The Franklin is a uniquely designed, gazebo-style artist-run project space that gathers and celebrates the work of artists and cultural workers to engage with the East Garfield Park and Humboldt Park communities through exhibitions and events. The Franklin is located in the backyard of Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan’s home. During opening times, The Franklin Collection, which is in the house of Dan and Edra, is open for visitors. The collection comprises over 100 works of art collected through exchange and purchasing work from artist-run and non-profit organizations, to represent our love and support for the artist-run culture.

East Garfield Park is usually described as a “transitional” neighborhood in Chicago. East Garfield Park property values escalated rapidly before the foreclosure crisis of recent times. Since then, many properties have been boarded up and are considered a blight despite often beautiful, if neglected, homes.

Crime and drug abuse are rampant and happen openly amid a working-class African American population. At the same time, a growing community of artists has moved in for the cheap rents, large studios, and convenient location.

As homeowners in East Garfield Park, we have had many conversations about these apparent inequities, opposing demographics, and the pronounced conversation gap between the two communities. A continuous reflection about opposite demographics has been generated through The Franklin. Harmony is our aspiration.