شكر وتقدير

Acknowledgments

Jerusalem Academy's work is collective by nature.

None of our programs, projects, or spaces exist without the people who show up — with their time, trust, creativity, and care.

We offer our deepest gratitude to the following communities and individuals who make this work possible.

Those Who Helped Build the Academy

We honor those whose hands, hearts, and vision brought the Jerusalem Academy of the Arts into being:

  • Abid Shalabi — Painter & Architect
  • Jeanette Suleiman — Visual Artist & Curator
  • Caleb Wassell — Painter & Political Organizer
  • Farah Chalisa — Human Rights Attorney & Poet
  • Thaer AlKiswani — Dancer & Community Organizer
  • Jana Daoud — Tatreez & Political Organizer

Community & Participants

First and always, we thank the youth, families, and community members of Little Palestine and the broader Southwest Side of Chicago. Your presence, openness, and belief in shared creative space continue to shape everything we do.

We are grateful to every participant who joined a workshop, painted a wall, danced in the street, shared a story, or sat in conversation. This work exists because you trusted us with your time, your memories, and your imagination.

Artists, Cultural Workers & Educators

We extend heartfelt thanks to the artists, dancers, musicians, filmmakers, designers, researchers, and educators who contributed their labor, vision, and care across our programs and projects.

Your willingness to create under difficult circumstances, to teach generously, and to build collectively is at the core of Jerusalem Academy's mission.

Youth & Emerging Creatives

We especially acknowledge the young people who continue to show courage, curiosity, and commitment to creative expression.

Your voices, movement, and ideas remind us why this work matters — and where it must go next.

Collaborators & Community Partners

We are grateful to the collaborators, organizers, and community partners who supported this work through shared space, resources, and trust. Your belief in the power of culture as a public good helps sustain this ecosystem.

Supporters

This work is sustained through the generosity of community supporters, donors, and funders who believe in long-term cultural infrastructure rooted in dignity, access, and care. We thank you for supporting art that is grounded in community rather than extraction.

Place & Presence

Jerusalem Academy operates in Little Palestine, on the ancestral homelands of Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land since time immemorial. We acknowledge and honor:

  • Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi)
  • Očhéthi Šakówiŋ
  • Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)
  • Kaskaskia
  • Myaamia
  • Peoria

We remain committed to building cultural space rooted in solidarity, accountability, and care for one another — recognizing that our struggles for land, sovereignty, and cultural preservation are interconnected.

With Gratitude

This work is unfinished and always evolving.

We carry it forward together — in art, movement, sound, memory, and presence.

Thank you for being part of this community.