Welcome to UnBlocked Englewood
A Vision of Transformation
Overview
Join the Chicago Bungalow Association and acclaimed social justice artist Tonika Lewis Johnson on a transformative exploration, reshaping the story of a single Englewood block.
Tonika Lewis Johnson is an artist whose innovative approach to community revitalization is reshaping the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago through her arts-driven community redevelopment project, UnBlocked Englewood. Primarily funded through the City’s Public Arts Grant, which offers up to $500K for public art in historically disinvested neighborhoods, Tonika applied out of frustration with grants that highlight systemic issues without addressing them directly. Partnering with the Chicago Bungalow Association and Englewood Arts Collective, she argued that aiding homeowners in Englewood to repair and beautify their homes is public art.
We have already successfully repaired 12 homes, with 13 more to go. We also recently installed a new block club sign and a vibrant mural on one of the repaired homes. By providing immediate support to homeowners, we foster a sense of community and create lasting social impact.
Follow the journey with us on @unblockedenglewood and witness the evolution as we:
-
Empower Block Residents: We're breaking the chains of neglect by providing direct access to home repair funding and technical support. A testament to our commitment, $399,151 has already been invested in critical home rehab and weatherization projects, breathing new life into Englewood's historic structures.
-
Unleash Creative Revitalization: In 2024, witness the magic as vacant lots are transformed into vibrant canvases of expression. Co-created with block residents and the Englewood Arts Collective, these arts-based physical improvements tell a story of resilience, innovation, and a brighter future.
-
Ignite Public Engagement: Join the movement as we shed light on the impactful work taking place on the block. UnBlocked Englewood is not just about physical transformation; it's a call to action. Together, let's unravel the layers of historic injustice and pave the way for a more equitable future.
Your donation will help us preserve the neighborhood’s character and increase home values, demonstrating that community redevelopment and public art can transform historically neglected areas. Join us in making a tangible difference—restoring denied equity one home repair and vacant lot beautification at a time.
Progress on the Block
Hear from Ms. Justine, block investor, about UnBlocked Englewood.
Press
Chicago Tribune
Repairing homes as a form of public art, Tonika Lewis Johnson helps Englewood reinvest in the disinvested
By Darcel Rockett
Published January 5, 2024
Segregation. Redlining. Land sale contracts, where real estate speculators in the 1950s and ‘60s sold homes to Black families on rent-to-own contracts for double — or more — what the property was worth. Artist Tonika Lewis Johnson has been highlighting these decadeslong injustices against the Black community in projects such as “The Folded Map” and “Inequity for Sale.”
Now, Lewis Johnson is working on “unBlocked Englewood,” an effort in the 6500 block of South Aberdeen Street in Englewood to showcase the transformative power that emerges when a community unites to heal and uplift.
Partnering with the Chicago Bungalow Association, Lewis Johnson is working with residents along that one block to beautify and revitalize 22 vacant lots and 24 residential buildings, and aiding about 75 residents in the process.
Project Aims to Repair Englewood Homes, Combat Disinvestment Through the Arts
Block Club Chicago
How An Englewood Artist And Activist Is Helping Black Families Keep Their Homes
By Atavia Reed
Published January 25, 2024
Through “unBlocked Englewood,” Tonika Lewis Johnson and the Chicago Bungalow Association are paying for home repairs along one block, which the organizer hopes can help reverse decades of discriminatory housing policies.
Social Justice Artist Fights to Keep Black Families in Chicago Homes
ABC7 Chicago
UnBlocked Englewood Repairs Homes to Help Rewrite Decades of Housing Discrimination
Aired March 1, 2024
Tonika Lewis Johnson is repairing homes in the Englewood neighborhood in order to rewrite decades of housing discrimination.
Axios Chicago
A public art project is repairing the damage of racist housing practices in Englewood
By Carrie Shepherd
Published April 10, 2024
Artist and activist Tonika Lewis Johnson's "unBlocked Englewood" project is literally repairing the damage a racist housing practice, known as land sale contracts, has done to Chicago's Black neighborhoods.
.png)
Block Club Chicago
Englewood Artist Tonika Johnson Raising $500,000 To Help More Black Families Fix Their Homes
By Atavia Reed
Published July 19, 2024
The funding will go toward Johnson’s program, UnBlocked Englewood, which aims to repair 25 homes at 65th and Aberdeen streets. Twelve homes have already been upgraded.
WGN News
UnBlocked Englewood: Uplifting The Legacy of Black Homeowners
Aired July 30, 2024
Tonika Johnson sat down with Tonya Francisco and Amy Rutledge on WGN News Daytime Chicago to share about UnBlocked Englewood.
Block Club Chicago
Englewood Arts Collective Gets $75,000 Grant To Beautify South Side Block
By Atavia Reed
Published August 13, 2024
The Driehaus Foundation grant will help organizers bring murals, sculptures and planters to 65th and Aberdeen streets.
The Urban Activist
An Artist’s Antidote to Gentrification
By Susana F. Molina
Published October 2, 2024
Artist Tonika Johnson’s work about racist housing practices in South Side Chicago has bridged the intellectual divide between art and urban policy – and found that home repairs can offset gentrification
Join the Transformation
UnBlocked Englewood is supported by:
-
A $250,000 Together We Heal Creative Place grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Justice
-
A $120,000 Growing Household Wealth grant from the Chicago Community Trust
-
A $50,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art, part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities
-
A $25,000 contribution from The Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation
-
Weatherization services leveraged with the Home Energy Savings program, in partnership with ComEd and Peoples Gas, providing customers with free home energy services and improvements
-
A donation from Zoro.com of outdoor power equipment to help maintain vacant lots and sidewalks year-round on the block