Gregory Bae Memorial Fund

Gregory Byungho Bae (배병호), at 35 years old, tragically and unexpectedly passed away in Chicago , IL on July 19, 2021.

Gregory was an incredible person that brought joy, kindness, and creativity into this world. He was a skilled and talented artist with a deep passion for making art , teaching, and supporting the artwork of others. He was a Lecturer in the Painting and Drawing Dept as well as the Contemporary Practices Dept at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Art Department at the University of Illinois - Chicago; Co-director and curator of Bill’s Auto, an alternative and experimental art venue in McKinley Park; and Co-founder and Director of the Asian and Pacific Islander artist collective, Chicago API Artists United (CAAU). As an artist, he exhibited in Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, New York City, Milan, Busan, and Seoul. His work garnered awards from the Chicago Artists Coalition, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. He recently completed the curation of an exhibition for the inaugural opening of Public Media Institute’s Buddy in the Chicago Cultural Center . He is currently exhibiting in the VSPACE of Massimo De Carlo and has an upcoming sound art score, entitled “Pepsi”, in ASCII9.

Greg had the uncanny ability to connect individuals from all walks of life. He also conveyed a deep sense of empathy that enabled many of the individuals he met to be seen and feel heard. He loved his friends. He loved his family. And we love him and miss him dearly.

A main part of Greg’s life was a deep dedication towards supporting artists and the arts, as well as advancing social justice in the lives of BIPOC communities. Through his leadership at CAAU, he spearheaded an arts-fundraiser with proceeds going to Asians Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago (AAAJ-C ). This initiative responded to increasing incidents of anti-Asian hate in the US in 2020. With 137 works of art and books from 79 contributors, the campaign garnered sales of $18, 200 with a portion of proceeds directly supporting AAAJ-C. Recognizing the importance of working in solidarity with different racial groups and artist communities, Greg organized mixers and skills-sharing meetings between members of CAAU and Alcahuetes, a Chicago-based Latinx artist collective. Just before his passing, Greg was mobilizing CAAU members to collaborate with a Black and Brown-led social justice organization dedicated towards dismantling systemic racism and oppression and identifying ways to support Black-led organizations through art platforms. These platforms included public programing and online fundraising campaigns aligned with CAAU’s sibling organization, Chicago Art for Black Futures. These are just a few examples of the many initiatives with which he was involved.

To honor his memory, we are setting up the Gregory Bae Memorial Fund to support the kinds of causes that he championed. Some of these initiatives will include but are not limited to:

• Supporting Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago ’s work on initiatives such as online bystander trainings for witnesses of incidents of anti-Asian hate; the A Just Chi activist network meetings; police accountability projects; and the advancement of the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act in Illinois (link for donating directly to AAAJ-C in Greg’s honor).
• Allocating funds to organizations in Chicago committed towards dismantling systemic oppression.
• Sponsoring an artist-in-residency program at a racial justice organization.
• Building solidarity networks with local artists collectives such as Alcahuetes.
• Organizing future memorial exhibition(s) of Gregory Bae's work.
• Producing future publications of Gregory Bae's work and responses to his life, work, and legacy; including collected writings, catalogue raisonné, and a collection of letters provisionally titled Dear Greg

The Gregory Bae Memorial Fund will be lovingly stewarded and managed in partnership by the Bae Family and CAAU.

Thank you for your generosity, love, and support.

Sincerely,

The Bae Family and CAAU