Support The Silver Room's Legacy - $1M Arts Fund

Support the $1M Art Fund for The Silver Room – A Legacy of Culture, Community, and Creativity

For 28 years, The Silver Room has been more than just a store — it has been a cultural heartbeat for Chicago, a launchpad for thousands of Black and Brown artists and entrepreneurs, and a space where art, commerce, and community intersect with purpose and love.

Founded by Eric Williams in 1997, The Silver Room has directly contributed over $10 million in economic impact to Chicago’s Black and Brown communities. We’ve nurtured dreams, showcased new voices, and held space for connection through everything from pop-up shops and exhibits to block parties and public art activations. Over the years, we’ve hosted thousands of events — from poetry nights and book signings to panel discussions and healing workshops — all rooted in amplifying culture and community.

And yet — almost all of it was funded out of Eric’s own pocket and the store’s limited resources. That model is no longer sustainable.

In full transparency, this $1M Art Fund will not only help us dream forward — it will also help us honor our past commitments. We believe in operating with integrity, and that includes taking care of the people who helped build this legacy.

We’re launching this fund to help sustain and grow our vision. It will:

Continue supporting Black and Brown artists and entrepreneurs with pro bono offerings and retail opportunities

Host cultural events, art shows, and community gatherings

Revive powerful programming like the Silver Room Block Party, which once drew over 40,000 people in celebration of art and unity

Invest in staffing and infrastructure to expand our reach and impact

Create sustainable models for cultural preservation in the face of displacement and defunding

The Silver Room is one of the most important cultural institutions in Chicago that has consistently and intentionally elevated Black and Brown creative economies. But the truth is — our culture is under attack. Government defunding, education, press and an erasure of our history have made it clear: we must invest in ourselves.

We urgently need your support. We are aiming to raise critical funds within the next 30 days to keep our mission alive and ensure we can move forward without compromising the integrity of what we’ve built.

We’ve given so much to the city. Now, we ask the city — and the world — to join us as we move forward on this journey together.

Help us protect and expand what we’ve built. Let’s make sure the next 28 years are even more powerful than the last.

This is more than a fundraiser. This is a movement. Join us.

#SupportTheSilverRoom

#SilverRoomArtFund

#CultureIsCurrency

#keepthevibealive