced with the incredible challenge of changing the world around her. The story’s hero, Lauren Oya Olamina, escapes death and leads a small community toward rebuilding civilization by spreading a new religion: Earthseed.

Earthseed is comprised of one central tenant, “God is change.” Lauren encourages her followers to be the change they wish to see, and through that internal change, they can better influence the world around them.

Courtesy of Chicago Park District Art

Butler’s creation of Earth Seed was inspired by a then-budding worry that humans would one day outgrow Earth; specifically, we would use up all of its resources. Nearly 25 years later, the climate is a boiling-hot issue and one program is looking to Earthseed as a solution.

A Park District youth initiative in South Side Chicago is implementing these ideas. Artseed and Young Cultural Stewards have cultivated a program for 5 to 15-year-olds that focuses on creativity and community projects to fight for racial and environmental justice.

Courtesy of Chicago Park District Art

The projects range from group drawings to sculptures made from natural materials. Along with the projects are lessons from Cultural Stewards and visiting artists, each bringing their ideas about the efficacy of change, community, and the importance of climate justice.

Each project aims to grow and elaborate on our relationship with the Earth, leading to discussions and empathy toward our planet. Artseed teachers use storytelling, dance, art, and movement to engage children and show them how we can connect with our world.

Children from six neighborhoods in the Chicago area can participate in the program, including Back of the Yards, Albany Park, Little Village, North Lawndale, Englewood, and the Southeast Side.

A constant theme throughout Artseed’s teaching is reciprocity with Earth. The young creatives are taught to give back to Earth each time they take from it. Whether it’s materials for a sculpture or herbs from the garden, the children have learned to thank the land through replanting, watering, or another form of love.

These ideas of respect, community, conservation, empathy, and reciprocity seep into the children’s and facilitators’ daily lives. Projects using found materials or upcycling encourage participants to leave the world a more beautiful place than they found it.

Courtesy of Chicago Park District Art

While some may believe these ideas are heavy for children, teaching artists in the program know that young minds can engage fully with the environment. By meeting the children where they are and thoughtfully answering their questions, Artseed can expand these larger conversations.

With rising temperatures and decreasing air quality, educators have real-life examples to show children the effects of climate change. By illustrating the need for and waning access to clean air, water, and habitat, the kids learn how vital Earth’s resources are to communities and other species.

By introducing these ideas and artistic methods at a young age, educators hope the program will inspire the children to continue creating and fighting for change.