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This conversation was recorded Live at Lumpen Radio on Saturday May 9th, 2026

Ep #113: Doing Both: Art, Film, and Building Worlds with Aaliyah Shae

Summary

This episode is for everyone who's ever looked at a film set and wondered who put that there, and why it matters. Aaliyah Shae is a Chicago-based production designer, photographer, and painter whose work is all about building worlds that feel lived in and deeply human. We talk about production design, what it actually means to create a "false reality" on screen, and how the small details, a hair tie on a nightstand, height markers on a door frame, are what make a story real. We also dig into Aaliyah's community work with the People's Panther Party, a Pilsen-based mutual aid organization she helped launch just before Halloween, and what it looks like when art and activism melt into one.

Chapters

00:00 — Introduction to the Episode

00:36 — Exploring Design and Creativity

20:33 — The Art of Storytelling Through Design

33:55 — Community Engagement and Activism

53:16 — People's Panther Party Updates & Free People's Press Launch

What We Talk About

How Aaliyah figured out she could do both : design and film and why "pick a lane" is not the only way to build a creative career

What production design actually is and why every single thing on a film set has been accounted for (yes, even the books on the shelf — don't judge the books)

"Life layers" — the small details that make a set feel real — hair ties, kids' drawings on the fridge, height markers on door frames

How travel sparked her design eye — from a high school architecture program in Kentucky to France and Barcelona with her French class

The film Portrait of a Lady on Fire — Aaliyah's go-to visual inspiration and why she says just Google the images

Working in indie film vs. studio projects — and why she encourages every filmmaker to just write something and design the heck out of a room

How the People's Panther Party got started — collective exhaustion, a plane ride back to Chicago the day before Halloween, and the realization that some kids were going to sit inside while everyone else trick-or-treated

What they've done in just a few months — reverse candy drive, holiday grocery deliveries to 30 families, a bi-weekly grocery program, a grant win, and now the launch of Free People's Press, a quarterly community newspaper

Her advice for anyone who wants to start showing up for their community — it starts with listening, not with having it all figured out

Pilsen as a neighborhood — why she loves it and what it gets right about community

The crossover between film and activism — and how craft nights became a sneaky good way to build community

Things We Mentioned

People's Panther Party — Pilsen-based mutual aid organization

Free People's Press — their new quarterly community newspaper, available at Foxglove Coffee in Pilsen

Foxglove Coffee — woman-owned coffee shop in Pilsen

Aaliyah Shae's Website

Portrait of a Lady on Fire — French queer period film, Palme d'Or winner at Cannes; Aaliyah's visual inspo pick

CUSP — Chicago United Solidarity Project — organization that helped People's Panther Party secure a grant

Pilsen Arts & Community House — one of the few free creative spaces in Chicago Aaliyah mentions

Liberate Your Business — book by Becky Mollenkamp

All about... Aaliyah Shae

You're gonna love Aaliyah Shae — she's a world-builder in the truest sense. A Chicago-based production designer, set decorator, photographer, and painter, Aaliyah creates spaces on screen that feel like real people actually live in them. She also co-founded the People's Panther Party, a Pilsen-based mutual aid org doing bi-weekly grocery deliveries, community events, and now a neighborhood newspaper — all born out of the belief that you don't have to be a professional organizer to show up for your community. She started making outfits out of paper for her little brother. She hasn't really stopped creating since.

Connect with Aaliyah Shae

Instagram: @aaliyahshae

Website: aaliyahshae.com

People's Panther Party Instagram: @peoplespantherparty

People's Panther Party Website: peoplespantherparty.org

More ways to connect

Email: stephanie@missgraham.com

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