NEAR WEST SIDE — Efforts to preserve a renowned mural on the Near West Side have received a financial boost.
The Chicago Public Art Group has been awarded more than $450,000 from the Mellon Foundation to preserve the two-story “Solidarity” mural in the former UE Hall, 37 S. Ashland Ave., according to a Monday news release.
The mural, painted in 1974, illustrates the history of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America and the labor movement from the 1930s onward. It spans about 500 square feet.
“This grant will keep the mural alive for future generations, beautifully telling the story of industrial unionism and related social movements,” UE President Carl Rosen said in the release. “For 50 years, it has served as a visual narrative of the struggles and triumphs of the working class, capturing the spirit of solidarity, resilience and the fight for workers’ rights. Now the power of this art can continue for decades to come.”
Members of the union and Chicago Public Art Group have been raising funds to preserve the mural since the union alerted group members in January of its plans to sell the building. Supporters raised enough money to remove large portions of the mural from the hall by the end of March, the same month the union moved out.
Funds from the grant will go toward preserving the mural, transporting it and installing it in new locations, said Chantal Healey, executive director of the art group.
Most of the mural will be moved to the union’s new home at 1901 W. Carroll Ave., also home to the Chicago Teachers Union, rather than be demolished. Small portions of the mural will also be sent to the offices of In These Times magazine at 2040 N. Milwaukee Ave. and the UE Local 506 hall in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Artist John Weber is relieved the mural will be preserved, according to the release. Weber and late artist Jose Guerrero painted the mural for free in the mid-’70s.
Conservation efforts will begin this fall and are expected to be complete at the end of 2025, according to the release.
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