Feature image: Image of an artist and facilitator at work. Photos: Project Onward.
By Samuel Schwindt
Archaic artifacts adorn the wall, nudging the ceiling. Artist-made paintings, drawings, and sculptures reside below, their sources in autobiography coupled with a sneaky history.
This was the first exhibition I witnessed at Project Onward in their Bridgeport Art Center studio and gallery in September 2025. The exhibition featured objects from the bustling days of street sellers on Maxwell Street and artists in the organization with shopping-memories. “Poor Man’s Paradise: Honoring the Legacy of Maxwell Street Market” investigated the history of Chicago, long-forgotten.
Art Center. Photo: Project Onward.
Artists join Project Onward via their website, social media, and word of mouth — submitting 10 artworks. It’s “the originality and strength” of the work that is paramount, said Nick Jackson, a studio facilitator. The organization’s objective is to bolster the creative practice of individuals with mental illnesses and disabilities. They cater to different ranges of abilities: some have “conditions that are more severe,” said Jackson.
Applications, however, can be “imitative,” with artists drawing cartoon characters without an “original voice.” Yet they always pass on tips and suggestions to artists who’ve applied and not been accepted, said Jackson. It’s important that the artists have a generative dynamic within the shared studio space, too; Project Onward’s mission and vibrant space require an intuitive, collaborative approach. Materials spread and projects unfold in unison with the scratches of pens and groaning of kilns, after all. While there is a requisite probation period, “we’ve never turned someone away” after the trial, said Jackson.
They have had artists in the studio since the founding in 2004, and there’s kinship and mentorship from long-term artists relating to new residents. There can sometimes be “tunnel vision” from individual artists, but a through-line often becomes apparent to the teachers and mentors. Sometimes, even, it’s “common obsession over trains,” said Jackson.
This leads to their exhibitions: a facilitator like Jackson will concoct uniting themes to tell the stories of artists with similar experiences. Project Onward not only seeks to support the development of an artistic vision and voice, but also a business plan as well.
Some issues arise with artists’ growing success. A hurdle Jackson mentioned is that many artists have conflicts with disability support from state and federal funds, though Illinois ABLE allows individuals with disabilities to set aside money for approved disability-related expenses while maintaining eligibility for benefits. This is all because, of course, the prolific success of their artists.
The oeuvre of concepts and material manipulation is inventive and industrious. Whether it’s the autobiography of one artist going to Maxwell to buy a switchblade as a kid or a science fiction/teen fiction graphic novel, Project Onward is a compelling foil to the Chicago art scene. With their balancing act between fine art, craft, and commercial production, Project Onward has a Midwestern percussion. The tempo is palpable in an archived instrument from Maxwell Street; the much-needed cultural work is ready to hum.
To learn more about Project Onward, visit projectonward.org and connect on Instagram at @projectonward.
Uncovered Autobiography: Project Onward’s Cultural Work is published in Issue 40. Purchase a copy here.
Samuel Schwindt is always looking for the maddest spectacles and vampiest explosions. A word|object|surface-smith, he originates from an evangelical community and a contradictory motorcycle culture in Indiana (he left religion on highway 65 north to Chicago). Through his young-life he honed skills in wood and metal, and used his craft history to receive a BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Now, he works as a commission-based leather-gear crafter, archivist, sculptor, curator, freelance writer, and educator.