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Need To Restore Faith In Humanity? Art By The Lake Brings Out The Good

By Linze Rice | July 8, 2016 6:50am
 In 2016, paintings at the annual Artists of the Wall festival reflect a sense of pride for Chicago, Lake Michigan, the LGBTQ community and the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
Artists of the Wall
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ROGERS PARK — From the northern shores of Chicago, it's easy to see down the glorious coast of Lake Michigan all the way to the John Hancock tower.

And for the next year, a trip to Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park will also offer something else: a reminder of all the good in a city, and world, that too often feels entrenched in pain.

The "Artists of the Wall" murals along the Far North Side sea wall were painted on Father's Day, shortly after a gunman inflicted the deadliest mass shooting in American history at a gay Orlando night club.

On the wall, painted rainbows glisten against the cool blue lake and send signals of hope, love, bravery and solidarity.

Other creations include creative renditions of Chicago's skyline and Navy Pier next to more abstract scenes. 

Many murals, like a Corgi high-fiving a T-Rex, provide insights into the funky, imaginative minds of Rogers Parkers.

The community celebration was originally launched more than two decades ago as a response to gang graffiti covering the wall and has since become one of the neighborhood's most-anticipated events each summer.

The murals stay up until May the following year, when the wall is washed and repainted white for the next artists.

Though the wall demonstrates paintings as diverse as the neighborhood's population, one message was evident throughout: a love for Chicago, the city by the lake, and the spirit of unity.

If in need of a pick-me-up, check out some of this year's murals below.

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