Through multicultural Arts Presenting, collaborative Community Arts programming and a dynamic Artist Roster, IMAN Arts & Culture provides vibrant, unique forums that facilitate radically reimagining the world as it could be, connect disconnected communities, and nurture individual and communal transformative healing.
IMAN curates live performance shows and festivals with high quality production to inspire, connect, and provide meaningful access to both community members and artists alike.
CommUNITY Café is an artistic experience designed to connect, inspire and organize diverse communities to action. Each CommUNITY features an opportunity to engage IMAN’s ongoing community wellness work as well as a live arts segment that gives voice to social justice issues and brings IMAN’s organizing campaigns to life.
Takin’ It to the Streets is an international festival where artistic expression, spirituality and urban creativity inspire social change. Previous festivals have commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy in Marquette Park, using the power of art, activism and relationship-building to radically re-imagine “the world as it could be”.
IMAN believes cultivating artistic expression across our programming is crucial to the holistic success of our communities. This includes integrating arts into our Organizing & Advocacy work, our reentry program and more.
This studio is the first of its kind on Chicago’s South Side; an artisan workshop that convenes local artists and community members to craft unique ceramic works that inspire creativity, community, and entrepreneurship. The distinct curriculum taught within the Studio intersects aspects of ceramics, community organizing principles, and behavioral health techniques.
Stay tuned for our Winter Cycle coming in 2026
Since 2023, IMAN has operated one of the only art gallery spaces in Chicago Lawn, featuring exhibits by internationally renowned artists such as Shirien Creates.
The Artist Roster formalizes the valuable relationships IMAN has fostered with artists for nearly 30 years and our ongoing efforts to explore innovative ways to support art makers shaping the future. The Artist Roster features 35 local, national, and international artists within performing and visual artists who are aligned with our philosophy and working at the intersections of culture, social justice and community.
IMAN hosts an intimate annual Artists Retreat for the IMAN Artist Roster and select artists in our broader network that aims to cultivate individuals’ spiritual and practical connection to IMAN’s work, inspire artistic collaborations and rejuvenation, and foster community.
IMAN’s Sacred Cypher Creatives (SCC) fellowship program offers five dynamic artists from the IMAN Artist Roster a unique opportunity to be featured in an Artist-In-Community Residency, host our Annual Artist Retreat, and be granted a stipend in unrestricted funding towards their personal development or needs.
