The mission of 400 Years is to honor our past and inspire future becoming, in all areas of life.  Through educating, illuminating and empowering the continued transformation of culture, we conjure the space for re-memberance and future becoming.

400 Years

400 Years

Join Us: The Story of 400 Years - Dec 5, DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

Join Us: The Story of 400 Years - Dec 5, DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

Education

Gather information, share the research, learnings and forward movement of redefining the production process.

What is the purpose of creation?

Creation is the process of transmuting life’s experiences into something beautiful. It is what happens when we acknowledge truth.

Artist care plan

Supporting Your Creative Journey

Artists are like alchemists, transforming ideas and emotions into creations that impact the human experience. Yet, this intense process requires significant energy, making self-care essential for sustaining their journey.

The visionaries and collaborators of “400 Years” are passionate about utilizing and building community, and redefining the definition and process and details of “production” through the lens of care-in-practice.

As we navigate all aspects of adulthood, we often need a reminder to tune into ourselves. 

The body keeps the score…

Generational trauma, often passed down through bloodlines, can be stored in the body as deeply embedded patterns of tension, pain, and emotional blockages. This occurs because trauma not only imprints on the mind, but also influences the nervous system, muscles, and cellular memory. Over some time, this forms holding patterns in the mind, body, and spirit. By utilizing certain yogic movements and breathwork exercises, one can access and release these stored traumas by focusing on areas where tension lingers to activate the body’s innate healing mechanisms. Artists will have the opportunity to participate in attentive bodywork, breathwork, movement, and reflective stillness to help create a space for energy to flow freely, unlocking any internal barriers.

Artwork by

Kee Mabin

Illuminate

Illuminate the senses. Invite people into a process that never ends. Recognize the beautiful familiarity in the journey. In the travel of the archives. Step into the light that creating becomes.

This is a living record of creation in motion—a space where every contribution leaves an impression, connecting past insights with present experiences. Here, every step, every idea, and every memory adds a layer to the unfolding story, inviting new interpretations and perspectives.

Rather than a collection of final moments, our archive is a celebration of the process—the questions, the sparks of inspiration, the moments of doubt and discovery. This is a space for exploration and reflection, where the art of creation and the journey it takes live on, evolving with every interaction. Welcome to a process that grows, adapts, and invites you to see the world through ever-changing lenses.

Empower

Connection as continuous. As research in practice. A way of remembering our truth. To travel together and move past the perceptions fed to us.

Stay connected

Linktree

Support

Thank you for considering a gift to 400 Years. All gifts are gratefully received and used to deepen our practice of holding space for artists and the greater community to play and experience agency.

Your gift supports us in cultivating spaces that help communities own their creative fullness. It also supports us in building. Building space for equity, building space to capture the stories that enable curiosity, and encourage communities to use creativity as a force for freedom and liberation.

Thank you for being part of the story.

  • Use this link to send us an online gift, using your credit card or PayPal account.

  • Call us at (773) 234-4634 to securely send a gift with your credit card, over the phone

  • Mail your gift check made out to this address:

    Chicago Black Artist Union

    ATTN: Isaiah Collier 

    7354 S Indiana Ave

    Chicago, IL 60619

    Website: https://www.facebook.com/CHIBAU13/ 

    Federal Tax ID: 92-3081023 

Fundraising Goal Tracker

Individual giving plan

  • Monthly Gift - $5.00

    Annual support - $60.00

    Impact of giving - Food/Nourishment for 1 rehearsal

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates

  • Monthly Gift - $10.00

    Annual support - $120.00

    Impact of giving - Cover 2 musician’s fee for rehearsal

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates

  • Monthly Gift - $25.00

    Annual support - $300.00

    Impact of giving - Cover a musician’s fee for a performance

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates Music access and tshirt

  • Monthly Gift - $50.00

    Annual support - $600.00

    Impact of giving - Cover the fee for a dancers rehearsals

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates, music access and tshirt. Vinyl 1st press. A ticket to free performance

  • Monthly Gift - $100.00

    Annual support - $1200.00

    Impact of giving - Cover a major instrument rental for a concert cycle OR Cost of 1 photography and video session of a live performance or behind-the-scenes rehearsal

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates, Music access and tshirt, Vinyl 1st pres, Small vinyl/USB, A ticket to free performance ( +One out of the state)Ionian

  • Monthly Gift - $250.00

    Annual support - $3000.00

    Impact of giving - Two way travel for six musicians

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates, Music access and tshirt, Vinyl 1st pres, Small vinyl/USB, A ticket to free performance ( +One out of the state)

  • Monthly Gift - $400.00

    Annual support - $4800.00

    Impact of giving - Cover the cost of a smaller section for a concert cycle

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates, Music access and tshirt, Vinyl 1st pres, Small vinyl/USB, A ticket to free performance ( +One out of the state)

  • Monthly Gift - $750.00

    Annual support - $9000.00

    Impact of giving - Cover the cost of a larger section for a concert cycle

    Benefits - Email/ Newsletter updates, Music access and tshirt, Vinyl 1st pres, Small vinyl/USB, A ticket to free performance ( +One out of the state)

OUR PARTNERS