Those dingy underpasses and empty walls in the 11th Ward are starting to receive an artistic makeover, thanks to the efforts of a gallery owner, a community non-profit director, and an alderman.
The result is an array of bright, bold images that tell personal stories and visualize broader themes that reflect an evolving and diverse urban population.
The viaduct underpass at Peoria and 16th Streets offers a prime example. Once faded, the concrete walls now pop with myriad neon and primary color images including likenesses of artist Frieda Kahlo and priest and pro wrestler Fray Tormenta as well as other images that conjure memories of folklore and communicate diversity.
More recent examples include similar images on a private garage and a Black and Brown Unity Wall at Pilsen Vintage, 1430 W. 18th St.
Delilah Martinez, owner of Vault Gallerie, 2015 S. Laflin St., leads Mural Movement, a core group of local artists who came together to produce diversity and unity images throughout the ward and beyond.
Martinez said her interest in opening a gallery and leading the mural project reflects growing up in Bridgeport, where she attended Catholic School.
“I was picked on for being dark-skinned,” she said. “I remember there were no other people outside of my own family who looked like me. The idea of the murals is to show images to people who look like those images and to show appreciation for the culture.”
The unity theme became more important with the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter marches, Martinez said. Whitewashing of another City viaduct also fueled the effort.
Those involved in the project said that, before the Peoria Street viaduct and any other viaducts could provide a proper canvas for the images, they needed the City to clean and light them. Alderman Patrick D. Thompson understood the value in improving the 100-year-old structures.
“Those viaducts really are not very welcoming,” Thompson said, noting the City has responsibility for the concrete base that supports the railroad infrastructure. Thompson remembers the viaducts growing up and seeing similar murals. “Each arch looks like an individual picture frame, so I wanted to see if we could get more of that,” he said.
So Thompson got the City to complete the lighting and cleaning. The artistry required further coordination and funding.
Nancy Plax, director of Community Outreach at Connecting4Communities and a member of the 11th Ward Art Advisory Board, connected Martinez and Thompson. She discussed the condition of the Peoria Street viaduct and other viaducts with both of them. She also helped raise material and labor funds for the project.
“Alderman Thompson has supported making art more visible in the 11th Ward, and Delilah has been incredibly supportive of young artists,” Plax said. “I wanted these artists to be paid. Young artists are thrilled to be able to present their work, and this gives them that opportunity. It’s a great honor.”
Plax, who worked with local restaurants before pandemic restrictions to give portions of restaurant proceeds from certain nights, also gives credit to Pittsburgh Paint and Glass for donated materials.
Some of those materials include a special anti-graffiti coating that makes it easier to clean tagged artwork.
While the Mural Movement’s artists have adorned part of the 11th Ward, Martinez has used art as an entrée to further community improvement as well as inspiring participating artists to aim their talents across the city and country.
“We engage local youth to assist artists by helping clean up the artwork around the art,” Martinez said. “Our team assesses the needs of the community and responds.”
She said the project promotes health care actions such as coronavirus (COVID-19) and HIV testing as well as toy drives and voter registration.
“And we make sure we feed the community,” she said.
Mural Movement artists already have ventured out of town as close as Milwaukee, and Plax hopes to send them to farther away locales. The project envisions a global reach, she said.
For information about the Mural Movement, go to www.themuralmovement.org. For information about donating to the project, contact [email protected]. For Thompson’s office, call (773) 254-6677. To reach Vault Gallerie, call (773) 980-9766.
—Rick Romano