GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: STONE SOUP
This is the shit
THE CONTRIBUTORS
Sam Kirk is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of culture, identity, and community. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, she creates vibrant, narrative-driven works that celebrate resilience, visibility, and shared humanity. Through a practice spanning public art, studio work, and design, Kirk uses bold color, intricate linework, and symbolic imagery to reveal the layered experiences that define contemporary life.
Over the past fifteen years, she has collaborated with communities around the world—from Chicago, New York, and Miami to Casablanca, Morocco, and San José, Costa Rica—creating visual tributes to the everyday people who shape diverse cultural landscapes. Her work has been recognized by 3Arts, the Telly, Davey, and Communicator Awards, as well as honors including the Human First Awards, Leppen Leadership Award, Pilsen Fest Award, and the State of Illinois Pride distinction. Her artwork is included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Mexican Art, the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, Disney, the Durand Art Institute, and the University of Oregon. Grounded in the belief that art is a tool for healing, dialogue, and transformation, Kirk invites viewers to reflect on connection, belonging, and the shared joy of being seen. For more about her work, visit iamsamkirk.com or @iamsamkirk
SAM KIRK
John Jennings is a professor, author, graphic novelist, curator, Harvard Fellow, New York Times Bestseller, 2018 Eisner Winner, and winner of the Hugo Award for his co-adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s dystopian novel The Parable of the Sower. As Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California at Riverside (UCR), Jennings examines the visual culture of race in various media forms including film, illustrated fiction, and comics and graphic novels.
He is also the director of Abrams ComicArts imprint Megascope, which publishes graphic novels focused on the experiences of people of color. Jennings is co-editor of the 2016 Eisner Award-winning collection The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art (Rutgers) and co-founder/organizer of The Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival in Harlem. In 2023, Jennings co-created the Black superhero Ghost Light for Marvel Entertainment. Jennings’ latest publications are The Adventures of Lion Man with Rosarium Publishing and the Parable of the Talents (Abrams Comic Arts) graphic novel adaptation with long-time collaborator Damian Duffy. For more about his work, visit johnjenningsstudio.com or @johnjenningsart