Murals

Lady of Connection” (a Mirror of Herself)

It all started when…

In 2020, SSA#73 commissioned a mural at 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue.  This mural is entitled “Lady of Connection” and was designed and painted by People Matter.  Consuela Hendricks designed the mural. Consuela Hendricks, Angela Lin, and Jamie Marcelle were the Lead Artists.

ThEMES

The conceptual design of “Lady of Connection” (a Mirror of Herself) seeks to empower community members to tell their own story, while also telling a story of Chinese American histories and cultures of liberation.  The mural tells the history of how communities of color have fought for their liberation from racism and prejudice, with a focus on the Chinese community.  “Lady of Connection” is represented by a Chinese woman to emphasize the role that women and girls have always played in liberation, despite Chinese society historically favoring men.  It depicts a woman combing her hair and also choosing to cut it, which shows a harmony between tradition and modernity, symbolizing that we must know our roots to advance our culture.

The words in the middle, “心相系” means “Hearts Tied Together”, referencing the concept of the red string of fate that often ties together loved ones, representing how our communities of color, as well as our past, present, and future, are all tied together. 

HISTORY

We chose this theme to honor the history of this location and the theme of the original mural here. The wall here used to be the bridge between the mostly Black Bronzeville community and Chinatown. Many residents of the Harold Ickes Homes on 24th and State would cross under the bridge to go to Haines school. Unfortunately Chicago was much more segregated back then so there were many racial tensions between people who lived across the viaduct from each other. In the 2000s, the viaduct was finally blocked up due to safety concerns and racial tensions. As a result, Haines students painted a mural about connection between communities of different colors and cultures. 

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

We worked on this mural with our youth art group of 30 students ages 11-18 who are getting paid to help us paint murals in Chinatown. Youth are from our neighborhood elementary schools of Haines, Healy, Ward; and our neighborhood high schools Tilden and Phillips.