About

SEE POTENTIAL is a public art community engagement project in Chicago’s South Side. We create large-scale installations of documentary photographs to visualize community-driven revitalization plans and to tally the community support for each revitalization idea. Our primary goal is to enable residents, community leaders, and elected officials to envision the potential for sustainable, locally owned development and to mobilize community support behind great ideas.

New website coming soon!

Texting and Mapping Platform

We've created a text messaging infrastructure and online mapping system to record and visualize the support at each SEE POTENTIAL site. Our community partners then use this data to launch their idea to the next level and continue to communicate with those who support their transformation plans. For example, the data can be presented to banks to help convince them to give loans, or to local government to ensure support from elected officials.

SEE POTENTIAL map prototype:

  • The SEE POTENTIAL website collects community support for revitalization projects by tallying text messages on a web-based map.
  • Each text message is tallied at the site’s location on a map displayed on the SEE POTENTIAL website.
  • The text messages are like votes of approval for the site’s transformation plans.
  • When someone sends a text message, in return, they will receive information about the sites transformation plans.

We hope SEE POTENTIAL will:

  • Further community enthusiasm for each revitalization site.
  • Help the community leaders reach their goals for the site (convince banks for loans, or support applications for grants, support presentations to policy makers).
  • Encourage others to envision positive changes in the neighborhood.

Partners

Community Partners

Bronzeville Community Garden
Center for Urban Transformation
The Forum
Imagine Englewood
IMAN Wellness Center
Kusanya Café
Urban Juncture

Co-Founders

Orrin Williams, Executive Director of the Center for Urban Transformation
Emily Schiffer, Photographer

Contributing Photographers

Jack Bridges, Eunice Carson, Jack Delano, Cyrus Dowlatshahi, Nicol Harrison, Rob Hill, Tonika Johnson, Dave Jordano, Andre Lambertson, Russell Lee, Brent Lewis, Jon Lowenstein, Wayne Miller, Carlos Javier Ortiz, Joseph Rodriguez, Edwin Rosskam, David Schalliol, and Emily Schiffer

Production Partners

Duggal Visual Solutions is SEE POTENTIAL’s print production partner
Magnum Foundation is SEE POTENTIAL’s production partner

Get Involved

Your involvement is vital to our success. We are always seeking volunteers and partners. If you are interested in volunteering, please click here and fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.

If you have documentary photographs and/or historic community or family images that you'd like us to consider, please send up to five samples to: info@SEEPOTENTIALchicago.org

Donate to SEE POTENTIAL

Your tax-deudctable donations will help us continue to accelerate and strengthen ongoing community-based revitalization projects on Chicago's South Side.