Blank Box, Homeroom’s newest iteration, comes to Experimental Station on Friday, May 15. The program features Ritual, a new work for multimedia ensemble by Julian Otis.
Blank Box is an ongoing program by Homeroom to commission original multimedia work that is collaborative and performative, encouraging artists of multiple platforms and media to think, work, and create using structured improvisation.
Blank Box: Ritual
Friday, May 15, 2026
8pm doors, 8:30pm performance
$20-50 suggested donation
Experimental Station, 6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
About The Artist:
Julian Terrell Otis is a vocalist dedicated to the advancement of Black music in America, spanning genres from creative music and jazz, to contemporary classical. His work explores the limitless possibilities of his instrument’s expressive capacity through song, improvisation, and theater. Known for bringing fresh perspective, nuance, and “high drama” to the contemporary music world, the integration of performance “live art” elements is of particular interest to him. Otis’s experiences have led him to create the male soloist role in George E. Lewis’ chamber opera, Afterword, on both domestic and international stages. In exploring the life and work of Julius Eastman, Otis has performed his solo work, Prelude for the Holy Presence of Joan of Arc. He revived Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King at the inaugural Bang on a Can All Star’s Loud Weekend, and is devising works focusing on improvisation, electronics, and movement. All the Pretty Flowers is his first recording project of improvised music and poetry. Committed to community empowerment, he led an improvised jam for South Side Chicago communities called Self Care = Resistance! And curates the AfriClassical Futures series at Elastic Arts in Chicago’s Logan Square/Avondale neighborhood.
About The Host:
Homeroom is an artist-run nonprofit in Chicago dedicated to producing innovative intermedia collaborations that explore new music, visual art, and performance art.
Since 2008, Homeroom has presented 500+ IL-based artists. Focusing on commissioning new works, Homeroom has presented over 200 new musical compositions and works of art.
Learn more about Homeroom.