Museum Exhibition

Theaster Gates at Stony Island Arts Bank

Posted: 3 September 2024

Isaac Sutton, portrait of Eartha Kitt. Johnson Publishing Company Archive and Theaster Gates Studio, courtesy Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution

Visit Artist Page

13 September 2024 - 16 March 2025

Chicago, Illinois

Rebuild Foundation presents a solo exhibition by Theaster Gates, titled ‘When Clouds Roll Away: Reflection and Restoration from the Johnson Archive’. Over the past decade, Gates has stewarded, curated and preserved the ephemera, periodicals, furniture and architectural fragments from the iconic Johnson Publishing Company, once housed on Michigan Avenue. In this exhibition, Gates transforms the historic Stony Island Arts Bank into a participatory exhibition and lounge, exploring the rich legacy of Black archives and the cultural significance of Black objects.

Incorporating his personal collection of Johnson’s architectural fittings, alongside works of art owned by John H. Johnson, Gates reimagines the archive as both a vessel for public memory and a catalyst for new artistic creation.