CHICAGO

Several street art pieces emerged in Little Village during the pandemic.

Photos and interview by Chicago native

Isiah ThoughtPoet Veney capturing the spirit of social justice protests in the city.

Chicago native Nick Garcia wrote and produced the hip-hop song, Storefront Glass in collaboration with North Carolina artist DJ Doug. 

Sarah Hinojosa, using her granddaughter’s art supplies, began printing poetry pieces, adding her own drawings, putting them into a protective sleeve, and attaching them to the tree. 

During the pandemic, many Chicagoans began making and distributing masks. While the inspiration behind them may vary, each mask made is a physical demonstration of the care we hold for each other.

Makeba Kedem-DuBose's 3-panel mixed media work uses the Christian triptych and the classic 3-part organization of a European sonata to engage the ongoing aftermath of US chattel slavery, particularly including imagery reflecting different elements of Black American life histories.

Nicholas Barron is a Chicago-based singer, songwriter, guitarist, and painter. When his music gigs were put on hold during the pandemic, Nicholas established creative collaborations with Chicago artists Makeba Kedem-Dubose (Barrkeba) and Peven Everett (Iconafitti arts collab).

Chicago native Danny Martinez created a series of memes on his Instagram profile, @whereslightfoot. Inspired by the famous illustrative series Where's Waldo? by British author Martin Handford, Martinez photoshops Mayor Lori Lightfoot watching over the city.

These selected works from Beth Herman Adler's July 2021 gallery, "Shape Shift," feature prints and paper works chronicling the difficult stages of life that foregrounded the pandemic. 

Melissa Blount’s embroidered tribute to Breonna joins a collective creative movement that drew on the popularity of the W.A.P. acronym from Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion’s body and sex-positive eponymous song (August 2020) to expand the acronym’s meaning to: What About Prosecuting the cops who killed Breonna Taylor?

This banner created by Andrea Martinez arose out of her desire to keep busy and make use of her newfound time, as well as show her gratitude for those who were unable to stay home. 

For many individuals who took part in the RefugeeOne classes or who were able to take a sewing machine home with them, mask making  was one thing they could do to take their minds off of everything going on, as well as help their community members by providing masks.

Having made a name for herself dressing athletes such as Michael Jordan in the 1990s, Barbra Bates is no stranger to high profile clients. With the onset of the pandemic though, her clientele and her work shifted in response to the growing need for masks.