SAM LEWIS

Intuitive Innovation: Sustainability and Nomadic Programming Within Festival Culture.

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Sustainability in festival culture has become a critical matter to address in the 21st century. Since 2005 companies like A Greener Future have measured festivals’ commitment to sustainable practices. In a recent interview co-founder Claire O’Neill stated that “the sustainability challenges faced by most live events are the broad issues being faced by society as whole, including food, transport and energy.”1 With more than 60+ events that take place each year throughout metropolitan Chicago, the Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) attempts to provide a practical example of what nomadic programming and sustainability could become. Without a brick and-mortar, CHF relies immensely on its strategic partners to assist with hosting venues. Though this particular model of accessibility comes with challenges such as availability, it still allows for a robust programming schedule and participation from a significant number of attendees throughout the city. In 2021 CHF hosted 77 events after a tough season embattled from COVID-19. Yet, by providing online and in person options, it permitted their audience to experience flexibility in choice during a restrictive time. For instance, author Nikole Hannah- Jones's phenomenal book, The 1619 Project, and legendary photographer, Annie Leibovitz, were two of the most physically attended programs that year. Comparably, the most streamed online programs were feminist author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Notes on Grief and the program series, “What’s Next: Museums” (Annual Report, 8). With other programming categories such as Topics of the Day, Chicago: Hometown Spotlight, and Chicago Neighborhood Programming, CHF appears to strive in its inclusiveness while offering access to local, national, and international talent for the Chicago community. Sustainability is a complicated yet essential discussion within the art community. Assessing how other key humanities organizations in Chicago are navigating similar logistics may help shed light on building a foundational solution. 

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The Hyde Park Jazz Festival (HPJF) began in 2007. With performances occurring on the University of Chicago’s campus and surrounding venues throughout Hyde Park, the festival continues to remain a beacon of light to the community it serves. Director of Engagement and Artist Programs Sam J. Lewis II has worked with the festival for almost ten years. He is passionate about the community’s experience surrounding access to local and international jazz musicians while reducing strain on the Hyde Park neighborhood during its operation. His devotion is evident as the interview below highlights. 

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Jai Williams: How do you feel your background has influenced the way that you program based on your history as the director of the Elastic Arts Foundation and the founder of the Logan Square Arts Festival?  

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Sam J. Lewis II: Jazz as an art form is a spectrum and I think my part in the whole thing is in the neighborhood itself and folks based in Hyde Park or anywhere in the South Side have their styles of the art form that they really love, yet I feel where I come in is advocating for and furthering some more experimental forms along with Kate Dumbleton which allows us to serve a wider audience. 

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JW: What does nomadic programming look like for the Hyde Park Jazz Festival? 

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SL: The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is unique as I call it the biggest, little festival in Chicago. What I mean is it really has that Hyde Park neighborhood feel and we welcome people from all over the city and the world. It is more than just coming in and enjoying the music. By holding events throughout the neighborhood, it really gives people the chance to see the beautiful architecture and venues they may not have visited before while showcasing local and international artists. We love working with the University of Chicago as there are quite a few venues that are a part of their campus. Local churches are always great because they have great, natural acoustics for a lot of the acts we are booking. The entire festival occurs in the Hyde Park neighborhood and the events are all free and open to the public. 

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JW: How do you select the venues to showcase your talent? 

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SL: Proximity is important. It’s always good to have a range of venue sizes from things that are more intimate all the way to places like the Rockefeller Chapel that can hold hundreds. Although we look for new partners, we have long-standing partners who are excited to continue to collaborate with us. 

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JW: How do you program throughout the year while keeping your community in mind? 

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SL: Currently, we are focusing on two main programs that both take place over the summer. One is the Back Alley Jazz program, and the other is Artist Corps. The Back Alley Jazz program has been around…we just had our sixth anniversary this year and its really a neighborhood experience, a neighborhood program. The way it stands right now is we are working with various block clubs in South Shore primarily, but also greater Grand Crossing as well. We work with those block clubs as they are organizing their block club party and then we provide the music and other infrastructure. It is a great way to be in community with those local residents while becoming friends but listening to their concerns. It’s more than just programming a show; it is about doing some really deep and meaningful community work. 

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JW: You speak of community often. What is the importance of involving the South Side community in what the Hyde Park Jazz Festival does?

 

SL: The other program that we’re doing, Artist Corps, is on the other side of the coin from Back Alley Jazz. Artist Corps flips it to where our main partners are artists, and we pick three artist fellows for that program each year. They are paid to plan, curate, and sometimes perform at one event each per month over the summer. We dive deep into artists who really have a community focus to their work which came out of what we saw during the pandemic, where artists would play in front of their homes or on the block. Keeping with that spirit is why we created this program. 

I remember we had one event in Englewood, and we were just in a lot, a vacant lot in the neighborhood. We had Meagan McNeal singing, but she wasn’t a fellow at the time though she later became one. Nonetheless, she was signing out in this lot and all of a sudden, this guy is over here on the side of the stage and he’s like, “Yeah, yeah! Who is this singing?!” and I say, “It’s Meagan McNeal.” He then says, “Oh wow! Man, I was in my tub, and I heard her singing and I had to get out of the tub and come checkout what was going on.” That is the beauty of involving the community—providing the opportunity for them to step outside of their door and hear world-renowned singers without having to leave their neighborhood. 

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JW: You speak about accessibility not only for the locals’ proximity but also environmentally. How do you facilitate programming to reduce your carbon footprint? Is there anything you see HPJF doing to assist with sustainability in the future? 

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SL: Absolutely. It’s an iterative process when thinking about accessibility and [sustainability] because there are so many different layers to that question and prospect. However, a couple years earlier we had two big yellow school buses, constantly running, spewing out so much exhaust. My teenage son, who also participates in the festival, looks at me and says, “This is disgusting! Look at all of that exhaust coming out of the bus.” They were clunky as far as getting around the tight streets in Hyde Park. They weren’t full, so the demand was not there. As a result, we thought let’s scale this down to something that is a lot more manageable from a size perspective, a nee-based perspective, and from a fuel consumption and environmental perspective. We’ve used smaller vehicles for the last few years and that’s not the end goal, but it is a step. There’s so many other aspects as well like waste and trying to get a handle on that or having e-programs instead of printing or having more accessible sites and sign language interpreters for certain events. It is a process that needs to be accelerated, which we’re committed to doing.

 

JW: How do you feel Chicago is unique compared to other metropolitan cities concerning jazz festivals? 

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SL: There are so many musicians from so many eras that are still based here. We also have some of the folks that are leading the charge into the future based here and so it is a great testing ground. That’s the other thing about Chicago whether its theatre, dance, music, or so many other genres or disciplines—it is a great place to come and learn and develop your craft and to find your voice—and if you choose to stay, it is a great place to be adventurous and try new things. The city will welcome and support you to take those things and spread that gift around the world.