alt_ is a contagious, artist-led engine (501c3) that undertakes tangible acts of service, using art and faith as tools to galvanize impassioned, self-sufficient communities to join in, at a time when past and present injustices spur us to collectively imagine our best future.
A collaboration between Jon Veal and Jordan Campbell, Alt Space Chicago (abbreviated alt_) was created in 2019 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 and empowerment through pillars of art, faith and community. alt_ provides an alternative to the dominant cultural narrative, manifesting new opportunities on the South and West Sides of Chicago.
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 and [ 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.
Over the course of the last 18 months, we have received major support and have focused on developing our Redemptive Plastics Project. Redemptive Plastics is a collaboration with Cody Norman and Calvin Anderson [formally Happy Returns Studio]. This project has forged a new path where art, faith and community meet sustainability. We partner and collaborate with individuals and organizations looking to redeem over discard, to close the loop and to create more sustainable practices revolving around plastic usage.
Your support will asssit us in continuing the work in the Austin Community and beyond. All donations will directly fund our building operations, providing fair wages to staff and alt_ contractors and Redemptive Plastics programming. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION.
