Monica Lynne Haslip
Founder and Executive Director,
Little Black Pearl
Monica Lynne Haslip is the founder and executive director of Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center and Academy.
Little Black Pearl is an innovative arts and culture institution designed to create positive vehicles for children and families to thrive. Her philosophy and art practice are anchored in racial equity and the intersection of art, education and community development. For the first decade, Little Black Pearl operated out of Monica’s home (2000 sq. ft.), utilizing the basement and first floor as art production, exhibition and administrative space. Its founding mission was to teach the profitable connection between art, education and business, while introducing youth to the creative industries as a viable career option. 26 years later, it is now a Chicago public school that eliminates all classroom to prison style practices (metal detectors, expulsions, student arrest, etc.) and focuses on demonstrating the power that care, love and respect can have on the educational experience of a child. Monica has worked to address issues of hunger, social justice, education, re-entry, economic development and cultural exchange through the organization, using art as the vehicle to address many significant challenges in the community (i.e. incarceration re-entry, increased drop-out rates, etc.). In the fall of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the school implemented the Carver 47 Food and Wellness Market (C47) that focuses on “narrative change” while providing safe and healthy food options for the community.
Monica encourages engagement in discovery and innovation as key elements of education. She has created a space in Bronzeville that functions outside the traditional school model, encouraging art-centric curriculum. She has utilized the Little Black Pearl platform to demonstrate the power of art as a social justice tool privileging observation, imagination and the critical role the courage to transform plays in meeting the needs of the community.
