Join Docomomo US/Chicago as they uncover the forgotten history of People’s Park and explore the connections between political protest, modern art, and play.

In the summer of 1969, an unlikely public space appeared in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. People’s Park was created by the Young Lords, a group of Puerto Rican community activists that eventually became a nationwide political force. Created as a protest against gentrification and displacement, People’s Park embodied community empowerment and served as a communal space for gardening, public gatherings, and play. The centerpiece of the space was a group of interactive play sculptures created for the park by noted artist Mark di Suvero. This panel discussion will examine the background of the Young Lords and the creation of People’s Park; di Suvero’s play sculptures; and what we can learn today from People’s Park and its intersection of political protest, modern art, and play.

This will be an in-person lecture at DePaul University. There is also the option to attend via Zoom.

Free, advance registration required

This program is co-sponsored by the DePaul University Center for Latino Research and Docomomo US/Chicago.

This event is part of Docomomo US Tour Day 2026.

Panelists

Dr. Jacqueline Lazú is a writer, public historian, archivist, community collaborator, and professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at DePaul University. A prominent scholar of Latinx and Afro-Caribbean studies, Dr. Lazú is recognized as a leading authority on the Young Lords Organization – a Chicago street gang that transformed into a pivotal 1960s civil rights movement. Lazú has collaborated closely with former members to preserve and interpret their legacy. She helped establish the Young Lords Special Collections at DePaul University, authored two major books on the Young Lords with Haymarket and Duke University Press, and recently curated the De Paul Art Museum exhibition Tengo Lincoln Park en mi Corazón: Young Lord History in Chicago.

Dr. Marin R. Sullivan is a Chicago-based art historian, curator, consultant, and educator. Dr. Sullivan specializes in the history of modern sculpture, especially its interdisciplinary dialogues with photography, design, and the built environment. The former director of the Harry Bertoia Catalog Raisonné, Sullivan has written extensively on modern sculpture with essays, articles, and books, including a forthcoming biography of artist Claire Falkenstein. Sullivan contributed to the exhibition catalog for Mark di Suvero: Steel Like Paper (Nasher Sculpture Center, 2026) and recently co-curated Isamu Noguchi: “I am not a designer” at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

The presentation will be moderated by Justin Miller, architectural historian and Docomomo US/Chicago board member.