The New Cypher Fundraiser
5/26/2013 @ 6pm
The South Side Community Art Center 3831 S. Michigan Ave.
$10 online

A  look back at April's Open Mic
Photography by Patrick Wingard

Peace and Blessings!

The New Cypher thanks every single one of you for coming out to the historic South Side Community Art Center and stepping into The Cypher.  So often I hear people say "there is no unity within our community", but as we gather in the spirit of expression, with the mic as the catalyst we create a new story, defining our community on our own terms.  I encourage every person reading these words to continue The Cypher where ever you are, building upon the legacy of our greatest ancestors.  I wish you all the best... health, wealth and wisdom... and I'll see you on the 4th Sunday of next month!

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Jim Blissitt III

www.TheNewCypher.com
The New Cypher Spoken Word Charter, LLC Presents:

The New Cypher Open Mic

The Southside Community Arts Center
3831 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60653



Featured performers include:
Sam Trump

Reconnect with the strong legacy of consciousness as expressed through the arts! Pay homage to the South Side Community Arts Center through Song, Dance, Poetry or ANY other METHOD OF EXPRESSION! If we do not support the art center, who will?



REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED :-)

Donations are graciously accepted.

See you there!
Jim Blissitt III
President
The New Cypher Spoken Word Charter, LLC
www.TheNewCypher.com
jim.blissitt@yahoo.com
630-270-5539 

Live music by 
"The Manuscript"

The New Cypher Spoken Word Charter, LLC kick off event 
 
Peace and Blessings!

The New Cypher kicked things off right! Presenting an amazing showcase at The Iconic South Side Community Art Center in Chicago.  The New Cypher is open to all artists interested in promoting community development and social organization.  We will be returning November 25, 2012 at 6:30 pm at The South Side Community Art Center!  The beauty of the initial Cypher was definitely matched by all of the beautiful faces and spirits who showed up and extended a wealth of love and support.  So often we as individuals grow forgetful of our long and tired legacy, yet, I was reminded of our inheritance as I set in that old building baring witness to the ancestors as they negotiated their presence within the present, in between the silent breaths and the booming words of each poet.  I was reminded of the natural strength that has forever rested just beneath the flesh of the children of the darker persuasion.  I found hope again!  Beyond a slogan, beyond patriotic zeal or cries of nationalism, I found hope within the beauty of congregation as we commenced the cypher.  This time around the cypher will be characterized by the perfect harmony of various perspectives united against the pervasive intrusion of negativity that has become US.  The naysayers fail to understand the power of the word as it inspires intention, provoking action.  The most destructive weapon against our youth has been our own words amplified through the scope of  big business and corporate greed.  We now commence The New Cypher, exuding the language of life, exuding the language of community, exuding the language of love.  If you missed last month, you missed out on a spiritual and cultural rejuvenation.  Fortunately, you have another chance to join us, 11/25/2012!  The Cypher will not be pigeon held by any mode of stratification that has kept our community divided in the past.  Sunday, November 25th, 2012 we will witness 3 generations of artists as they each profess their truths in the home built by our ANCESTORS!
                                                                                             Jim Blissitt III

The New Cypher Open Mic/ Showcase
South Side Community Art Center
Chicago, IL
Photography by The Black Culture Connection

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Crowdfunding

The Chicago Renaissance Open Mic Recap
Chicago, IL
October 14th, 2012

The South Side Community Arts Center

The South Side Community Art Center is a community art center in Chicago that opened in 1940 with support from the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project in Illinois. It was the first black art museum in the United States and has been an important center for the development Chicago's African American artists. The center was awarded Chicago Landmark status in 1994.  Completed in 1893, at 3831 S. Michigan Avenue, the Georgian Revival-style building designed by architect L. Gustav Hallberg, originally served as a residence for grain merchant George A. Seaverns, Jr.  In 1940, the by then vacant brownstone building was selected as the site for the planned community art center and was purchased for about $8,000 with funds raised by the community. The building is sometimes referred to as the Comiskey Mansion, but according to UNCAP, the Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project, the house belonging to Charles Comiskey was further south on Michigan Avenue. The community paid for the lease and purchase of the building, for utilities, and for art supplies. The federal government helped to stimulate the establishment of the center via support from the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP). They provided administrative funds for staff and faculty and funds for the remodeling of the building. The interior was remodeled in the New Bauhaus-style by Hin Bredendieck and Nathan Lerner and the centre opened unofficially for its first classes on December 15, 1940. The opening was accompanied by an inaugural exhibition of paintings by local black artists including Charles Davis, Charles White, Bernard Goss, William Carter, Eldzier Cortor, Charles Sebree, Archibald Motley, Jr., amongst others. The interracial faculty of art instructors included Davis, White, Goss, Carter, Morris Topchevsky, Si Gordon, Max Kahn, and Todros Geller. Lessons were free and included oil painting, drawing, composition, water color, sculpture, lithography, poster design, fashion illustration, interior decoration, silk screen, weaving, and hooked rug-making. By March 1941, 13,500 people had attended classes, exhibitions, and events at the center.  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave the dedication ceremony on May 7, 1941 in a ceremony that broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. Among its alumni are Charles White, Bernard Goss, George Neal, Eldzier Cortor, Gordon Parks, Archibald Motley, and Margaret Burroughs.

Drunken Monkeee