Aquil Charlton
Aquil Charlton
Artistic Director
Areas of Focus:
Artist in Residence Program
Artistic Advisory Council
Alumni engagement
Public Programs
Curatorial direction
A diversely creative and visionary leader, Aquil “AQ” Charlton leverages a wealth of experience as a teaching artist, consultant, and co-founder of artist collaboratives to make positive contributions in Chicago communities and the arts sector. Aquil is a gifted independent musician, rapper, songwriter, DJ, and producer who also plays electronics. He is the founder of Mobile Music Box, a mobile workshop practice of making musical instruments from common and recycled materials, and co-founder of Mobilize Creative Collaborative, which leads mobile play-based community art activations.
Aquil has toured internationally an an independent hip hop musician and as a cultural ambassador via State Department-sponsored programs OneBeat and Next Level. His leadership in community-based cultural and youth development work have been recognized by Aspen Institute, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 3Arts, Northwestern University, and Yale University. Aquil has had artist residencies at University of Chicago, High Concept Laboratories, Threewalls, and Chicago Cultural Center.
Aquil recently joined High Concept Laboratories as Artistic Director, where he will support the growth of the artist residency program. He continues to produce music in his home studio and co-leads public art engagements with Mobilize Creative Collaborative and Sounds Natural, a group he formed with Lional “Brother El” Freeman to activate local natural areas. He is a Southside, Chicago resident, in the North Kenwood neighborhood, and father to a young son.