Public art is a part of Chicago's identity, with thought-provoking murals and sculptures from Pilsen to Rogers Park and beyond. The Lakeshore Drive pedestrian underpass in Buena Park was home to a few of those murals.
When someone purposefully painted over an existing mural but didn't replace it with anything, I took the opportunity to ask "why?": I hung five wet-erase markers from a string to see if others had something to say and would take up the challenge.
What followed was an outpouring of dynamic and unstructured civic engagement. Hundreds of passers-by took up the pen.
Most posts were inspirational quotes or a pair of initials in a heart; there were surprisingly few expletives, dirty images, or insults
Some postings even made reference to the posting wall
While the posts were eventually painted over, I displayed photographs
of the wall at the Buena Park Arts Expo to spark a new conversation
I never learned why that mural was painted over. However, I did learn that giving people a public space to share their thoughts sparks engagement and ownership in a community. This 'Community Graffiti' was just the first step towards a larger discourse.
Photo credit: Craig Belpedio