Chicago arts organization OPEN Center for the Arts used their Healing Illinois funds to put on a variety of spring events, including a Community Peace Ride, Día del Niño (Children’s Day), two Earth Day events, and the Marshall Square Resource Network Summit. Over the course of the season, they brought about 1,000 residents together to enjoy art and community and celebrate “One Lawndale.”
RACIAL HEALING IN NORTH AND SOUTH LAWNDALE: THE BIRTH OF ‘ONE LAWNDALE’
Fernando Aburto, development director at OPEN Center for the Arts, explains that the original idea of “One Lawndale” came in 2020 in response to the George Floyd protests.
There hadn’t been much intermingling between the North and South Lawndale areas of Chicago previously, despite them being a 7-minute drive from each other and sharing proximity to Douglass Park, a large community greenspace area.
But then George Floyd’s death and the subsequent public focus on police violence and racial justice heightened tensions between the two communities, due to demographic differences between them. Over 80% of North Lawndale residents are Black, whereas South Lawndale – which includes Marshall Square and Little Village – is 80% Hispanic, with many residents being of Mexican descent.
Marshall Square Resource Network (MSRN) and North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC) seized this opportunity to join forces to send a message of unity and positivity to their local communities.
Instead of continuing to hold separate sets of events, they pivoted. They began alternating event locations and inviting both communities to attend, as well as having joint events, to bring people together. MSRN then commissioned OPEN Center for the Arts to add an art component to the “One Lawndale” concept.
From that partnership came a series of posters with a spin on “Neighborhood Watch: We Call Police” signs. Each version shared a message of One Lawndale.
All in all, 1,000 posters were handed out across both community areas, with the idea that residents could put the posters in their windows to show solidarity with the One Lawndale idea.
'ONE LAWNDALE’ COMMUNITY EVENTS
OPEN Center for the Arts then began collaborating with MSRN and NLCCC to organize One Lawndale events around the community.
One of the first was a superhero-themed poster workshop where residents were asked to draw their experiences and wishes for the community. Some of the prompts were: What is your community, what are some of the highlights, and who are some of the superheroes in your community?
This workshop's purpose was reimagining what their block means to them, despite prevailing misconceptions. “A lot of the time, especially in the media, we hear ‘Little Village’ or we hear ‘North Lawndale,’” Fernando notes.” There are people that have certain ideas coming into the neighborhoods.”
Another popular One Lawndale event was the first community mural, created by local teens. The public was free to stop by as it was being created and take part in the artistic process. “We had people walk by and they’re like, ‘Oh, what’s going on here?” Fernando says. “Then they would stop, and then, we would invite them through.”
Many other events came out of the One Lawndale movement, including local documentaries made by teens; peace parties, lawn fests, and cookouts; and OPEN Center for the Arts’ Creative Art Zone. All of those continue to this day.
Fernando says he noticed the One Lawndale movement start working when people began venturing of their own accord. “It was two years ago that we started noticing other neighbors from North Lawndale year-round,” he says. “We didn’t have to be at North Lawndale events. They started coming into our space. I think that’s something really cool.”
OPEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2024 SPRING EVENTS
This year’s Healing Illinois funds allowed OPEN Center for the Arts to continue putting on events in the spirit of One Lawndale and hold them earlier in the year to make full use of the spring months. Each event focused on some aspect of community bonding and racial healing, with arts as a cornerstone of the center’s programming. Many of the events were held in partnership with other local community organizations.
Fernando sees the arts as an important part of healing. “One of the things that we like to say around here is that everybody is an artist,” he says. “We all create, and sometimes we are just not exposed or we don't even know of some of the workshops or different art styles that are out there.”
He emphasizes that even being aware of different art forms, whether collage, mixed media or watercolor, is hugely important. “The more that they can be exposed to these areas, we feel like it's something positive,” he says.
The first big event of the spring was the Community Peace Ride, a 6-mile joint bike ride around North and South Lawndale, hosted by Working Bikes on March 30. Community members were invited to join a bike safety check and fix-a-flat clinic before the ride, and had the option to enjoy barbecue, music and art afterward.
OPEN Center for the Arts then helped put on two Earth Day clean-ups on April 20, one in Douglass Park and one in Hammond Community Garden. Attendees got to appreciate the beauty of nature while picking up trash and learning about community resources.
Día del Niño had an especially huge turnout on April 30, with about 600-700 community members making their way to the Apollo’s 2000 Theater for the festivities. Residents enjoyed art, food, music, and resources from community-based organizations and local businesses.
Finally, the center helped put on the MSRN Summit June 1 at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy. The theme was “Building Connections,” and OPEN Center for the Arts held a poster design workshop where attendees could artistically express what a united Lawndale meant to them and envision what they hoped their community could be. Throughout the rest of the fair, residents could explore community resources.
Fernando shares that these kinds of big events are essential for connecting people with the larger community, especially those like Día del Niño where many local organizations are tabling. “We were able to reconnect with so many families from the neighborhood as well as introduce ourselves to new neighbors,” he shares.
FUTURE OPEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS PROGRAMS
OPEN Center for the Arts has a packed calendar all year round, with many more upcoming events dedicated to community building across the Lawndales.
By the end of summer, they hope to have a second One Lawndale mural painted in North Lawndale at the Douglass 18 Mini Golf. The winter will be equally as busy, with three Mexican celebrations that are popular with community members every year: La Posada, Rosca de Reyes, and Día de la Candelaria.
If they were to receive more funding, one category of events that Fernando hopes to get back into is back-to-school events. “It’s just another great opportunity to connect with families and young ones,” he says, to let them know what resources will be available for the rest of the year. They also hope to begin paying young artists for their mural work.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OPEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS, ONE LAWNDALE, AND HEALING ILLINOIS
Those interested in learning more about OPEN Center for the Arts and One Lawndale can visit the following resources:
OPEN Center for the Arts is one of 184 grantees who received Healing Illinois funds for 2023-2024. You can view more sub-grantee stories on the Healing Illinois website and Healing Illinois Instagram page, as well as view past and upcoming Healing Illinois events.