Photography Exhibit by Pat Nabong at Budlong Woods Branch

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Budlong Woods Branch hosts Pat Nabong's photography exhibit showcasing the First Nations Garden in November.

Artist Statement

"In late 2018, a group of young Native Americans, together with the American Indian Center, acquired a piece of vacant land from the city in the Albany Park neighborhood. Over the course of several months, the group transformed the vacant lot (which used to be a printing press) into a community garden and a safe, intergenerational space for Native Americans to come together, practice their culture and grow their own medicine. I documented the process of converting the vacant lot into a community space, now called the First Nations Garden, that houses a tepee and a wigwam. The garden is an asset to the Native American community in Chicago, and many see the process of converting it from a vacant lot to a garden as a process of reclamation."