For her 2023 installation Collective Steps, Andrea Yarbrough worked from the Southside Community Arts Center archives, the oldest African-American art center in the country and historic Chicago landmark, to uncover stories and images of Black women from the neighborhood. Centered on mapping the stories of understudied Black women, Yarbrough’s approach focused on Fern Gayden, a leader, writer, and organizer. The artist met with local women from the Bronzeville community to learn and share stories through a series of collage-making workshops. This led to the creation of Collective Steps, a public installation representing a “neighborhood stoop” of past, present, and future history.

Credits:
Artist & Narrator: Andrea Yarbrough
Cinematographer: Cai Thomas
Editor: Kayla Reefer