JeeYeun Lee, SHORE LAND, 2020–ongoing (performance view). Courtesy the artist. Photo: JI Yang

Founded in 2012 as a storefront art space in Rogers Park, Roman Susan has grown into an embedded visual arts organization recognized for its consistent collaborations with neighborhood nonprofits, cultural centers, and grassroots initiatives across Chicago. Co-directors Kristin and Nathan Abhalter Smith cultivate long-term partnerships with neighborhood organizations and provide sustained support for artists in the Great Lakes region through multidisciplinary programs that prioritize accessibility, site-specificity, and public engagement. In fall 2025, Roman Susan will shift from its longtime storefront space at 1224 W Loyola Avenue to a model anchored by three ongoing initiatives: “Navigations,” “Annex,” and “4750 N Sheridan Road.” 

“Navigations,” which began in 2020, supports artist-led public works around the city. Roman Susan will initiate one to two new projects each year; projects-in-process include collaborations with Mari Miller, Veronica Anne Salinas, Hui-min Tsen, Liz Weinstein, and JI Yang. The program forgoes traditional exhibition timelines, allowing projects to unfold gradually and in dialogue with local conditions and residents. 

Meida McNeal, Fifth City Revisited, 2024 (still). Video, color, and stereo. Courtesy the artist and Honey Pot Performance, Chicago

“Annex,” initiated in 2014, develops collaborations with neighborhood organizations to activate cultural histories and local sites. Recent “Annex” programming includes “Movement Studies,” a monthly series at Berger Park Cultural Center featuring screenings, performance, research, and workshops created by artists investigating social and environmental transitions. Between 2026 and 2028, Roman Susan aims to develop additional “Annex” collaborations at other sites. 

At 4750 N Sheridan Road, its current home base, Roman Susan runs Evergreen, an ongoing moving image exhibition featuring artists from across the Great Lakes. The first year highlights artists from Chicago, such as Mark Alcazar Diaz, Qais Assali, and Kristin McWharter. In subsequent years, they plan to split the artists between Chicago and other locations in the Great Lakes to expand the reach and interconnection between these non-coastal centers of culture. As of 2025, the site also hosts “FRUTAS,” a bi-monthly LGBTQIA+ Spanish-language event series co-organized with artists blake nemec, Flor Flores, and Mitch Monroy.

Kristin Abhalter Smith is Founder and Executive Director of Roman Susan. She also works as a visual artist and set designer. With a background in theater, production, and creative collaboration, Abhalter Smith works closely with artists to realize all Roman Susan projects. Since moving to Chicago over a decade ago, she has shared space, decision-making, and celebratory work with more than one thousand artists. Abhlater Smith earned a BA in Design and Cultural Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA in Design from the University of Minnesota. 

Nathan Abhalter Smith is Managing Director of Roman Susan. In the past decade, he has organized 250 projects in the Chicago area, focusing on public presentation, media, social media, community outreach, and project logistics. As an exhibitions coordinator and art programmer, his past collaborations in Chicago include 6018North, The Back Room at Kim’s Corner Food, Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center, Leather Archives & Museums, and Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society among other locations. 

Laurel V. McLaughlin, Tanya Gayer, Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG)