SAIC Artist in Residence

January - May 2017

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Art has the power to challenge society's deepest assumptions. It sparks new ideas, catalyzes critical thinking, elicits meaningful action, inspires individuals, and creates new visions for the future. Art becomes a political act—a conscious effort to engage in and facilitate social change. As a cultural tool, it humanizes and expresses the emotions, grievances, and fears of those who may not have another platform. As an illustrative and journalistic medium, art both shocks and moves us to act.

During this residency, a collaboration between A Long Walk Home's Girl/Friends Leadership Institute and the Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center brought together residents of North Lawndale to create a community mural titled “Brighter Tomorrow.” Using glass, mirror, tile, and beads, participants collectively designed a mosaic that embodied their hopes and dreams for their neighborhood—an area confronting the harsh realities of intersectional violence, including gun and police violence, housing inequality, sexual violence, and educational disinvestment.