Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
For the last few years, we’ve published stories highlighting different pieces of local street art as part of our Murals and Mosaics series.
Each installment connects you to artists behind the art and their intentions and inspirations for their work.
The goal is to catalog and celebrate the beauty of the Chicago area’s streets, as seen through its public art.
One major piece of the city’s public art is graffiti.
Below, we’ve got the story of how one program is using the art form to engage the city’s youth and connect them to their neighborhood and community.
Plus, we’ve got the news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Little Village youth share culture through graffiti mural project
Reporting by Sandra Treviño
Connecting youth to art, community: A local program in Pilsen is aiming to engage the city’s youth with art and connect them with their neighborhood and communities. Called the Graffiti Mural Project, students from 14-18 years old learn about graffiti and the history and heritage of Little Village — and work on their own mural together, under the guidance of teachers at Yollocalli Arts Reach, the youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Why graffiti?: “Graffiti is reclaiming spaces and putting your name up,” says graffiti artist and teacher Elizabeth “Bel” Reyes. In each iteration of the Graffiti Mural Project, Reyes leads students in creating “a graffiti mural that will positively reflect and impact the community.” This year’s session involved 13 students who painted a mural at the Rauner Family YMCA on South Western Avenue.
The impact: The muralist tradition relies on a vocabulary of vintage, local and pop culture references. What the art form does, regardless of its regional varieties, is spark conversations around shared experiences, which in turn creates connections within the community. For the youth who are learning this art with Reyes, this form of expression can be a conduit for making intergenerational connections as they reflect on their personal experiences while digging into their families’ stories.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott, president of Chicago State University, speaks during a news conference last year.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
- CSU president gets bonus after financial strain warning: During a faculty strike this year, Chicago State University’s administration said “significant financial strain” prevented leaders from meeting professors’ salary demands. But last month the Far South Side university’s president, Zaldwaynaka Scott, was awarded a $50,000 bonus, bringing her total compensation for the year to more than $500,000.
- Family sues owner of hit-and-run vehicle: The family of a 17-year-old girl who was seriously wounded in a hit-and-run earlier this month in Wicker Park has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle remains unknown, officials said.
- American Airlines flight attendants picket: Waving “Ready to Strike” and “We Need a Contract Today” signs, American Airlines flight attendants picketed at O’Hare International and 11 other airports Wednesday. Union leaders said that more than 99% of members had voted to authorize a strike if contract talks “do not yield significant improvements.”
- White Sox name new GM: The Sox stayed in the family and named Chris Getz their new senior vice president/general manager today. A former player and front office executive with the Royals and White Sox, Getz, 40, is in his seventh season with the Sox, including the last three as assistant GM.
- Bears sign Nathan Peterman: The Bears have signed quarterback Nathan Peterman and wide receiver/kick returner Trent Taylor to their 53-man roster.
- DuSable Lake Shore Drive to close Sunday: Fifth Third Bank’s Bike the Drive will bring thousands of bicyclists to DuSable Lake Shore Drive Sunday, shutting down vehicle traffic on the road from 5:30 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m.
- HBCU Battle of the Bands hits Daley Plaza: The bands and dance teams from Central State University and Mississippi Valley State University, whose football teams face off in the Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field this weekend, will showcase their talents Friday from about noon to 1 p.m. in Daley Plaza for free.
BUSES FROM THE BORDER: 1 YEAR LATER
Miguel Velasco, an asylum-seeker who arrived in Chicago in May, and his wife are staying with a family in Beverly. He said the wait for his work permit has been frustrating.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Reporting by Emmanuel Camarillo
Since the first bus from the southern border arrived in Chicago a year ago today, thousands of asylum-seekers have been waiting to get a work permit, which will allow them to seek employment while their asylum case is pending.
Migrants have to wait at least 150 days after filing an application for asylum to apply for a work permit. And they can’t get the authorization until their application has been pending for at least 30 days, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
But it often takes much longer due to backlogs and processing delays in the immigration system.
This month, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and other state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials urging federal officials to expedite work permits for qualified new arrivals.
After arriving in Chicago on May 5, Miguel Velasco and his wife slept at the Morgan Park District police station before being welcomed into the home of Mary Beth Rolak, 73, and Ralph Athey, 79, in Beverly.
Velasco said he knows of others who feel as if they have no other choice but to skirt the rules and get paid under the table to earn money to send back home, but he doesn’t want to do that. He said the wait is frustrating, but he doesn’t want to throw away everything he’s sacrificed to make it to the United States by doing anything illegal.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Yin He dancers Wendy Ruan (from left), Lisa Liu and Judy Liu perform a Dai peacock dance during this year’s Chinatown Summer Fair.
Anthony Jackson/for the Sun-Times
Yin He Dance breathes new life into Chinese tradition
Reporting by D’onminique Boyd-Riley
Born out of a desire to showcase the galaxy of the dance traditions of the Chinese diaspora, Bridgeport-based Yin He Dance is preserving the history of Chicago’s Chinese folk and classical dance while also making space for contemporary Chinese American dance.
The troupe was founded by three former members of Qiuyue Jin’s Xiao Xing Xing/Little Star — Dollie Diaz, Amy Xie, and managing director Angela Tam.
Yin He has been dazzling audiences with the beauty of Chinese culture since 2015. With Tam leading the way, they plan to continue to honor the dynasties of the past while exploring the possibilities of the present.
Although most of their work is folkloric, they often take advantage of the flexibility in the dances of the Yin province to rearrange the pieces. Tam explains that Eastern Chinese dance is the most prevalent influence on their practice, which, like much of Chinese dance, traces back to the dances of indigenous groups.
When you watch Yin He’s dancers, you immediately pick up on the meditative quality they exude.
“The tranquility you experience when you engage with our work is connected to the practice of communal breath,” Tam explains. “Not only are we dancing together, but we are using breath resonance, inhaling and exhaling slowly as one.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s your favorite mural/piece of street art in the city? Where can it be found?
Email us (please include your first and last name and where you live). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
