Theaster Gates honors ‘Ebony,’ ‘Jet’ and Chicago’s historic Johnson Publishing Co. with new exhibit

The Rundown | Chicago News

The Johnson Publishing Company was the powerhouse publisher of Ebony and Jet, influential and trendsetting magazines that offered narratives, products and depictions of Black folks that spoke to Black folks throughout the 20th century and beyond.

Chicago artist Theaster Gates has been a caretaker, of sorts, for the archive of artifacts that once lived at 820 S. Michigan Avenue, the longtime home of the Johnson Publishing Company that filed for bankruptcy liquidation in 2019. Now, Gates has assembled these artifacts into a new exhibit, “When Clouds Roll Away: Reflection and Restoration from the Johnson Archive.”

“When clouds roll away is an acknowledgement that some time has passed and that in it, so much more might be revealed,” Gates said on the Rundown podcast. “And so the premise of the exhibition is to reveal the important treasures of this insurmountable Black archive that is native to Chicago.”

The exhibit is open from Sept. 12 through March 16, 2025 at the former Stony Island Trust & Savings Bank, a space Gates acquired and transformed into a Black archive and third space over the past decade.

In this episode, host Erin Allen talks with Gates about why he wants to preserve these kinds of spaces and artifacts, including those in his new exhibit.