West Chicagoans join guest painter for community art project
It takes a village - or a city - to create one of Jorge Rojas's community art projects.
For the past week, people of all ages have been putting paintbrushes to 4-by-5-foot canvasses in the West Chicago City Museum, while a Webcam captured the action for streaming live online.
"Our Town" is painted in vibrant, glow-in-the dark colors, while "Old West Chicago" incorporates some iconic images, such as the railroad and the city's architecture. People can meet Rojas, see both paintings, and participate in other art projects and children's activities from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at the museum, 132 Main St.
The Saturday hours are in conjunction with West Chicago Blooming Fest, and an artist talk and goodbye reception will follow the festivities.
Rojas's "My space: West Chicago" project has absolutely nothing to do with the social networking site - and everything to do with interaction between the artist and members of the community.
The New York-based artist's first community project was "My space: Guadalajara." He lived in the storefront window of a former convent for a week, and on the first night, 400 people came in to work on the painting. The next two projects in the ongoing series took place in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
He comes to West Chicago as part of the museum's Artist in Residency Program, in collaboration with artINcorporators. Anni Holm, a Danish artist who lives in West Chicago and helped develop the residency program, met Rojas in Miami and wanted to bring him here.
"She knew I was looking for someone with a Latino background for the next artist," said museum registrar Sara Phalen.
West Chicago residents Don and Marilyn Earley put him up in their home. The city museum extended its hours to 6 p.m. every day to give more people an opportunity to interact with the artist. Along with the two large paintings, there were dance parties every day at 4:30 p.m. and a variety of other art activities, including "action painting" (think Jackson Pollock).
The youngest residents who came in to work on the paintings were about 4 years old; the oldest in their 70s. Rojas also works on the paintings, primarily to give cohesion to the work of so many different artists.
"I'm able to sort of add a little harmony to the painting and composition, but I'm basically bringing out what other people have painted," he said.
Those interested can follow the painting's progress live online and and chat with the artist at ustream.tv/channel/Myspaceproject. Rojas's Web site is jorgerojasart.com.
The paintings probably will stay in the city museum until the end of June, then travel a bit before settling in a permanent home in West Chicago, Phalen said.
Rojas found West Chicago residents "generous" and "warm."
"West Chicago is a beautiful town," he said, "and the people have been very receptive. I get the sense they are open to new ideas and new directions (in art)."
If you go
What: Meet artist-in-residence Jorge Rojas
When: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Closing reception and artist talk at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: West Chicago City Museum, 132 Main St.
Cost: Free
Info: (630) 231-3376 or westchicago.org/Museum/index.html