About us…
WE ARE A NETWORK OF BIPOC ARTISTS, EDUCATORS, HEALERS, resource & community CARE PROVIDERS !
THE HONEYCOMB COMMUNITY NETWORK.
About US:
THE FOUNDER: Denise S. Ruiz
About Denise:
Denise S. Ruiz is a queer Boricua creative raised and living on the traditional unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Daughter of Mary (Ibae Bayen Tonu) & Kenny. Mother of Elijah & Coda. Guided by her ancestors and Divine.
The Humboldt Park & Logan Square (pre-gentrification) communities made her. She is a writer, educator and lifelong unlearner, liberationist, mixed media artist, jewelry + space designer, creative consultant, cultural + experience curator, event organizer, and social justice advocate.
Denise unapologetically centers BIPOC brilliance, especially femmes. She is the founder and director of The Honeycomb Network (est. 2020 - present), a holistic, multi-functional community space + network in the Humboldt Park community of Chicago, offering co-working, co-creating + collective care services. The physical & digital space hosts a boutique apothecary gift shop, community events, + a BIPOC Network of healers, makers and holistic service providers.
She was the visionary, co-creator and co-founder of Books, Brunch & Botánica (est. 2017 - 2020) which was the first collaborative project that exclusively centered Womxn of Color healers and creatives from across Chicago communities as facilitators, makers and leaders in a quarterly offering of wellness workshops, used books, markets and accessible plant based nourishment.
She is the founder and designer at Madre de Perla Designs (est. 2013) which utilizes vintage and upcycled elements creating one of a kind bags and accessories that celebrates diasporic Caribbean culture. Her installation art + design work has been featured at The Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City (2023), The Brujeria Festival in New York (2023), &The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture (2024)
As a writer she is a two time Gwendolyn Brooks open mic poetry finalist. And she has been on stages in Chicago, and New York. Currently, she is a blossoming herbalist/bruja futurist in training.
To connect with Denise for 1:1 consultations in:
1.) Design work for space or adornment
2.) Event Curation + workshops
3.) Ideation and vision partnering
Our care network is an intentional collective that seek to co-create resources and services for wellness and healing of individuals, families, adolescents, teens, and community through various specialties. Below you can tap into our offerings through our community partners:
To connect with our tele-health team of BIPOC therapists, coaches and wellness guides click the button below:
Founder: Living In Empathy
Our Network consists of intentional partnerships + co-curators that work closely with us to implement community creative, educational and civic programming. You can see them below:
Charlene Reynoso She/They
Is the program director of The Chrysalis Collective, a membership incubator for creatives within the Honeycomb Network that offers retail space, comprehensive business growth support and mentorship. She is also the resident bruja at The Honeycomb Network and has been reading tarot for over 20 years.
A queer Boricua, Charlene has a background as an event producer, spiritual educator and guide, mixed media artist and social justice advocate.
She is an active member of The New Era Young Lords (Chicago Chapter) and consistently participates in community service events and activations around the city.
Charlene is the Co-founder of QueMalaBruja, and is an initiate + practitioner of IFA, she was the Co-owner of Ojo De Fortuna Gallery/Botánica/Boutique (2019-2020)
Tracie D. Hall She/Her
Is the co-curator of The Honeycomb Network’s community library and reading room. The library, titled “Litanies For Survival” is a liberatory learning space where the reading of diverse narratives and critical histories by marginalized voices is encouraged rather than censored and stifled.
The Litanies For Survival library, features BIPOC and censored or banned books and celebrates writing, reading, and sharing of this literature as a form of resistance.
Tracie is a librarian, artist, and founding curator of Rootwork Gallery which operated in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago from (2016-2020). During its operation, Rootwork’s exhibitions took inspiration from texts by authors such as Gloria Anzaldua, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Octavia Butler, Lucille Clifton, Franz Fanon, Bessie Head, and Audre Lorde.
Nationally regarded for her leadership and activism in the library and arts sectors, Tracie is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Foundation and recipient of the Medal for Freedom of Speech and Free Expression from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Institute.
If you are (or know of) a BIPOC healer, herbalist, wellness practitioner or coach and want a more intentional membership with us, which taps into our community members, stakeholders, support opportunities, space access, marketing on our community network page & workshops:
We invite you to join our network by applying to become a member here: