Four Chicago creatives have been chosen to put together public art projects and ideas for future cultural programs in their neighborhoods as part of the city’s INVEST South/West initiative.
The Artists-in-Residence are: Auburn Gresham-based painter and muralist Dorian Sylvain; Austin native Antonia Ruppert,whose work can be seen at The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital and the Chicago Public Librarys; Englewood designer and engineer Eric Hotchkiss, and New City/Back of the Yards sketch and paint artist Fernando Ramirez (in partnership with the Project Onward nonprofit for artists with disabilities).
They’re part of a pilot program in the community improvement initiative that aims to pump resources into 10 priority community areas.
The recipients of the Artist-In-Residence program were selected through a community-led process by a panel of community stakeholders, city officials said.
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“Now more than ever we are relying on our artists to enrich our communities and bring joy to our lives as we contend with the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 crisis,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “Likewise, our artists are counting on our support like never before as they struggle to make ends meet. This pilot project serves as a critical program to not only uplift our city’s artistic life in the near-term but also lay the foundation for the long-term vitality of Chicago’s proud cultural landscape.”
At the conclusion of an engagement period, the artist will deliver a capstone public art project and provide a series of recommendations to help guide the development of future creative projects in their neighborhoods.
