SAUGANASH — Two years ago, a group of Sauganash residents transformed a dank underpass into a mixed-media mosaic that told the story of the neighborhood's past, present and future.
While Paula Fitzgerald and other volunteers were working to raise money, finalize the design and line up volunteers, third-generation Sauganash resident Grace Carini, a recent University of Notre Dame graduate, watched from behind her camera, documenting the months-long effort.
That film, "The Spirit of Sauganash," will be shown at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Sauganash Park Field House, 5861 N. Kostner Ave.
"She did an amazing job," Fitzgerald said. "The documentary illustrates how each tile offers its own story of a different aspect of our history ... and together these individual tiles form a mosaic revealing a much deeper, richer story."
Patterned after Ken Burns' famous documentaries, Carini's film includes photographs of Sauganash families and memorabilia as well as interviews with longtime residents and the artists and volunteers who crafted the mural.
Approximately 100 volunteers helped create the mural with artists from the Chicago Public Art Group.
The mural features not only painted images but also photographs on ceramic tiles, clay figures and glass using a French art technique known as bricolage to craft a three-dimensional covering for the north and south walls of the underpass. It's now a bicycle and walking path but was once railroad tracks.
The documentary tells "a dramatic story of how Sauganash grew into a neighborhood from its beginnings as Native American tribal lands overseen by Billy Caldwell."
The film is appropriate for all ages, and children are welcome, Fitzgerald said. Refreshments will be served.
Kathy Riordan (l.) and Paula Fitzgerald chat about the work needed to complete the mural near Peterson and Kostner avenues. [DNAinfo/Heather Cherone]
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