Caryl Yasko has continued working to renew her 1972 mural, "Under City Stone," despite a broken hip. [Photos by DNAinfo/Sam Cholke]
HYDE PARK — The end is in sight for the renewal of a 48-year-old mural in Hyde Park even though the original painter broke her hip just as the project started.
Caryl Yasko, who painted “Under City Stone” in June 1972 on the north wall of the 55th Street Metra underpass, was forced to coordinate the initial work from a hospital bed after breaking her hip on May 28.
“I had never thought before that I’d be painting from a wheelchair,” Yasko said on Tuesday, back at work. “There are advantages, I can roll back and see my work.”
Yasko was hospitalized for 19 days after falling trying to right a tipped cart and breaking her hip, the 74-year-old’s first broken bone, which she and her assistant said gave way with a sharp cracking sound.
“It was excruciatingly painful,” Yasko said. “But I was out here the day after I got out of the hospital and was coaching from the hospital.”
Sam Cholke details the history of the Hyde Park mural:
The eastern-most section of "Under City Stone" has been repainted using historical photos after being completely destroyed.
Yasko painted the mural while raising her children in Hyde Park in the ‘70s, and has been commuting from her home in Whitewater, Wis., with her grandson in tow to finish the 133 figures in the mural for an Aug. 19 dedication ceremony.
“I’m supposed to pace myself, but we need painters,” Yasko said.
A bin of paintbrushes rested on top of Yasko’s walker and there was a wheelchair draped in a Superman blanket resting close to where Yasko was working on a set a figures closest to Lake Park Avenue with her a visiting painter from California and four volunteers.
Having just started painting on June 30, Yasko has put herself on a grueling timeline to hit the August dedication and was constantly stopped by passersby eager to compliment her work.
She said the project could benefit from more volunteers with experience working on murals.
“A sign painter would be great,” Yasko said.
The volunteers start every weekday at 8 a.m. working with just six colors of paint, mixing them on the wall as they go, no easy task, according to Yasko.
“I have to train minds to be efficient,” she said.
Two of the 14 sections have been completed and one section on the eastern edge of the mural that was completely destroyed has been brought back using historical photos as a reference.
The project is sponsored and coordinated through the Hyde Park Art Center and the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement.
The eastern-most section of "Under City Stone" has been repainted using historical photos after being completely destroyed.
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