ILA Creative Studio

Throwback from BALA 2025 🖤

“An investment in Black artists is an investment in our city.”

That’s how Founder Rachel Gadson described the heart of ILA, reminding us that community is not simply a group of people. It’s a living, reciprocal network of care, creativity, and shared responsibility, an ecosystem that thrives on collective growth and mutual aid.

Black Art Love Affair is where Chicago gathers to pour into that ecosystem. The funding it raises is how we keep filling the well, so artists like you can take what you need to grow and create, then return those tools for the next artist coming behind you.