The Laksmi Project
The Laksmi Project connects you with opportunities to create, cultivate, and sustain regenerative resources to thrive.
Creating a Welcoming City: Art, Mental Health, and Mutual Aid
Wednesday, May 28th | 6pm - 8pm CST
Join us for a facilitated conversation with an incredible group of Chicago professionals working in newcomer communities as we focus on the interconnected issues of migration, mental health, and artistic creativity. Our conversation will focus on organizations and communities actively working through love, creativity, mutual aid, and care. We invite you to join the conversation with your own experiences and insights, and to ask this question with us: what can I do to join in the work of ensuring that our city is a place where all people can thrive?
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Moderator
Jessica Darrow (she/her) is an Associate Instructional Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Darrow’s research grapples with the organizational-level challenges in implementing federal policies related to refugee resettlement and unaccompanied minors in the U.S., the role of non-governmental actors in carving out non-traditional spaces of citizenship for refugees and migrants, and the impacts of the Trump Administration anti-refugee policies on refugee resettlement organizations. She is a principal investigator of a borderlands research project studying the health and wellness context for migrants attempting to enter the United States. Darrow’s ongoing research agenda is focused on the ways that policy resistance is enacted within immigrant serving organizations, and on explaining the power and limits of this resistance in terms of a larger project of (re)engagement with social justice. Darrow has international practice experience working with refugees and local communities in Rwanda and has served as Executive Director of a grassroots, science education nonprofit working in East and South Africa.
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Panelist
Rev. David Black (he/they) is the Senior Pastor of The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. The historic cathedral, located in the heart of the South Side, has undergone redevelopment as a hub for local artists and activists. The congregation hosts nine artists-in-residence, a dance company, an avant-garde jazz collective, an art studio for adults with disabilities, a chef-in-residence, multiple mutual aid programs, and a legal clinic providing aid to migrants. David lives in Woodlawn with his dog, Bella.
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Panelist
Jonathan Michael Castillo (he/him) is a visual artist, photographer and educator based in Chicago. He was the 2019-2021 recipient of the Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues. Jonathan was included in the 2021 Hyde Park Art Center's Ground Floor Biennial in Chicago and was a finalist for the WMA Commission in Hong Kong. His work has been featured with The New Yorker, Wired, The Chicago Tribune, CBS: Los Angeles, and Brazil's G1 Globo. He has been interviewed on the BBC's “World Update” and Los Angeles public radio stations KPCC and KCRW. Jonathan was recently commissioned to create a large-scale permanent installation of his work at O’Hare International Airport as part of the Terminal 5 expansion project. In 2023 he was commissioned to make work for the city of Chicago’s Citywide Plan in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Planning and Development. Exhibitions include those at the Art Institute Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center, Photo LA 2020, the Center for Creative Photography, Aperture Gallery, House of Lucie, Filter Photo Gallery, Ralph Arnold Gallery and the California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks. Jonathan is represented by Samuel Maenhoudt Gallery in Belgium. His education includes a BFA from California State University Long Beach and MFA from Columbia College Chicago.
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Panelist
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Meredith Dean (she/her/ella) has called Chicago home for over two decades. For the past fifteen years, Meredith has dedicated her career to teaching ESL at Multicultural Arts High School. Beyond her work, she is a proud and busy parent to three wonderful children.
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Panelist
Stephanie (she/her) is the Clinical Manager of the Wellness Program at RefugeeOne. A graduate of the Crown School of Social Work, Stephanie started at RefugeeOne as a youth therapist in 2018 and now supervises the Community Support Program, a mental health outreach team of refugee peer mentors who provide individual and group support to their communities. The Wellness Program approaches healing through a holistic lens, responding to the gap in culturally grounded options for care. Focusing on an accompaniment model, clinicians engage in healing partnership with clients through mutual recognition of human dignity using art, sand tray, somatic-focused healing, relational therapy, and resource navigation to highlight client strengths and capacity.
The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
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Follow @chicagofirstchurch
Donate here to support our work
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We would love to connect with you! You can schedule time for a 1:1 and/or tour at calendly.com/rev-davidblack
Attend a church service, view an art exhibition, or attend bible study. See our event calendar here.
Jonathan Michael Castillo
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Visit jonmichaelphoto.com
Follow @joncastillophoto
Photo: “Immigrant Owned” by Pilsen photographer Jonathan Castillo — part of a $3.5 million public art project at O’Hare — was installed in September 2024 in Terminal 5. Credit: Jonathan Michael Castillo
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A new book coming out shortly in partnership with Chicago's DCASE.
An upcoming solo exhibition at the NEIU Fine Arts Galleryin the fall of 2025.
A permanent installation of Immigrant Owned is currently being finalized at O'Hare International Airport in the Terminal 5 Baggage Claim.
Multicultural Arts School
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Contact Meredith to get involved! mdean3@cps.edu
Visit our website here.
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Looking ahead to the 2026 school year:
We aim to establish a "Friends of MAS" group to help us secure ongoing donations and resources.
We also seek assistance in developing enriching arts opportunities for our students and hope to compensate visiting artists and continue to grow these valuable partnerships.
Furthermore, as we create a new multimedia room, we would greatly appreciate guidance from a design specialist, particularly in finding budget-friendly solutions for optimizing our photography equipment, maker spaces, and 3D printers.
RefugeeOne
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Follow @refugeeone
Email Stephanie to get involved! sjapczyk@refugeeone.org
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Join our Legacy of Welcome campaign through donation and spreading the word!
Contact your local officials here to encourage them to advocate for policies that support migrants and refugees.
LP. Activations
Bespoke Events & Programs
Curated by the LP., Activations are tailored to your goals to build relationships and engagement for your fundraiser, work, project, or mission.
Mirja Spooner // Curator of Connection
Meet Your Host
Mirja Catherine Laksmi Spooner is a development leader, host, and founder of The Laksmi Project. Mirja works as a connector to cultivate relationships, engagements, and opportunities that contribute to a more abundant world. Her work lives at the intersection of community connection, strategic development, and financial engagement.
Mirja spent her career working in the arts in New York City and was the Director of Development at the Neue Galerie New York. Additionally, she worked in development at the Art Institute of Chicago raising capital funds for the Modern Wing. Mirja is a board member of The Renaissance Society, and Hyde Park Art Center. She is the Board Chair of the ChiArts Foundation, the philanthropic partner to Chicago's only public arts high school, The Chicago High School for the Arts. Mirja holds a BA in American Studies from Barnard College/Columbia University.
Mirja is currently the Director of Development at Brushwood Center, a health and nature non-profit in Lake County, IL. In 2022, Mirja started The Laksmi Project. The LP. works with organizations and individuals to create and sustain enriching connections that optimize their assets, and exceed their goals.