2025
The Sukkahs
SUKKAH TEAM 01
Pedal and Pause
Community Collaborator:
Design Contributors:
Sukkah as Bicycle Kiosk
Pedal and Pause draws inspiration from the geometry and spirit of the bicycle. It is designed to honor the bicycle not just as a form, but as a powerful symbol of mobility, sustainability, and community connection. During the festival, the sukkah will serve as a vibrant gathering space—hosting celebrations, conversations, and events that anchor the shared programming. It will be a place where people come together to reflect, connect, and engage with ideas of movement, purpose, and repair. Following the festival, the sukkah will begin its second life at the Working Bikes storefront. Its structure is intentionally designed for reuse: it will split into components that will become functional hubs for sales operations, along with display for showcasing information about Working Bikes’ mission and impact. This transformation underscores the values at the heart of both the sukkah and Working Bikes—resourcefulness, reuse, and the power of community-driven action.
SUKKAH TEAM 02
Crate Town: Diggin’ Thru the Crates
Community Collaborators:
One Lawndale Arts and Activism Incubator and Chicago Park District
Design Contributor:
Sukkah as DJ Booth, Lounge, and Display
Crate Town is more than just a threshold—it's an experience. To be located at the ground level of the Douglass Park Cultural and Community Center after the Festival, this vibrant hangout space transforms ordinary milk crates and industrial straps into a dynamic youth hub that supports the Lawndale community while providing a safe space for gathering and reflection. Designed for creativity and connection, it invites you to perform on a dynamic stage with a DJ booth for poetry, dance, or music; rest in cozy lounge zones where you can decompress, read, or vibe to the beat; display work made in the Douglass Creative Space within crate-wrapped columns showcasing sculptures alongside portraits of Anna and Frederick Douglass. Crate Town is where culture, community, and creativity happen.
SUKKAH TEAM 03
Pavilion Y
Community Collaborator:
Design Contributors:
Sukkah as Pop-Up Theater
Meet Pavilion Y, Theatre Y’s delightfully dynamic, rolling duo. Together, the two halves of Y create a versatile performance and celebratory environment: the structure can work as a puppet theater, tiered seating, a sculptural backdrop, or the stage! A moving conversation between art and life, Pavilion Y glides through neighboring streets, green spaces, and gathering places, carrying Theatre Y’s spirit into the heart of the city. Its form is inspired by the stoops of North Lawndale—welcoming thresholds where neighbors meet, talk, and share the day—reimagined here as a mobile stage for connection. When positioned face-to-face, the halves form a bold Y shape, symbolizing Theatre Y’s presence within the neighborhood. Painted in vivid, bright green, it stands as a beacon visible from afar, a signal that something is unfolding and an open invitation to come closer. Wherever it goes, Pavilion Y transforms the everyday into a space for theater, community, and shared possibility.
SUKKAH TEAM 04
Unspoken Voices
Community Collaborator:
Design Contributor:
NMNO, with Aaron Neal, Adel Bilal Machacca, Kimberly Ayala Najera, and Uthman Olowa
Sukkah as Healing Station
This sukkah offers rest, growth, and resiliency for UCAN Chicago and the greater North Lawndale community. Inspired by addressing community needs and methods of trauma-informed design, this sukkah aims to restore through rest, growth, and play while establishing resiliency through expression. A safe area of rest was established by a series of colorful mesh panels and soft forms to contrast the rectilinear buildings on UCAN’s campus. Growth was created through the implementation of a structural grid that adapts to various forms, programs, and activities. The structure demonstrates resiliency through the addition of a blank canvas to allow space for community expression. After the festival, the sukkah will be installed on UCAN’s campus, serving as a vibrant addition to their residential outdoor space. Unspoken Voices will support UCAN’s art therapy classes, as well as other engaging activities that are part of their positive youth development initiatives.
SUKKAH TEAM 05
Woven Porch
Community Collaborator:
Stone Temple Baptist Church
Design Contributor:
Mobile Makers (Maya Bird-Murphy, Maliq Cherry, and Georgina Bowman)
Sukkah as Garden Sanctuary
This sukkah acts as a porch—a threshold and gathering space for slowness, connection, and mutual aid. After the Festival, this outdoor pavilion will be moved to its permanent home in a former empty lot that is being transformed into a garden sanctuary and information access point for those in need of wellness, housing, food, and other community resources, particularly Black women. The design of the structure evokes the concept of “radical hospitality” and draws from the forms and textures of Chicago’s West Side. It introduces woven cane as a metaphor for collective dreaming, making, solidarity, and resilience. This site will embody Stone Temple’s vision for a thriving, sustainable North Lawndale where every resident has access to green spaces, fresh produce, and the knowledge to nurture their environment.
Explore
The festival will take place at James Stone Freedom Square, located at the intersection of Douglas Boulevard and Millard Avenue (3615 W Douglas Blvd, Chicago, IL 60623) with sukkahs changing location afterwards to more permanent locations around the neighborhood.