Fourth Annual Frankie Knuckles Festival at 1353 E 72nd St – Chicago, IL

In partnership with the Frankie Knuckles Foundation, Choose Chicago, The Smart Museum of Art, and Goodman Theatre, Rebuild is proud to present our Fourth Annual Frankie Knuckles Festival and Fundraiser, this year hosted at The Land School, our newest spatial concept, pedagogical platform, and experimental land art project in Grand Crossing.

This year’s daylong celebration at the former St. Laurence Elementary School pays tribute to the transgenerational and spatial resonance of House Music in the 70s. The unique architectural and social dynamics provided by Catholic school auditoriums fostered the development of sonics attuned to epiphany and conviviality, helping to establish the burgeoning House movement as a defining sound of Chicago.

A contemporary tribute to this history, this year’s festival presents a world-class, intergenerational lineup of Chicago-based disc jockeys and sonic stewards representing the foundation and future of Chicago House music.

When reserving your ticket, please read through our protocols and guidelines for attending programs at The Land School. Please note that due to the capacity of The Land School’s auditorium, outdoor food, drinks, and furniture (including personal seating) will not be permitted inside the building. On-site seating will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis and to guests with accessibility requirements. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

We can’t wait to jack with you!

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The Frankie Knuckles Collection

Rebuild is the proud steward of the Frankie Knuckles Collection – an archive comprised of objects, ephemera and the late Godfather of House Music’s personal vinyl collection – made possible by our partnership with the Frankie Knuckles Foundation.

With support from the Mellon Foundation, the full collection has been digitized in its entirety, and we are now actively working to make the Knuckles archive more accessible to both our DJ ecosystem and the broader public.

Through this ongoing archival stewardship and work, we remain committed to preserving and amplifying Black music, cultural histories, and Frankie’s enduring legacy.

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The Land School Policies and Protocol:

In advance of the day, please take note of the policies below to help us care for one another and the space:

Drinks and water will be available for purchase on site. Outside alcohol and firearms on the premises are strictly prohibited.

Please be mindful of your neighbors by respecting their personal space and bodily autonomy.

No smoking, vaping or incense is permitted on the school premises.

No pets are allowed.

No professional photo/video equipment allowed unless preapproved by Rebuild.

Ride sharing is encouraged as parking is limited.

No violence – verbal or physical – will be tolerated. Any attendee creating an unsafe environment will be removed from the premises immediately, at the discretion of the Rebuild security staff.

We take the safety our all of our guests seriously. If any guest is found violating these protocols, they will be escorted off of the property immediately and will not be welcome to return.

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About The Land School

The Land School is Rebuild’s newest space-based concept, pedagogical platform, and experimental land art project in Grand Crossing. The Land School, a nod to our founder artist Theaster Gates’ formal training in urban planning, proposes a radical model of land stewardship rooted in artistic excellence, creative experimentation and archival practice.

At The Land School, Rebuild elaborates on its mission by offering space, time, access, critique and process-driven programming led by an intergenerational cohort of artists, thinkers and organizations invested in culture as a service.

In 2002, the St. Laurence Catholic Elementary School at the corner of 72nd Street and Dorchester Avenue was shuttered, placing the 40,000-square-foot institution at risk for demolition. After over a decade of disuse, Gates and Rebuild acquired the building for nearly half a million dollars, rescuing it from complete erasure. This acquisition initiated a seven-year, $12 million reconstitution project that preserved the building’s historic masonry structure, signature plasterwork and decorative brick.

A cornerstone project of The Land School will be the founder-led creative dissemination of lessons and insights gleaned from Rebuild’s multi-decade work of employing artistic approaches to place-based practice. Through The Land School, Gates and Rebuild will share their avant garde strategies for confronting histories of dispossession through investments in land and archives as pedagogical tools for community self-determination..

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Notice of Photography and Videography

By entering the space, you acknowledge and consent to being photographed and/or videotaped. Images and recordings may be used for promotional, archival, or other purposes by the organizers. If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please notify a staff member upon arrival. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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We look forward to welcoming you!