After School Matters
Location: Lake View - 851 W. Waveland, Chicago, IL
Year(s): 2013
Participants: 30 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: Located on columns at the front of the school and the wall facing the playground, these murals feature imagery from international cultures, such as Japan and Mexico.
Inter-American is one of the oldest and most comprehensive dual language schools in the Midwest. Students learn to speak, read and write fluently in both Spanish and English.
Location: Edbebrook, North Edgebrook, Wildwood - 6710 N. Kinzua, Chicago, IL
Year(s): 2012-2015
Participants: 75 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters, Neighborhood Connection Project
Description: The pedestrian underpass, which connects 3 communities, is covered with images of native flowers, the area's ties to the railroadm and the region's history with Native Americans, especially Billy Caldwall.
Location: Little Village - 2356 S Sawyer, Chicago IL 60623
Year(s): 2016, 2019
Participants: 30 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: Through a contest opened to nonprofits in the community in the fall of 2015, our After School Matters students selected Amor de Dios Church for their summer beautification project. The church is central to the community and serves its constituents not only as a place of worship but also as a community center and food pantry. So, the students designed the mural to reflect the culture and contributions of the church to the neighborhood residents by depicting a woman offering fresh food flanked by a mayan calendar-inspired sun, fruit tree, and flowers.
Location: Edgebrook - W Devon Ave and N Central Ave, Chicago IL 60646
Year(s): 2016
Participants: 15 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: Continuing our beautification of the Edgebrook neighborhood, we worked with students through After School Matters to enhance the community's main intersection with a mural that highlights Edgebrook's motto, "Gateway to the Forest."
Location: Back of the Yards - 4747 S Winchetser Ave, Chicago IL 60609
Year(s): 2014-2018
Participants: 120 [8th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: From 2014 to 2017, Green Star Movement (GSM) completed several murals on the north and west sides of the Hedges Elementary building as well as the interior hallways which honor the Mexican heritage of the neighborhood's residents.
In 2017, for the entrance of Hedges Elementary, our team installed two murals dedicated to the country of Mexico. On the right is a depiction of Mexico's national coat of arms and on the left, a Maya Jaguar Mask which represents nobility and power.
In 2018, we created a mural with a mix of Chicagoan symbols, and a feathered serpent, complete with a Chicano theme, this piece adorns the hallways of James Hedge's School. It celebrates the Chicano culture that is at the core of the school. That same year, we created an outdoor mural that pays tribute to four influential Latina women. They are trailblazers who have each used their voices to fight for under-represented groups of people; Rigoberta Menchu, Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Dolores Huerta, and Sonia Sotomayor
Location: Little Village - 3000 S Lawndale, Chicago IL 60623
Year(s): 2015-2017
Participants: 52 [4th-12th graders]
Partner(s): Beyond the Ball, After School Matters
Description: Our team completed two murals for Ortiz Elementary in Little Village. In 2015, we finished our first project with 9th-12th grade students. The mural faces the soccer field and is a colorful tribute to diversity, unity, teamwork, community, perseverance, and responsibility. The second mosaic mural, completed in 2017 with 4th-8th grade students, warmly welcomes all who step on campus with the word "Bienvenidos!" located above the building's main entrance.
Location: South Austin - 5022 W Madison, Chicago, IL
Year(s): 2011
Participants: 15 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: Located inside the youth center, this three-dimensional geometric installation is covered entirely with cut mirror.
“Ordinarily, mirrors reflect only light, but these, shaped and placed by young hands of hope, reflect life. Some mirrors are bigger, others are small; some are flat others have depth, but all have come together as beauty. Day by day, this mural represents how each of us has something to contribute and reflect something positive to the world.”
Location: Edgewater- 1118 W Thorndale, Chicago, IL 60660
Year(s): 2014
Participants: 30 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters, 48th Ward
Description: Located at the street level entrance for the Thorndale Red Line stop, the mural showcases the Chicago skyline and illustrates its nickname, "The Windy City."
Location: Streeterville - 211 E. Grand Ave, Chicago, IL
Year(s): 2012
Description: Located on the rooftop meditation garden of the facility, two vibrant and cheerful murals bring joy to families of children with complex medical needs.
The Ronald McDonald House in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood is the largest in the world and in walking distance from the new Lurie Children’s Hospital. It offesr 16-stories of care & comfort for families of hospitalized children including 86 guest rooms, a rooftop healing deck and a kitchen filled with home-cooked meals and supportive conversation.
Location: Uptown - 900 W Wilson Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
Year(s): 2010
Participants: 30 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: Located on the facade of three buildings facing Wilson Ave, the mural features images of social justice, empowerment through education, and neighborhoods of Chicago.
