Tucked beneath The 606 is a mural on the walls of a viaduct at California and Bloomingdale avenues.
During the construction of the rails-to-trails project that opened in June, painted images were removed from the walls along the length of the multiuse trail, said Caroline O’Boyle, program coordinator for The Trust for Public Land. None of the images could be saved because lead paint was detected, she said.
And the images in the mural had badly deteriorated since it was created in 1979, the year proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as the International Year of the Child, highlighting issues affecting children.
Source: Courtesy of Trust for Public Land
But The Trust for Public Land, project manager of The 606, wanted to bring the imagery back to life and commissioned the re-creation of the three-dimensional “Children Are Our Future” mural at street level. Original artists John Pitman Weber and Cathy Cajandig partnered with the Youth Service Project, an organization that provides arts, recreation and employment programs to at-risk youth in the Humboldt Park community.
Source: Lenny Gilmore/RedEye
Source: Lenny Gilmore/RedEye
Catch the mural’s dedication at 11 a.m. Saturday, which will kick off an arts blitz this month along The 606.
The history and culture of graffiti writing will be discussed at 6 p.m. on Sept. 21 by Stephanie Garland, organizer of Graffiti Garden, during a walk along Bloomingdale Avenue from Kimball to Central Park.
The Adler Planetarium will set up free telescopes at the Ridgeway Trailhead at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 23.
A jazz performance, poetry slam, and song circle are among the arts activities showcased along the trail from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 26.
Another mural created by student artists is located at the southwest corner of Bloomingdale Avenue and Humboldt Boulevard. Next month, a rubber tire and stainless steel sculpture by Chakaia Booker will be lifted and installed on the Damen Arts Plaza.
“Poetry, painting and the arts meet the outdoors like never before during the month of September at The 606,” Beth White, Chicago regional director of The Trust for Public Land, said in a news release. “Visitors can engage with a historic mural, learn how to read graffiti, observe the equinox, and experience wordplay and music, all while enjoying this great outdoor space.”
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