By Betsy Carreño
True to its mission, Emory’s House is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that strives to support artists by providing physical, mental, and cultural resources for them to continue their artistic creativity.
Led by a team of Dominican alumni since June 2024, Emory’s House originally started due to the lack of funding and support for the arts in schools.
Founder Miguel Salgado Jr. said the three pillars are of the organization are “community, cultural engagement, and collaboration.”
“I’m glad they’re all [Dominican] alumni because they all have experienced how arts are represented [and treated] here,” he said. “The arts haven’t been as lifted here [at Dominican]. I just want people to know that it’s not the point of Emory’s House to be an alumni, but I’m very proud that it is an alumni thing, and that it’s built by Dominican alumni.”
The way Emory’s House support artists is through a scholarship system. The artist would apply what their project is and how much money they estimate to need to fund their project. They would then write a proposal explaining how the money would be used and how their project would impact their community and the art world.
When asked about when the idea started for this organization, Salgado explained that the milling of it began around 2021.
The team is focused on the organization conserving the love for art and creation along with supporting the artist.
“Art is people,” he said. “Art is the act of creating something to express feelings or to survive something, and human beings have been surviving for thousands and thousands of years, so I want to help preserve humanity.”
Funding for these scholarships is thanks to the donations from the community. Emory’s House also hosts events throughout the year to fundraise for their organization.
“Everyone likes the picture of the starving artist, but we don’t [because] we want to make sure that they’re fed and that they have what they need,” Salgado explained.
Emory’s House also has other fun ways to fundraise money for these resources.
Recently, the organization has begun selling sticker packs that are designed by Shalom Borrallo, director of engagement for Emory’s House. The packs come with five stickers in total. Other designs and merchandise are also in the works, according to Salgado.
Their latest event, Un Cafecito con Emory, welcomed the community to a breakfast. This served as a way to get to know more about the organization’s goals, along with having a coffee made by Carlie Merola, the creative director of Emory’s House.
Looking towards the future, an event to look forward to is a concert that they will be programming. The concert will take place in November to support families in Gaza and Palestine. All of the proceedings will go to different organizations helping the families. Salgado confirms that more details will be coming soon for this event.
The organization’s mission is to help artists explore their creative side, along with letting them grow with as little turbulence as possible.
Salgado reaffirms that the best way for them to accomplish this is with support from the community.
“If you’re seeing a gap somewhere, if you’re seeing something is too dim and [if] you want to make it brighter, [then you have to] do something about it,” he said. “I’m not saying go change the world, I’m saying go change your world.”
For more information about supporting Emory’s House and future events, visit emoryshouse.com.
