Journal

Folded Map™ serves as a compelling bridge, both visually and tangibly, uniting residents residing on the same street but separated by a staggering 15-mile divide between Chicago’s North and South sides. This groundbreaking initiative transcends the realm of a mere photographic study, evolving into a multimedia masterpiece incorporating video interviews, a thought-provoking film, an immersive exhibition, and even a transformative play.

Step into the narrative woven by Tonika during her 2021 Artist-as-Instigator residency at the National Public Housing Museum. Her project, “Inequity For Sale,” unveils the untold stories of Greater Englewood homes sold on Land Sale Contracts (LSC’s) in the ’50s and ’60s, exposing how these predatory contracts directly fueled the present wealth gap and community disinvestment we see today. 

In October 2023, Tonika launched her newest project in collaboration with the Chicago Bungalow Association. The project, titled unBlocked En

What happens when the way you perceive yourself isn’t the way society sees you? Tonika Lewis Johnson explores this seismic shift in her BELONGING project, which captures the stories of eight Black and one Latinx youth from Chicago. Their realizations embody both trauma and a transformative rite of passage, shaping their perspectives on justice, politics, and interactions with authority in ways that resonate with countless young individuals.

Discover the hidden DNA connecting the City of Chicago and the City of Paris in Tonika Lewis Johnson’s mesmerizing project, Belonging: Paris. This innovative endeavor extends the momentum of 2020’s Belonging, now taking its narrative transatlantic.

The latest expansion of Tonika Lewis Johnson’s Folded Map project, the “Don’t Go..”  project features interviews of 30 people who speak to how they were first confronted—and eventually combatted—the harmful advice they’d been giving to avoid Chicago’s South and West Sides.