Alt Space Chicago

Who is alt_?

A collaboration between Jon Veal and Jordan Campbell, Alt Space Chicago (abbreviated alt_) was created in response to the trauma of the Black community and the belief that art could be used as a tool for healing. Campbell’s family history of community stewardship + entrepreneurship and Veal’s lifelong passion for art merged to positively disrupt their communities through tangible acts of service. Sharing the mutual motivators of family, community, change and servanthood, Veal and Campbell moved forward to create alt_.

Since its inception, alt_ has expanded into an artist-led, Chicago-based cultural non-profit that is dedicated to revitalization + service + empowerment through art, faith, and community. alt_ provides an alternative to the dominant cultural narrative, manifesting new opportunities on the South and West Sides of Chicago.

Behind The Name

No longer satisfied with the way things have always been done, alt_ is a swift deviation from the norm, a rallying cry for change. The name alt_ posits that there are different — alternative — ways of improving our world and ways of doing: alternative powers of structure, alternative ways of thinking, alternative ways to cultivate culture + community + connection.

To extend this metaphor, the ALT key is used to change the function of other pressed keys. In other words, alt space has no function on its own; it must always work in concert with others to effect change. The outcome of using the ALT key in conjunction with another key is a wholly new outcome. 

The underscore after alt [ _ ] is a stand-in for the space where this change is happening: in our city, in our neighborhoods and in our minds.