About
Sam Thousand is an award-winning performing artist, curator, and social entrepreneur with 15+ years in live performance, curation, and artist advocacy. A trumpet player since age seven with a Jazz Studies BFA, he is a full-time artist who has toured and recorded with dozens of collaborators. His multidisciplinary practice — bridging performance art, curation, and social entrepreneurship — has earned awards from 3Arts (2019) and the Walder Foundation (2024). Sam is the founding Executive Director of ChiBrations, advancing artist-centered infrastructure through programming, storytelling, and the ChiBrations App. He serves as Co-Chair of the Arts Leadership Council at Arts Alliance Illinois and is a '25–'26 fellow with Chicago United for Equity.
