The proposal, in short
Anatomy of a Shoreline treats a Chicago beach the way a biographer treats a life — as a body with a history, a rhythm, and a set of people who made it what it is.
The series is anchored by the premiere of an original documentary about 63rd Street Beach and its 1919 Classical Revival pavilion. The film follows the Olmsted and Vaux ground the beach sits on, the generations of South Side families who claimed it, the drummers whose circles have kept time on that shore for decades, and the people still there on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon. The film is in production now, with a rough cut complete.
Around the film, each edition builds a day of live work made in response to the shoreline: a visual arts showcase, spoken word written for the site, an open drum circle, original musical performances, and a community open mic where residents and elders say what the park has meant to them.
The flagship is a weekend at 63rd Street Beach in Jackson Park, where the film premieres. Two single-day companion editions carry it north to Rogers (Phillip) Park and west to Humboldt Park, with the live program re-curated by artists from those communities around their own park’s relationship to water and gathering ground.
Built to the program’s parameters
At a glance
| Applicant | Ras Tafari Inc., Chicago — Illinois not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) public charity |
| Main applicant | Albert Harris, Secretary — primary administrative contact |
| Genre | Multimedia (secondary: Music) |
| Parks requested | Jackson Park — 63rd Street Beach (South) · Rogers (Phillip) Park (North) · Humboldt Park (Central) |
| Season | June – August 2027, four event days |
| Audience | All ages. Free. No registration. |
| Total project value | $39,890 — $33,890 cash, $6,000 in-kind |
| Night Out funding request | $15,000 — 38% of project value |
Every artist, poet, drummer and musician on the series is paid. Artist fees are the largest line in the budget at 39% of cash expense. Technical crews are hired from the zip code each park serves.