Bloomingdale Trail Community Meeting- Dec. 13!

Jane Addams Underpass Dedication- Fri. 11/18 2:30!

Tomorrow! Friday 11/18 at 2:30, join CPAG, Chicago Foundation for Women, and Chicago Park District in celebrating "Jane Addams: An Homage," the new public art piece adorning the Pedestrian Underpass at Ohio St. and Lake Shore Drive! The multi-media project includes mosaic "quilts" made by dozens of volunteers from Chicago Foundation for Women, and is a celebration of Addams and her legacy. See you there!

Here's a link to a google map that shows the location of the underpass.

The Windy City Times has a short story about the Underpass, too.

Link to the WTTW Interview!

And here's the link to last night's interview on WTTW's Chicago Tonight with Jon Pounds!

CPAG & Jon Pounds on TV- Tuesday 11/15!

Set those DVRS! WTTW will be doing a story on CPAG and its work, and will have Jon Pounds live in studio for tomorrow's Chicago Tonight program- Tuesday, 11/15, 7pm CTE! Don't miss it!

Check out WTTW's Chicago Tonight website for more info.

Tomorrow! Saturday, 11/12, 2pm! Come CELEBRA TE the AMAZING Aqua Interlude & Reflection Glass Mosaic Project at the Columbus Dr. Pedestrian Underpass- just north of Roosevelt! This 1,600 sq. ft. mosaic was made possible by over 50 youth apprentices, a top-notch group of artists (lead by Maria Gaspar & Mirtes Zwierzynski), and After School Matters. The panels were completed on tables in the ASM tent this summer (pictured left), and installed this fall. This is an astounding project- come see it and the people who made it possible!
Assistant Artists: Julia Sowles-Barlow, Allison Nault, Joann Li, Adele Moss, and Monica Tantoco

More images:

Upcoming Events

Lots of CPAG events coming up- please consider joining us!

• This Sunday, 10/30, 1pm- Memorial Service for William Walker at South Side Community Art Center (3831 S. Michigan)



• Saturday, 11/12, 2pm-TENTATIVE date and time for dedication event for the Museum Campus Mosaic Project (Pedestrian Underpass off of Columbus Dr, North of Roosevelt). Please check back for confirmation of the date and time (Artists Maria Gaspar, Mirtes Zwierzynski, Julia Sowles-Barlow, Joann Li, Allison Nault, Adele Moss)



• Wednesday, 11/16, 3pm- Dedication of Restored Murals on North and South Walls of 57th St, under the METRA underpass (Original Murals by Astrid Fuller, Restorations by Bernard Williams and Damon Reed)



• Friday, 11/18, 2:30 pm, Dedication of the Jane Addams Pedestrian Underpass- at Ohio St. & Lake Shore Dr (Artists Mirtes Zwierzynski, Will Nicholson, Phil Schuster)
  

Keep checking back for more details and images!

Memorial Service for William Walker this Sunday, 10/30

Please join us this Sunday, Oct. 30, at 1pm at the South Side Community Art Center (3831 S. Michigan) to honor and celebrate the life of William Walker, co-founder of the Chicago Mural Group and a wonderful and humble man.

New Playground Dedication this Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, 10/22 at 10am for the dedication of the new Officer Thomas Wortham, IV Community Build Playground at 361 E. 85th St!

Artist Damon Reed worked with community members to create mosaics for benches at the playground, which is named in honor of Officer Wortham, a community member who was tragically lost too soon.

Blair Kamin's blog about Open Spaces

The Chicago Tribune's Blair Kamin's recent blog entry pointed out some best-practices for utilzing the city's open spaces. He cited the Albany Whipple Playground (where Phil Schuster's spider, pictured right, is), Palmer Square Playlot (Where Phil, Roman Villarreal, and Jon Pounds have work), and the community-based planning of the Bloomingdale Trail (which involved Jon Pounds, Ginny Sykes, Maria Gaspar and Andy Bellomo) as examples to consider when moving forward!

Arc of Nature in today's Tribune!

The spectacular Arc of Nature is featured in today's (9/28) Chicago Tribune. Check it out here!

This massive multi-media mural was completed in 2010 as part of Openlands' Lakeshore Preserve project at Fort Sheridan. The project was led by Ginny Sykes, Augustina Droze, Julia Sowles-Barlow, and Jim Brenner. It is worth the trip to Fort Sheridan to see!

Congratulations, Ginny, Augustina, Julia, and Jim, again and again for such a fantastic project!

People Power needed! Come help!

Volunteers are still needed and appreciated for the final push of Phase III of the installation for the massive 1600 sq. foot Museum Campus Mosaic Project!

Location: Columbus Dr. Pedestrian Underpass near Roosevelt leading into Museum Campus

Days and Times: Friday, 9/30, 10am- 5pm AND Saturday 10/1, 8am- 5pm

Wear comfortable/warm clothing. We will be peeling off contact paper/tape from the mosaic panels and preparing for grouting. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the process of how public art comes to be!

Questions? Email nora (nora@cpag.net) or call 312-427-2724 x14. If no answer, push "2" and leave a voicemail with your inf0- we will get back to you.

See you on Friday and/or Saturday!

Be a part of a CPAG project!

We are looking for volunteers to help us finish untaping our glass tile mosaic completed this summer with After School Matters!

Volunteers are needed Saturday, 9/24, anytime between 7am and 5pm. Stay as long or as little as you can! Wear comfortable clothes, and meet us at the Columbus Dr. Pedestrian Underpass near Roosevelt Rd.

See you there!

Volunteers Needed this Friday!

Help us untape our massive glass tile mosaic! Join us this Friday, Sept. 23, between 9:30am and 5pm at the Columbus Dr. Pedestrian Underpass near Roosevelt, leading into Museum Campus. Wear comfortable clothing. We need lots of help to remove the contact paper that is on the mosaics, so that we may begin grouting! Come be a part of Phase II of the installation! This project was made possible by After School Matters, and was fabricated by 50 youth participants in a tent in Millenium Park this summer. Lead Artists are Mirtes Zwierzynski and Maria Gaspar.

William Walker, co-founder of CPAG and community-mural pioneer passes

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that William Walker, the co-founder of CPAG and the founder of the community street-mural movement has passed. He was 85. The art world and communities around the world will forever be grateful to Mr. Walker for his contributions.

Our friend Lee Bay has written a wonderful piece on Mr. Walker, and calls on all of us to save on his few remaining murals- All of Mankind near Cabrini Green.

The Sun Times also has a lovely piece, as does the Chicago Tribune.

We are saddened by this tremendous loss.

Saturday, Sept. 10- Openlands Lakeshore Preserve Celebration!

This Saturday, Sept 10, come celebrate the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve from 11am to 2pm!

Click here for more information.

This beautiful setting is also the location of Arc of Nature, the stunning multi-media project led by Ginny Sykes and Augustina Droze.

There will be a tour of the preserve at 11:30 and 1pm. Don't miss out on seeing this project and the bluffs, lakeshore, and other art installations that surround it!

Jane Addams Underpass

The pedestrian underpass at Ohio St. leading into the Jane Addams Memorial Park will soon be transformed into a multi-media project celebrating and honoring the life of Jane Addams. The artist working on the project is Mirtes Zwierzynski. Made possible by the Chicago Foundation for Women and the Chicago Park District.

One of the non-woven, painted panels for the project

Cole Park

Beginning in September, Damon Reed will work with community members of the Chatham neighborhood to create a mosaic for a new playground honoring the park's namesake Nat King Cole as well as a dearly missed community member, Officer Wortham. The project is made possible by Friends of the Parks and Chicago Park District.

Museum Campus Mosaic Project

Chicago Public Art Group and After School Matters have partnered to bring 50 youth together under the supervision of Mirtes Zwierzynski & Maria Gaspar. The team will be working in Millennium Park to put together 1500 sq feet of mosaics that will be installed in the Columbus Pedestrian Underpass leading in to the Museum Campus. Here are a few photos of the work in progress!

Pioneer Social Work Restoration

Originally painted by Astrid Fuller in 1977, Pioneer Social Work is now being restored by Damon Reed and Max Sansing. The mural is located on the north wall of 57th Street, near Lake Park, beneath the Metra tracks. The restoration is made possible by the University of Chicago.

Belmont Underpass Nears Completion

The Belmont Underpass is almost finished! Things are going well and we can't wait to see this beautiful multi-media mural when it is complete. Here are a few process shots of the project.

CPAG in the Chicago Tribune!

CPAG artists Phil Schuster, Andy Bellomo, Todd Osborne and Tracy Van Duinen are working hard on the Belmont Underpass mosaic. Yesterday their work was featured in the Chicago Tribune! Make sure to check out the Tribune's write-up here and go see it for yourself, located at Belmont and Lake Shore Drive.

Community Weekend at Belmont Undperass!

Attention Lakeview! This weekend (Friday, July 29, Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31) join the crew at the Belmont and Lake Shore Drive Underpass to create the bricolage on the north wall!

All are invited- wear comfortable clothes that you won't mind getting dirty, and stay for as long or as short as you'd like!

This project, which will transform the Belmont underpass, has been made possible by Ald. Tunney and the 44th Ward.

See you there!

ASM/CPAG at Millenium Park

As the summer moves on and the temperatures rise, Chicago Public Art Group and After School Matters continue to work together in Millennium Park to complete a massive mosaic project with 50 Chicago youth and artists Maria Gaspar, Mirtes Zwierzynski, Julia Sowles-Barlow, Allison Nault, Joann Li, and Adele Moss. The panels are set to be completed by August 12th and will be installed on the Museum Campus on Columbus Drive. The project is being worked on in the ASM tent on the south end of Millennium Park. It is open to the public to come in and watch all of the projects coming together. There is even a Gallery37 shop where you can purchase prints, skateboards, paintings and much, much more crafted by Chicago youth. Make sure to come down and support Chicago Public Art Group and After School Matters!

Windows and Mirrors @ ARC Gallery

Don't miss the Window and Mirrors Exhibit and its Events that opens tomorrow, June 29 and runs through July 23 at ARC Gallery.

July 8 at 6pm, come see Tony Heriza and his documentary Concrete, Steel, and Paint, which explore the way that mural painting provided a space for prisoners and victim of violence to come together.

Albany Whipple Play Park

The Albany Whipple Play Park is complete and is stunning!

CPAG Artist Phil Schuster created a fiberglass play sculpture of a spider and a sitting bench adorned with elements made by dozens of community members. Phil, along with The Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail and the Trust for Public Land , held numerous workshops for families to create clay sculptures and reliefs of natural imagery. These elements were then cast in latex and installed on the bench.

Please visit the park and see these beautiful works of public art! Albany Whipple Play Park is located at the intersection of N. Albany Ave. & W. Bloomingdale in the Logan Square/Humboldt Park area.

Join us Sat. June 4th, 10am for a Playground dedication!

This Saturday, June 4th, at 10am, the Albany Whipple Playground will be opened and dedicated. The playground is located at Albany (3100 W) and Bloomingdale (1800 N) intersection near the Logan Square/Humboldt Park neighborhoods.

CPAG Artist Phil Schuster has created a beautiful curved concrete bench that has dozens of sculptures created by community members embedded on it. Phil has also made a giant fiberglass spider for climbing.

This project was made possible by the Chicago Park District.

Help secure funding for mural restorations!

You can help one of CPAG's mural partners, Latino United Community Housing Association (LUCHA), compete for funding to restore two historic murals, Rompiendo las Cadenas and Honor Boricua.

LUCHA asks that you visit this link http://www.refresheverything.com/humboldtparkchicago and vote early and often daily between now and May 31!

You can also powervote: If you see any yellow Pepsi caps, please save them. There is a code underneath that enables you to have up to 100 extra votes. These will secure LUCHA a win!

CPAG Co-Founder on WEBZ

CPAG's Co-Founder, John Pitman Weber was on Eight-Forty-Eight on WBEZ this week. Did you miss it? Listen here!

http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/2011-05-23/helping-chicago-communities-express-themselves-through-public-art-86895http://

40 Over 40: Public Art Scene

CPAG Executive Director Jon Pounds and Core Artist Olivia Gude were named to Chicago Art Magazine's 40 Over 40 list in the Public Art Scene category.

Check out the article, and congrats, Jon and Olivia!

http://chicagoartmagazine.com/2011/03/40-over-40-public-works-artists/

Osterman Beach Comfort Station is Complete!

"Come to Light," the project at the Osterman Beach Comfort Station is complete! It is a beautiful, sparkling, and alive multi-media project. Congrats to Lead Artist Andy Bellomo and artists Will Nicholson and Brett Whitacre. The project was made possible by the support of the Chicago Park Distrcit and is located just east of Sheridan and Ardmore on the North Side.

Update! Osterman Beach Project Volunteers!

In spite of cold weather and relentless rain, the Osterman Beach Comfort station is pretty much complete, and volunteer days for Friday 4/29 and Saturday, 4/30 are thus cancelled. Way to go, fearless and tireless artist team!

Thank you to everyone who helped create this beautiful project-keep checking back here for updates about this project's dedication event and future volunteer opportunities.

Thanks!

Volunteers Needed! Osterman Beach Comfort Station

Help us create a multi-media work of art on the outside walls of the Osterman Beach Comfort Station!

Join CPAG Lead Artist Andy Bellomo and help us create and complete public art on the exterior of the Osterman Beach Comfort Station on a north side beach.

Osterman Beach is on the corner of Sheridan and Ardmore. As you walk towards the beach, you will see the comfort station. The dates and times volunteers are needed are:

Today, April 21, until 5pm
Friday, April 22, 10am- 5pm
Saturday, April 23, 10am- 5pm
Monday, April 25, 10am- 5pm
Tuesday, April 26, 10am- 5pm
Wednesday, April 27, 10am- 5pm
Thursday, April 28, 10am- 5pm
Friday, April 29, 10am- 5pm
Saturday, April 30, 10am- 5pm.

This is a "drop-in" volunteer opportunity, so please feel free to stay as long or as little as you would like! Your help will be greatly appreciated as we we complete this beautiful project!

See you there!

The Work of Art. The Art of Play.

Make sure to stop by the Chicago Cultural Center this coming Thursday, March 10th for a lecture by Executive Director Jon Pounds as he discusses CPAG's work throughout the city. Presented by Friends of the Parks and Active Transportation Alliance , the talk will cover murals, mosaics, sculpture and children's fanciful play equipment.