- Credibility:
PILSEN — As Chicagoans are asked to stay at home to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a new mural with a message of solidarity has cropped up in Pilsen.
The Chicago Art Department, a nonprofit arts group, quietly debuted a new mural over the weekend at their studio, 1932 S. Halsted St. The mural aims to inspire hope in neighbors and struggling artists, many of whom call Pilsen home, during these uncertain times, said Carlos Flores, general manager of the Chicago Art Department.
“These are really uncertain times…but nonetheless, we wanted to convey something positive and optimistic to inspire other people,” Flores said.
Credit: Marta Sasinowska Artist Shelby Rodeffer began working on the mural Friday before completing it Saturday afternoon with Flores’s help.
The mural depicts two distant homes communicating through a tin-can telephone with the message: “We will figure it out. Aqui juntos.” (We will figure it out. Here together.)
Credit: Marta Sasinowska Rodeffer, one of the 16 resident artists at Chicago Arts Department, said the pandemic has hit the neighborhood hard.
“It’s like these people that are houses or people that are confined in their houses or have become their houses, and they’re talking to each other through cans on a string… an attempt to keep a line between them and stay connected,” Rodeffer said.
“We wanted to let our neighbors know we are thinking about them,” she said.
Last month Gov. JB Pritizker issued a stay at home order to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Credit: Marta Sasinowska Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
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