Forever in Your Debt

August 3—September 29, 2024

A Project by kelli rae adams

Chicago Cultural Center, Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North

Chicago Cultural Center  >  Visual Art Program  >  Exhibitions  >  Past Exhibitions  >  Forever in Your Debt

 

Forever in Your Debt (bowls of coins lined up on a floor)

(click on image to enlarge)

 

The Chicago Cultural Center is proud to present Forever in Your Debt, an innovative and thought-provoking installation by artist kelli rae adams, on view through September 29th, 2024. This project addresses the staggering $1.8 trillion in student loan debt burdening 43 million Americans, including adams herself.

In 2012, adams received an annual loan notice which prompted her to calculate how many ceramic vessels she would need to make and sell to repay her student debt. The resulting vision—a field of bowls filled with coins—led to the inception of Forever in Your Debt.

Launched in 2018, adams's work translates the abstract concept of debt into a tangible form. Focusing on the average individual student debt of $37,000, adams determined that she would need to craft 925 bowls to illustrate this sum given that each pint-sized bowl typically holds about $40 in mixed change. The current version of the installation includes an additional 140 bowls, accounting for interest accrued during the project's recent two-year run at MASS MoCA.

 

Programming Schedule

Visitor Participation

Visitors are central to the completion of this work. Those who contribute funds sufficient to fill a bowl will be registered to receive one of the vessels when the project concludes in early 2025.

Ways to Participate:

1. In-Person Contributions:

  • The Artist will be on-site during the following times:

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 12-4pm
Saturday: 12-5pm

During these times, the artist will be available to collect in-person contributions. Additionally, on-site contributions can be made during exhibition programming.

2. Remote Participation:

  • Visit the artist's website at kelliraeadams.com/participate for more details. Half of the collected funds will go towards adams’s student loan debt, while the other half will be donated to organizations working to alleviate debt and reimagine higher education financing.

Wednesday, August 14

12-1pm
Gallery Talk with artist kelli rae adams
Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North

Unpack the weight of student loan debt with artist kelli rae adams in this behind-the-scenes look at her impactful multiyear project, Forever in Your Debt. This art installation visualizes the average individual student loan debt in the U.S., highlighting the overwhelming burden of student loans on millions of Americans. The gallery talk is your chance to meet the artist and learn more about both the inspiration for the project and its trajectory over the past few years.

Wednesday, August 28

6-8pm
Performative Lecture:
An Artist's Bread & Butter: Insights and Process with kelli rae adams

Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North

Join artist kelli rae adams for a convivial evening as she reflects on past projects and shares insights into her current and future work, framed by music and storytelling. This event will culminate with an activation of adams's current installation Forever in Your Debt, so bring your pint of collected household change and be registered to receive one of her handmade bowls when this yearslong project is complete. Learn more at: www.kelliraeadams.com/participate

Saturday, September 7

2-4pm
Panel Discussion:
Envisioning Debt-Free Higher Education

Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North

Delve into the complexities of student loan debt and the financing of higher education at this panel discussion, a community event presented in tandem with kelli rae adams's Forever in Your Debt. Join stakeholders including academics, activists, and legislators to engage in a generative dialogue regarding how best to address the current crisis, as well as how we might reimagine the economic frameworks of higher ed to enable debt-free studies for future generations.

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Exhibitions close 15 minutes before the building closes
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