Safehouse Temple Door was created by Mel Chin and UNCA STEAM Studio in collaboration with the Sweetwater Foundation on the Southside of Chicago. This piece is an iteration of the original Safehouse Door in New Orleans, part of the Fundred Project, a 13 year project that seeks to call attention to the led poisoning in communities like New Orleans. Back when I was teaching art at Summit Charter School, my students participated in this potent project. We drew fake hundred dollar bills called “fundreds” along with students from around the country and brought them to the steps of congress, asking them to give real money towards this crisis.

In Chicago, the Safehouse Temple Door leads into an old church and soon-to-be community center. This vault door takes on a different meaning in a neighborhood plagued by gentrification. It symobolizes the value of the community, the happenings inside the center, and the people who live here.

At UNCA STEAM Studio we held a class to work out the locking mechanism of the door. I had the great privilege of helping design the locking mechanism and installing the piece at Sweetwater Foundation. This was a special and profound experience - working next to community members and learning about the history of this vital community.