The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) at Homan Square is a community of dedicated North Lawndale residents and artists, along with artists and scholars from SAIC, who collaboratively engage audiences and communities to identify issues, promote public discourse, and catalyze social change within specific institutions, neighborhoods, and other public contexts. It is a platform to share, support, and amplify what is already there by adding resources and people. SAIC’s work at Homan Square engages artists from a variety of disciplines to combine their skills and work with the community on projects that integrate studio art with civic engagement.

In summer 2019, artist Akinbode Akinbiyi was in residence at Homan Square, engaging North Lawndale residents in a series of walking photography workshops. Akinbiyi also produced new photographs documenting the neighborhood and other parts of the city, which are on display at the Chicago Cultural Center and at Homan Square.