Plinths for the People takes the historical plinth — a heavy platform for a statue or monument — and turns it into a stage activated by the community. As city dwellers, we're surrounded by monuments, and statues everywhere from museums and government buildings to parks and playgrounds. Kelly Kristin Jones's activation invites participants to strip away preconceived notions of who and what is deserving of institutional revere, and instead imagine ourselves as worthy of standing atop a plinth.

"Kelly is inviting the community to come stand, or just experience what it means to be your own legacy and history," said Juli Lowe, 21c's Museum Manager. "How do you stand proud and stand by your own decisions and choices?"

There will be two poets from the Chicago Poetry Center in the space as part of the activation, speaking and performing from the plinth, but anyone and everyone is invited to partake in this community-led work of art.

Kelly Kristin Jones was raised on the westside of Chicago and received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the recipient of awards and fellowships including a 2022 Individual Artists Program Grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, a 2021 Illinois Arts Council Agency Grant, a 2019 Chicago Artists Coalition HATCH residency, a LATITUDE residency, and Luminarts Cultural Foundation Project Grant. She was a featured artist in the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial.