JEFFERSON PARK — Anyone who pumps 50 cents into the red gumball machine at Replica Chicago in Jefferson Park expecting candy or a plastic toy is sure to be disappointed.
Instead, a small capsule will roll out containing a poem by Yvonne Zipter — and the change will go to Arts Alive Chicago, which funds public art projects, including more than two dozen murals in and around the 45th Ward.
"I don't delude myself that we're going to raise a ton of money," Zipter said. "But I hope we'll raise awareness of the need for arts in our community."
Heather Cherone says some of the poetry will have a neighborhood feel:
Zipter, a manuscript editor at the University of Chicago Press in Hyde Park, received the vending machine as a gift when she married her longtime partner Kathy Forde in July and was initially flummoxed about what to do with it.
"Then I remember that there used to be a repurposed cigarette machine at the Chicago Cultural Center that vended three-by-five pieces of art," Zipter said. "I got the idea and thought it would be a good fit with Replica Chicago."
Replica Chicago, which caters to Chicagophiles with gifts and art made by owner Lyn Hooley, has won a loyal following for its custom screen-printed shirts and sweatshirts and whimsical items.
"It something fun and something different," Hooley said. "All of my literary friends have taken one look at it and wished they thought of it first."
Zipter, who has published two poetry collections and two nonfiction books, has lived in the 45th Ward for 25 years — but was inspired by the effort spearheaded by Ald. John Arena to reverse decades of slow economic growth in Jefferson Park and Portage Park by transforming the area into an arts and culture mecca.
"In the last few years, I've really felt a sense of community," Zipter said. "I now feel much more connected to my neighborhood."
Several of the 70 poems in the gumball machine mention 45th Ward landmarks, including the now-closed Capital Club, a now-demolished casket sales shop at Cicero and Hutchinson avenues and Luther North High School, Zipter said.
Cyd Smillie, who founded Arts Alive Chicago, praised Zipter's generosity and said she was thrilled to see Arts Alive's work inspiring other artists.
"That is 100 percent the goal," Smillie said. "The whole point is community building, and recreating the bonds between residents and their communities."
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