Introducing Comrade: A New Chapter of Collaboration and Community at Constellation
Constellation’s next chapter, Comrade, emerges from a legacy of partnership and innovation at the intersection of Chicago’s experimental arts. The roots of this new entity trace back to 2011, when Roell Schmidt, then Director of Links Hall, and Mike Reed, musician and arts presenter, met while serving on Chicago’s Cultural Advisory Council. Their shared vision for a more connected, risk-taking arts ecosystem led them to co-found a unique building partnership: Constellation and Links Hall, housed together at 3111 N. Western Avenue, became a model for collaborative stewardship and creative cross-pollination.
This partnership—built on trust, mutual respect, and a belief in artists as community-builders—quickly became a nexus for Chicago’s most forward-thinking work. Schmidt and Reed’s collaboration was not just logistical; it was deeply programmatic. Together, they fostered an environment where artists could experiment, take risks, and build new audiences across disciplines.
Comrade is inspired by the camaraderie and shared purpose that defined those early years. It seeks to reignite the spirit of collaboration that made the Constellation/Links Hall partnership a national model, and to carry forward the legacy of both organizations as a neutral, non-curatorial hub for the city’s independent artists.
Filling the Void, Honoring Legacy
Links Hall’s closure leaves a significant gap for Chicago’s independent artists, especially in dance and interdisciplinary work. For decades, Links Hall provided subsidized rentals, residencies, and mentorship—a model Comrade now embraces and expands. Under Comrade, legacy programs such as Nasty, Brutish and Short (the anarchic puppet cabaret), Contact Jam (a cornerstone for movement artists), and the Winter Solstice Concerts (with Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang) will continue, preserving the rituals that bind Chicago’s creative fabric.
But the collaborative legacy runs deeper. During the building partnership, Constellation and Links Hall co-produced a range of groundbreaking projects, including:
Touch My Beloved’s Thought (Onye Ozuzu & Greg Ward): a genre-defying jazz/dance collaboration.
Instigation Festival (Marie Casimir & Steve Marquette): a Chicago–New Orleans exchange blending music, dance, and improvisation.
Peep Show: an instant choreography series with Striding Lion Performance Group.
Excursions: a full-building, multi-genre performance night featuring Ari Brown Quartet, Ryley Walker, Kristina Isabelle, Ayako Kato, and more.
The Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Collaboration: bringing Dutch improvisers together with Chicago’s dance and music innovators.
3-ON-3 Series, Run of Life Experimental Documentary Series, and other interdisciplinary events that blurred the lines between music, dance, and performance art.
Looking Ahead
Comrade’s pilot phase will prioritize displaced Links Hall artists, gathering data to refine operations. The vision is to support full-scale productions, workshops, and partnerships with global collaborators, ensuring Chicago remains a nexus for experimentation and innovation.