Hedges Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

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

 

Dulles Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: Parkway Garden - 6311 S Calumet, Chicago IL 60637
Year(s): 2015-2016
Participants: 150 [4th-8th grade students]
Description: The first project at Dulles included two murals, one which promotes peace, innovation, and unity through a rainbow and flying doves.  The second mural spices up the school's entrance with a cool geometric design. In our second year, the students worked on a mural which faces 63rd St and features images of two children set in a block pattern and the uplifting phrase, "We are the future!"

Farragut Career Academy /  by Erica Hawkinson

Location: Little Village - 2345 S Christiana Ave, Chicago IL 60623
Year(s): 2014-2016, 2019
Participants: 120 [9th-12th grade students]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: Over several years, GSM completed many murals at Farragut, including the front entrance, interior courtyard, and school library with themes ranging from city life to the solar system.

 

Park School /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: 828 Main St, Evanston IL 60202
Year(s): 2016
Participants: 60 [4th-8th grade students]
Description: Green Star Movement worked with the students and staff of Park School, a self-contained special education school in Evanston, to create a mural that not only beautifies the school but also celebrates the memory of Lisa Weiland O'Brien, a well-loved social worked from the District who tragically passed away in 2013. 

Green Star artists worked with Park teachers and the mural committee, comprised of staff, parents, district administrators, and a member of Lisa's family to conceive the design. It was decided that the theme for the mural would be based on Lisa's favorite quote from a story titled, "The Crayon Box that Talked," and will read. "We are like a box of crayons, each one of us unique. But when we come together, the picture is complete!" 

Kiddie Center /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: West Englewood - 1700 W 63rd St, Chicago, IL 60636
Year(s): 2016
Description: The building of Kiddie Steps 4 You Learning Center in Englewood, which provides childcare starting at 6 weeks, is now emblazoned with energizing images and inspirational messages for the students and community members in the surrounding neighborhood.

Swift Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: Edgewater Beach - 5900 N Winthrop, Chicago IL 60660
Year(s): 2016
Participants: 30 [teens]
Partner(s): After School Matters
Description: GSM completed two projects at this school. The first faces the school's outdoor performance space on the east side of the building and blends Chicago imagery with representations of fine arts disciplines. The second mural, which is on the north side of the building and faces the school's playground, includes a shining sun, flowers, and silhouettes of children playing.

Barton Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: Auburn Gresham-7650 S Wolcott Ave, Chicago, IL 60620
Year(s): 2017
Participants: 20 [4th-8th grade students]
Description: Formerly a drab corner of the Barton Elementary building, this space gained new life with the addition of a mural that fuses educational symbols such as an atom and microscope with bright colors and linear embellishments.

Joplin Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: Auburn Gresham - 7927 S Honore, Chicago, IL 60620
Year(s): 2015-2017
Participants: 280 [4th-8th grade students]
Description: In 2015 Green Star Movement worked with 4th-8th grade students to create a mural which fuses representations of African culture with the phrase "what we do most is what we do best. Get an education." In 2017, in honor of Joplin Elementary's academic diversity, we returned to create another mural that pays tribute to the school's science, technology, and fine arts programs.

Dvorak Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: Lawndale - 3615 W 16th St, Chicago IL 60623
Year(s): 2015
Participants: 80 [4th-8th graders]
Partner(s): Crown Foundation, Academy for Urban School Leadership
Description: Wrapping around the front and side of the school, the mural incorporates a three-dimensional butterfly and caterpillar in its message about hard work and transformation.

Ortiz Elementary /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

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. 

 

 

Silver Summit All Abilities Playground /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: 5814 Prospect Dr, Missoula MT 59808
Year(s): 2015
Participants: 7 [all ages]
Description: GSM design this inclusive park's sensory play wall, which not only beautifies the park with images of local birds, flowers, and the Clark Fork River, but also provides color and texture for children who like tactile play.

The Peace Corner Youth Center /  by TechTeam

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.”
— Duane Wilson, Director at the Peace Corner
 

The Chicago Academy /  by Erica Hawkinson

Location: Portage Park - 3400 N Austin, Chicago IL 60634
Year(s): 2015
Participants: 20 [4th-8th graders]
Partner(s): Family Focus, Academy for Urban School Leadership
Description: Installed in the foyer of the school's main entrance, this mural blends the school's mascot, a dolphin, with the inspiring words such as think, hope, and achieve.

 

Trabajares - Brazil /  by Erica Hawkinson

 

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Year(s): 2015
Participants: 15 [all ages]
Partner(s): MacArthur Foundation, US Consulate in Brazil
Description: This mural transforms a community staircase into a flowing stream of water to bring attention to the critical issue of water accessibility in the favelas, which is especially inadequate due to Brazil's record-breaking drought.

Morro de Providencia - Brazil /  by Erica Hawkinson

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Year(s): 2015
Participants: 20 [all ages]
Partner(s): MacArthur Foundation, US Consulate in Brazil, Unidad de Policia Pacificadora
Description: Situated in the oldest favela in the city, the mural focuses on Dodo de Portela, a local legend and important figure in the history of Carnaval.