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The ACSF Chicago Salon 2025 invites participants to explore how architecture reflects and shapes urban spaces’ spiritual, cultural, and social dimensions. Through Chicago’s iconic landmarks and community-based spaces, participants will experience a convergence of traditions, resilience, and renewal. This Salon offers interdisciplinary engagement with architects, scholars, urban planners, and cultural workers. We focus on architecture’s capacity to embody cultural memory, spirituality, and identity, especially within migration, social justice, and renewal.
Unlike a typical ACSF Symposium held in a single location, the ACSF Chicago Salon 2025 is meant to be a shorter and less formal event, spanning multiple iconic Chicago locations. Attendees are responsible for coordinating their own travel, accommodations, and local transportation. This approach offers a unique, immersive experience across varied architectural and cultural sites throughout the city. With activities set across the city, the Salon format encourages exploration and engagement with Chicago’s layered cultural narratives, offering opportunities to delve into architecture, spirituality, and community resilience.
The ACSF Chicago Salon will explore the dynamic relationships between architecture, spirituality, and culture within Chicago’s complex architectural landscape. Participants will engage in dialogue about how architecture reflects cultural identity and spiritual values, exploring the built environment’s power to embody the sacred and the secular.
A City Born from Confluence: Chicago’s identity as a meeting ground of diverse peoples, cultures, and ideas begins with Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable, the Haitian trader and architect of Chicago’s earliest settlement in the late 18th century. Near where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, his homestead became a site of commerce and cultural exchange—a powerful reminder of the human design that precedes skylines and monuments. As the birthplace of modern American architecture, the city today carries forward Du Sable’s legacy through neighborhoods built by the labor and dreams of immigrants, migrants, and artists.
Migration, Resilience, and Architecture as Collective Memory: In the 20th century, Chicago became a focal point of the Great Migration, as thousands of African Americans from the South relocated to neighborhoods like Bronzeville. These communities transformed architecture into more than brick and stone, embedding cultural memory, resistance, and spirituality into public spaces. From historic churches that served as pillars of civil rights movements to the iconic greystones lining the streets, these built forms became sanctuaries and cultural renewal stages.
Chicago’s architecture is not only about the renowned works of Frank Lloyd Wright or Mies van der Rohe but also about public housing, cultural centers, and local sanctuaries where everyday architecture becomes sacred. Organizations such as the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) demonstrate how architecture serves as a platform for social justice and spiritual practice.
Millennium Park: Known for its iconic “Bean” sculpture, Cloud Gate in Millennium Park is a popular gathering place that reflects Chicago’s vibrant urban spirit and artistic identity. Designed by artist Anish Kapoor, the reflective surface mirrors the city’s skyline and invites engagement, making it an ideal starting point to explore how public art and urban design foster community in Chicago.
IIT Campus & Crown Hall: The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a monument to modernist architectural ideals, especially through Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, a minimalist masterpiece. This site reflects the spiritual underpinnings of modernism—simplicity, clarity, and connection to space.
Bronzeville: Known as the “Black Metropolis,” Bronzeville is a neighborhood rich in history, home to poets, activists, and musicians during the Great Migration. The architecture here—churches, storefronts, and public sculptures—reflects resilience, cultural pride, and spiritual sanctuary.
IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network): Located in a renovated commercial space, IMAN’s campus is a living example of architecture fostering healing and justice. Griot Plaza, sanctuary and wellness spaces embody how the built environment can facilitate spiritual and social resilience
Oak Park & Unity Temple: Oak Park is an architecturally rich suburb located directly west of the city of Chicago and is connected to the city through major transit lines. Oak Park serves as the backdrop for Frank Lloyd Wright’s modernist spiritual imagination expressed in the Unity Temple, a place of worship designed to inspire unity and transcendence.
Salon Venues: Salon activities will take place at multiple venues in or near to the locations listed above. Such venues may include: the offices of Perkins & Will, Crown Hall, the Bronzeville Winery, the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, the Oak Park Public Library, and Unity Temple.
The ACSF Chicago Salon 2025 draws on the participatory spirit of previous symposia to encourage meaningful engagement. The goal is to foster interdisciplinary conversations on architecture’s power to hold cultural memory, engage spirituality, and shape identity. The program will rotate through three key areas: Downtown Chicago, the South Side, and Oak Park, each offering a distinct lens on Chicago, architecture, and identity.
The 2025 ACSF program will be organized around the concept and practice of a “Salon”. A Salon is a gathering of people under one roof or in a special place brought together with the purpose of learning, enjoying, or debating ideas. Salons have traditionally consisted in direct, oral, hands-on engagements between presenter(s) and audiences.
Key Program Objectives
Salon Activities: Anticipated activities include a series of sessions such as Guided Tours, Dialogue Circles, and Workshops, structured to promote active engagement.
Guided Tours: Approximately 90-minute tours of a variety of sites guided by architects, educators, or local community advocates. A total of 4 tours are proposed, including: Perkins & Will Chicago Office, IIT Campus and Crown Hall, IMAN Chicago Campus, and the Unity Temple in Oak Park.
Dialogue Circle Sessions: 60-minute discussions on architecture, spirituality, and cultural identity. Each Dialogue Circle will be composed of three provocateurs (peer-reviewed proposals) each presenting a 5-minute topic followed by 15 minutes of discussion to be moderated by the individual. Dialogue Circles will be limited to 12-15 participants to foster healthy conversation, with three Circles running in parallel.
Workshops: A 1–2-hour block of time designed for small groups to explore activities focused on sketching, writing, photography, meditation, etc. Workshops could be held at selected venues or could be spent exploring nearby locations. Examples might include a sketching workshop at Unity Temple, a cultural reflection workshop at IMAN, or others. The goal will be to offer sessions of three parallel workshops for small groups of 12-15 participants.
Anticipated Attendance: The ACSF Chicago Salon 2025 aims to host approximately 40 participants, fostering an intimate environment for meaningful exchange. The schedule includes up to 8 hours for sessions that will accommodate up to 24 Dialogue Circle topics or 6 Workshops, or a combination thereof. The schedule will of course be adjusted based on the number and types of submissions received and accepted.
For more information, please refer to the Schematic Schedule at the end of this proposal.
Process: Interested individuals are invited to submit proposals in one of two categories: Dialogue Circle or Workshop. Authors should indicate the category under which their proposal should be considered. The proposal should be between 500-1000 words long and clearly specify the topic, scope, method, and outcomes sought. Selected works must occur on site, consume little or no resources, and run only on analog technology (i.e., paper, muscle, voice). No digital or electricity-based system will be provided. The selection of proposals will follow a strict blind peer-review process with at least three ACSF scholars/professionals considering each submission.
Number of works to be accepted: Given the logistics of the ACSF Chicago Salon, we will only accept up to 24 proposals total. Of these, we expect to have approximately 18-21 Dialogue Circles and 3-6 workshops.
Selection Criteria: In addition to the normal criteria of relevancy, novelty, argumentation, logic, quality, and relation to ACSF Chicago Salon themes, proposals will be evaluated on whether they adhere to the very idea of ‘Salon’ (i.e., take place on site, consume little or no resources, and run only on analog technology —paper, muscle, voice). Proposals addressing historical, theoretical, professional and other concerns that do not clearly respond to how culture and spirituality relate to the built environment will be rejected.
Format and Place of Submission: All proposals should be sent as an attached file saved in Word “doc” format only. If images are embedded in the document, make sure your file total size does NOT exceed 5 MB. Clearly specify the category under which your proposal should be evaluated (dialogue circle or workshop).
Submit proposals to the organizing committee at: ACSFChicagoSalon@gmail.com.
IMPORTANT: All references to the author should be removed from the submitted Word document in order to guarantee strict blind-peer review. The symposium chairs, upon receiving your submission, will provide a key number to identify the proposal.
| November 2024 | ACSF Chicago Salon proposal approved by ACSF board |
| Dec 9, 2024 | Website goes live along with calls for participation |
| Feb 17, 2025 | Proposals Submission Deadline |
| Feb 18 – Mar 15, 2025 | Blind Peer Review Process |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Paper/Proposal Feedback sent (approval/rejections known) |
| April 21, 2025 | Deadline to confirm author participation and registration |
| April 22, 2025 | Registration for non-presenters opens |
| May 12, 2025 | Final Dialogue Circle Prompts or Workshop submission |
| June 26-28, 2025 | ACSF Chicago Salon held |
The symposium registration fee is expected to be $325 and cover the participation in all the activities and meals included in the Symposium SCHEDULE (i.e., 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 3 dinners, all tours). Attendees should anticipate additional costs for travel ($350–$500 airfares from U.S. coasts), accommodation ($540–$900), meals beyond those covered by the symposium ($45–$100), and incidental expenses ($50–$200).
Those interested in joining the ACSF Chicago Salon should note that activities will not be organized at a single location (such as a hotel conference center), nor is this event a guided tour. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel, accommodations, and local transportation to Salon events, which will be held at various locations across the city. This approach aims to provide a more immersive experience of Chicago’s culture, akin to a pilgrimage that requires patience and flexibility. While we will plan thoroughly, please be prepared for the possibility of unforeseen circumstances.
Transportation Guidance: Chicago is centrally located within the Midwest region of the United States. For attendees flying into Chicago, flights will take approximately 3 hours from the East Coast of the United States, and around 4 hours from most West Coast cities. O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport are the primary options. Both airports offer access to public transportation via the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority), which connects to the city center. The CTA’s “L” train system, buses, and a 7-day unlimited ride pass ($40) provide efficient travel throughout the city. Ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft are also available, with average fares ranging from $20–$30 for trips across primary event locations.
Accommodation Recommendations: For convenience, we recommend booking accommodations in two primary areas:
Detailed accommodation options, including a list of nearby hotels and Airbnb options, will be provided upon registration.
Weather: Chicago weather in late June averages between 65-85°F with potential rain. It’s recommended to bring light layers and a raincoat.
Suggested Packing: Comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, reusable water bottle, sketchbook and pencils for workshops, and business cards for networking.
Listed alphabetically by last name:
Julio Bermudez (logistic support)
Professor, Researcher, Scholar, Author, and co-founder of ACSF
julio.bermudezmedia@gmail.com
Alan Frost (co-chair)
Associate Professor, Judson University Department of Architecture and Interior Design
alan.frost@judsonu.edu
jada-amina (co-chair)
interdisciplinary artist, curator, independent scholar
jadaaminah@gmail.com
Çiçek Karataş (co-chair)
PhD Student in Architectural History and Criticism, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Architect
ckaratas@hawk.iit.edu
To download PDF of ACSF Chigaco Salon Schedule, click here.
