WEST ENGLEWOOD — Graffiti artists from the U.S. and abroad brought ladders, brushes and gallons of spray paint to the neighborhood last weekend in an art effort dubbed "Meeting of Styles."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel dropped by for a look Saturday afternoon as the artists painted a viaduct along 59th Street between Damen and Western avenues.
Emanuel, who said he learned of the effort in a DNAinfo story, said he wanted to see the creative magic up close.
“This is people doing something positive,” the mayor said. “[There are] two high schools on either end, so kids go back and forth. This [art gives them] a better view other than paint just chipping, and it gives people something positive to do.”
Meeting of Styles started in Germany in 1998 and was brought to Chicago in 2004, the last time the group met here. The event is not city-sponsored.
This year organizers put a call out to artists from around the world to help beautify the Englewood neighborhood with their creative art style. Artists from Hawaii, France, Serbia, California and other places claimed a spot on the wall and set out to work Saturday afternoon.
West Town resident Damien, who uses the graffiti artist name “Dmnology,” helped organize the Chicago Meeting of Styles. He said that graffiti artists are usually welcome in communities. Gang members who might mark their territory with symbols are easily distinguished from the artists, he said.
“I think that most of the people in the neighborhoods know the difference, because if you grew up in the neighborhood, you know what gangs are in your neighborhood and you know what their gang graffiti looks like. It looks nothing like what we do,” he said.
Englewood native Joe Nelson, whose tag name is “Cool Joe,” has participated in "Meeting of Styles" in other cities and was excited to participate in his hometown.
“It’s an opportunity to give back to this area, give something that’s a little uplifting and also inspire younger people growing up,” he said.
Stephan Wu-nste Soln said he traveled from Siberia to participate in the event.
“This is great, because it’s not as fun painting solo,” he said.
Dmnology said he was glad the mayor showed up and hopes to have a sitdown discussion with him in the future. Dmnology said he told Emanuel that the street under the viaduct needs more street lights, although not much came from their brief conversation, he said.
Before the event, Dmnology said the city doesn’t do enough to beautify the South Side, particularly Englewood.
The mayor declined to comment on his statement Saturday.
“the City of Chicago is renowned for its vibrant arts and cultural scene that spans not only Downtown, but is particularly prominent across our diverse neighborhoods,” city spokeswoman Lauren Huffman later said in a news release.
She said that Emanuel is “continuing this legacy by investing in opportunities that infuse the arts directly into the neighborhoods and allow residents across the city to experience arts and culture right in their own backyards.”
The Meeting of Styles event is one example of how the city welcomes artists from around the world to “participate in arts and cultural installations across the city, while supporting our local artists in bringing their talents directly to Chicago’s neighborhoods,” Huffman said.
Earlier this year, Emanuel and the CTA announced an expansion of the CTA Public Art Program. It currently features more than 60 works of art across all eight rail lines and includes a nearly $600,000 investment in new artworks at eight stations as part of the Red Line reconstruction: Cermak-Chinatown, Sox-35th, 47th, Garfield, 63rd, 69th, 79th and 87th.
Under Emanuel, CTA’s collection of public art has nearly doubled since 2011.
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