Latest news with #Kerastas
Axios
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Chicago arts groups face cuts; Links Hall to close in June
The arts funding landscape is looking somewhat bleak, forcing local organizations to compete for a piece of a smaller pie. The big picture: Nonprofit arts organizations rely on national, state and city grants for programming and general operations. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) cut more than 1,000 grants nationwide this month, while the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has scaled back some of its grants, which has already caused irrevocable fiscal damage, and some groups have canceled events. Driving the news: Performance art collective and venue Links Hall announced recently it was closing in June because of a dire financial picture caused in part by not securing a DCASE CityArts grant. Executive director SK Kerastas tells Axios that Links has received anywhere between $80,000 and $120,000. "In our feedback session [with DCASE], there wasn't a clear reason, and the person facilitating the session gave us the impression that it was budget cuts. And this was not unique to us," Kerastas says. "There were many, many, many organizations that had consistently received that grant for years and didn't get it this past year." "Our options are few, our capacity is diminished, and with another looming cash flow gap on the horizon, this time months-wide, we feel the most responsible decision to make is to sunset," Links leaders wrote in a public letter about the decision to close. Zoom in: At least one DCASE grant that local groups rely on to cover free arts programming, Chicago Presents, is not currently available as DCASE says it's "undergoing program revisions." No Small Plans Productions, which runs the popular Slo 'Mo Party, is not moving forward with its Queer Fam Pride this year due to the absence of funding, founder Kristen Kaza tells Axios. State of play: More than 200 artists and arts organizations, including Links Hall, signed a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson recently criticizing DCASE commissioner Clinée Hedspeth for budget and staff mismanagement and lack of transparency. Among the many concerns outlined in the letter, organizations and artists say they have not received payments and grant opportunities have been postponed or denied, making it unclear what kind of city funding will be available. Yes, but: Kerastas said they talked to Hedspeth on Monday about what DCASE could do to help Links Hall. "They're clearly responding to the feedback," Kerastas says. The other side: DCASE did not respond to Axios for this story. Zoom out: The Trump administration's cuts are also having a ripple effect on local organizations, Kerastas tells Axios, as individual donors are in even more demand by all nonprofits, beyond the arts, looking for funding to replace DOGE-related cuts. The NEH cut a third of Illinois Humanities' budget, about $2 million, as part of DOGE's overall slashing of the NEH. The latest: The Institute of Museum and Library Services terminated grants to several Illinois museums, the Tribune reported Monday — including the Chicago History Museum, which lost a $237,000 grant last month, a museum spokesperson tells Axios.
Chicago Tribune
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Links Hall, a longtime home for experimental dance, will close this summer
Links Hall, a Roscoe Village hub for experimental dance, plans to close its doors this summer, concluding all public programming in June. The decision comes after the arts nonprofit made an ambitious push to fill a funding gap which has hampered their ability to operate. According to a statement by the organization, it struggled 'to balance the cash needs to operate Links Hall and the funding reality after years of diminished foundation and governmental support.' Staff turnover and leadership changes, plus capacity challenges and blows incurred from the COVID pandemic contributed to the decision to close. Links Hall raised nearly half of a recent $350,000 fundraising goal, money its leaders said helped keep them 'financially and spiritually afloat this season,' according to a statement. 'We also received a series of funding rejections in December and January that we were counting on, so we ended up having to draw on the funds that we raised in the Lifeline campaign for general operations more than we had anticipated,' executive director SK Kerastas said. 'Most of that is spent.' Links Hall was founded by three dancers — Carol Bobrow, Bob Eisen and Charlie Vernon — who in 1978 rented a room with white walls and a wood floor above a bar near the intersection of Clark, Newport and Sheffield. In 2013, Links Hall moved into the former Viaduct Theatre with Constellation, owned and operated by music presenter Mike Reed, keeping the white room, wood floor and DIY aesthetic, while continually enhancing their technical capabilities. Kerastas said former Links Hall stewards, including Eisen, have expressed a mixture of sadness and disappointment in the decision. '(Eisen) shared it was a miracle that Links has lasted this long when every single one of its peers has closed—some many years ago and some more recently.' Hamlin Park Fieldhouse, the longtime home to Chicago Moving Company and a popular performance space for small dance companies closed last fall. So did Soham Dance Space. High Concept Labs, now in its 15 th year at Mana Contemporary in Pilsen, is presently avoiding the fate of its peers, aiming to raise $25,000 to bolster cash reserves after securing more than $85,000 in crowdfunding last year. Perhaps paradoxically, the Museum of Contemporary Art is leveling up, recommitting to a robust slate of live programming thanks to a recent $10 million anonymous gift. Kerastas said they considered every available option at a recent board retreat. Links Hall staff have taken periodic pay cuts. They explored a volunteer model or temporary hibernation. 'It doesn't get that much cheaper,' Kerastas said. 'We're at a point where the dial is just tipped too far in the wrong direction.' Apart from its use as a rental venue, Links Hall hosted artist residencies and mentoring programs, produced a slate of national and international artists over the years, and served as a bellwether for Chicago dance and performance art. An option that's remained on the table is to not fully dissolve the 501(c)3 organization, allowing someone else to potentially revive Links Hall in the future. Constellation, the music and performance venue that was their landlord, will remain open. According to a statement, Reed is interested in keeping some live performances in 'Studio A,' sometimes referred to as the 'White Space,' as an homage to Links Hall. The nature and timeline of such programming is not yet decided. 'There's a larger question about what this means for Chicago,' Kerastas said. 'There's this big wake up call, because this space going away leaves a really big, gaping hole for emerging artists and independent artists to experiment and present their work. I hope it's a wake up call for arts funders as well to be supporting folks who are in struggle and are needing support right now.'
