Adding to his ongoing effort to transform neglected areas of Chicago’s South Side into sustainable community spaces, artist, educator, and urban planner Theaster Gates is embarking on a $4.5 million revitalization of a garden. 

The 1.3-acre Kenwood Gardens is located in Chicago’s Grand Crossing neighborhood, which is home to a number of Gates’ restoration projects. Most notably, there's the Stony Island Arts bank, a public arts space and library, that was formerly a fully operating local bank. 

For the garden, Gates, along with head of planting for the garden, Chris Abraham, envision spaces for educational programming, meditation, and community-focused gardening. The once overgrown plot of land will be converted into an oasis, featuring Minnie Pearl Phlox, Lilac Squirrel, and more. 

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So far, $1.5 million worth of work has been completed, denoted as phase one, which is about beautifying the land. The remaining funds will need to be raised through fundraising. Gates hopes the garden will open by 2025. 

“Our hope was by doing this first phase — demonstrating the beauty of what happens when you put 1.3 acres together on the South Side — that phase would lead to others and we could continue to restore buildings on Dorchester, populate the garden with artists, gardeners, and residents who could be on Kenwood in a more present role and continue to sustain the beauty that we create this year,” Gates said to the Chicago Tribune. 

Gates aims to include space for dining, gathering, and activities such as training young people to care for the land. He also plans to include small structures in the garden that would give artists to do residencies months at a time. 

“I hope to be able to create commission opportunities for landscapers, designers, architects, other artists to make the garden a bit of a sculpture park, so that over time it evolves into this really beautiful South Side world-class destination, that is made for our neighbors,” Gates adds.

In addition to Kenwood Gardens, Theaster Gates will also be hard at work designing the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion.