Some Historical Context

Once I decided that I wanted to explore Chicago neighborhoods through murals, I hit the books. I wanted to do a little research on the history of murals in Chicago so that I could have some historical context for what I was about to see during my neighborhood expeditions (calling them expeditions just sounds more exciting, okay?).

I checked out some books from the library, read some articles, and here is what I found.

People have been painting walls since the beginning of human existence, and murals in some form have existed in societies throughout the world for centuries. During the early days of the United States, murals mostly decorated the interior of upper-class homes. Then in the 19th century, artists were commissioned to paint murals on public buildings such as the Capital or other government-owned buildings. In 1893 the Chicago World’s Fair exhibited murals as an attractive art form, and then two years later in 1895, the National Society of Mural Painters was formed in New York as the first American group to promote mural paintings. The country saw an explosion of murals commissioned by the government under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Then with the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and the black power movement of the 1960s, an art revolution erupted across the nation and the community mural movement was birthed. Community murals is in part a departure from murals being funded solely by the government or individual patrons and instead being funded by neighborhood organizations. This allows for community members to be more intentionally incorporated into the piece so that the mural reflects community history, identity and culture. Community murals are usually outdoors because they are considered to be a part of the neighborhood to be shared by all community members rather than enclosed in just one building that potentially can only be accessed at certain hours by certain people. The community mural movement was most popular in ethnic minority neighborhoods and brought about an influx of murals that featured stories of struggle and resistance that were often subversive to normative narratives.

It is believed by many that the Chicago community mural movement began in 1967 with the Wall of Respect--a mural created by a group of artists from the Organization for Black American Culture in an impoverished neighborhood on Chicago’s south side, at 43rd and Langley, that featured fifty portraits of notable African-Americans. The mural served to educate and empower people who were not well-served by the mainstream art world. The wall became a place to gather and rally against injustice in the city and gained national attention, inspiring black pride murals in other major American cities. Because of its subversive nature, the wall became controversial and in 1971 it "mysteriously" burned down. Given this fact, I was unable to visit it and photograph it myself, but here is a picture of it from the internet.

About the same time, another Chicago community mural movement was rising up in predominantly Mexican-American neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village. Inspired by the United Farm Workers and the Chicano civil rights movement, muralists painted scenes of cultural heritage, history, struggles, and aspirations.

Artists in African-American and Latino neighborhoods who were a part of the community mural movement were highly influenced by Mexican artists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, or Los Tres Grandes. These artists used their murals to educate illiterate populations after the Mexican Revolution about cultural history. The functions and styles of their murals were a great inspiration for Chicago muralists in the mid-20th century who wanted to honor cultural heritage and identity of their neighborhoods in the midst of social turbulence.

One of the big questions I had going into this project was how muralists get funding. Before the 1960s and the community mural movement, muralists were either commissioned by the government or individuals. Nowadays, muralists will approach independent neighborhoods organizations such as the Chicago Public Art Group with a proposal for a project they feel passionate about. Or, different agencies will approach muralists, wanting them to do a mural that reflects their mission or services. It is also quite common for art education programs that work with underserved youth to partner with muralists in the community to create a mural. Often times mural projects have multiple funders.

Gaining funding from independent agencies rather than the government is vital for community-based murals, which are oftentimes protesting state-sanctioned oppression against minority communities, such as gentrification. Therefore, neighborhood groups who fund muralists are essential to the continuation of the community-based mural movement.

Okay, so there ya go, folks. I hope this very condensed history of Chicago murals was helpful and can help provide some context going forward!

Here are the sources I used to find this information, in case you want to take a peek:

• Urban Art Chicago: A Guide to Community Murals, Mosaics, and Sculptures by Olivia Gude

• Art for the People: The Rediscovery and Preservation of Progressive and WPA-Era Murals in the Chicago Public Schools, 1904-1943 by Heather Becker

• A Guide to Chicago's Murals by Mary Lackritz Gray

• http://backspace.com/notes/2005/06/wall-of-respect.php