Mile of Murals Ribbon Cutting & Meet The Artists

Everyone is invited to attend and celebrate the new additions to the Mile of Murals project with a “Symbolic” ribbon cutting that will introduce the 13th & 14th installations to the Glenwood Avenue Art District. 

49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore is scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting together with the artists. 

This is a great opportunity to meet the artists, assistants and collaborators and learn about their process and inspiration.

Due to the winter weather and the distance of several blocks between each mural the ribbon cutting will be “symbolic” in the sense that it will not take place at the mural locations. Instead, slides of the finished murals will be shown at the renovated and historic Heartland Cafe.

The Heartland Cafe's music and event space formerly known as The Red Line Tap has gone through renovations and will be unveiling their new space for this Mile of Murals special occasion.

About the Artists and Murals
This year artist Gretchen Hasse painted Resilience located on the north side viaduct on Pratt Ave. Assistant artists were Jason Schroeder, Dalia Carrillo and Cesar Moyorido.

The second mural located on the southeast corner of Glenwood Ave. at Estes Ave. is named Be Happy and is a collaboration between local artists from Roman Susan Art Foundation and local collage artist, resident and business owner Tae Kong. The mural was designed by Tae Kong owner of Kim’s Corner Food and painted by Kristin Abhalter, Steven Husby, Dan Miller, Cole Pierce, Kit Rosenberg, Ruby T and Alice Tippit, with assistance from Max Guy, Maika Saworski and Nathan Smith from Roman Susan Foundation.

These two murals come at a time when the City of Chicago is celebrating the Year of Public Art (YOPA) and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of such celebration of community, artistry and positive social change.

Resilience - is a mural bursting with images showcasing the perseverance of the human spirit. “I chose the word “Resilience” because it speaks to the strength of the Rogers Park community, where I have been fortunate to locate much of my own art practice. Rogers Park is vital and diverse, and it's still a place where strangers talk to each other.” – Hasse. 

Be Happy – “is an instructional phrase found throughout the artwork created by Rogers Park resident and business owner Tae Kong. This message embodies the artist’s personal work ethic — an active, creative engagement with daily life. Tae Kong is one of the most prolific and generous artists in Rogers Park, and we are very happy to have worked with him to bring this artwork to life.” – Roman Susan Art Foundation.

The MoM project was created in 2007 as an effort to promote Glenwood and Morse Avenues as an arts district. It is a public art initiative in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, located on the far north side of the city along a CTA embankment. When completed, the project will showcase 19 large-scale murals: ten block-long walls, seven viaduct walls and two overpasses; and will feature local, national and internationally respected mural artists.

RPBA and SSA #24 once again partnered with Mix Masters artists, Lea Pinsky and Dustin Harris to coordinate both mural projects. We hope you can join us in celebrating the work of these artists, the murals and the community.