“What Time Is It?” A Cultural and Civic Archive invites Chicago’s BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ artists, healers, and freedom fighters to examine our historic moment through the lens of global time.

“What Time Is It?” was inspired by Black organizers and philosophers Grace Lee Boggs & Jimmy Boggs. Together they visualized 3,000 years of human history on a 12 hour clock where every minute represents 50 years. Building on this model of time, they theorized that revolution as the primary driver of social change is only 5 minutes old. They advocated for “visionary organizing” rooted in re-imagining not only structures and institutions, but also ourselves and our relationships. 

Founded in May 2020, by interdisciplinary artist Irina Zadov, the archive uplifts and documents Chicago’s social, political, and cultural histories through visual art and oral histories. Our creative team includes: graphic designer Jay Sath, editor and public programmer Rivka Yeker, audio producer Najee-Zaid Searcy, and interdisciplinary artist and curator Juarez Hawkins.