Remember that bust of President Lincoln

Speaking of Englewood remember that Lincoln bust that was in Englewood that made national attention last year. Even shared a segment to Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News which I will also show here. [VIDEO]

Locally Ald. Raymond Lopez (Ward 15) brought the apparent vandalism of that Lincoln bust to the world's attention last year formerly located at the corner of 69th & Wolcott and lamented this act. Back in 2009, I had shared a basic history of this bust which at one point was near a business specifically a gas station. Though now, there isn't a business on that corner that could protect and care for this landmark.

Lately, the Chicago Tribune has an update on this bust which after the vandalism was removed by the city for safekeeping.

Here’s what happened: The bust of Lincoln was removed last August by the Chicago Department of Transportation, at the request of Ald. Ray Lopez of the 15th Ward. Though the statue is located in the 17th Ward, Lopez said he stepped in “only after it became obvious that nobody but myself was concerned about the health of this statue.” (The 17th Ward alderman, David Moore, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

Lopez contacted the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, which contacted CDOT for removal. He said he became concerned after the statue was vandalized twice last August: A resident called to say the statue was painted black; soon after, it was set on fire. (Lopez said the vandals used tar and roofing paper.) “It was around the time of the Charlottesville (Va. white nationalist) marches. A lot of hate-filled things were said, and I’ll be the first to admit this statue had seen a lot of wear and tear — of youthful indiscretions — but two acts to happen about that same time? It just felt like something else happening.”

He offered no evidence of who might have vandalized the statue, and though no one has since been arrested for the vandalism, or claimed responsibility, Lopez noted that nearby Marquette Park had been a stronghold for Illinois Nazis. He wasn’t comfortable leaving the statue on 69th, vulnerable to more attacks. He told the Chicago Sun-Times in August that President Donald Trump’s (widely condemned) response to the violence in Charlottesville had emboldened white supremacists; Lopez sent a letter to Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Mark Kelly, concerned that, as left-leaning groups called for the removal of Confederate statues, right-leaning groups could seek revenge on monuments to the Great Emancipator. Soon after, the bust at the corner of 69th and Wolcott was removed, without ceremony or a timeline for when or if it might be returned.

This is a pretty good and long article. It further discusses the history and who placed this bust on 69th Street. It also illustrated the changes in the neighborhood over the years with "white flight" to it's current status today. If anyone is expecting the bust to come back to its original location got some bad news for you.

The statue will never return to 69th and Wolcott.

Its eventual home is the West Englewood Library.

Should you care to remember Philip Bloomquist’s legacy the way it was, before its eyes were blackened and body scarred, visit 69th and Wolcott on Google Maps. An old street-view image is still there, the bust cracked and ghostly. “This doesn’t need to be a loss,” said Vergara. “Maybe what comes out of everything is a new memorial. Let the neighborhood replace its Lincoln, with something that lends an identity, and gives that corner a new meaning. Then the story continues, and Lincoln was never lost at all.”

Lincoln will remain in the Englewood community as for that now vacant spot where his bust now stood, there's an opportunity. If the community want another work of art at that location what should it be. Could be reflective of the people who live there or their historic figures? Better yet perhaps we can create a sculpture of Black Panther and strive to make that area a real life version of Wakanda.

Here's a street view of the bust where it once stood.

The vandalism of an Abe Lincoln bust...

DISCLAIMER: The Sixth Ward blog or sixthward.us is written by three bloggers who aren't associated with any public official in Chicago. If that changes there will be full disclosure of that fact. With that being said let's talk about something unusual that recently happened.

Recently Worlee was contacted by a reporter for RT America looking for a comment - likely from an Alderman and we can't help with that - regarding a bust of President Abraham Lincoln located at 69th & Wolcott being vandalized recently. Ironically the first time hearing about it was on John Ruberry's Marathon Pundit yesterday. Friday, Ruberry shared a segment from FOX News' Tucker Carlson Tonight where he discusses the Lincoln bust. [VIDEO]

So why is this in the news now? As you see in the above video there are people in the nation who want to eliminate primarily statues of prominent Civil War Confederates. As we all know the Confederate States of America is very controversial because we largely know them as the side that wanted to preserve slavery. And now that this bust of Abraham Lincoln - popularly known as the President who freed the slaves - is a target of those same individuals who want Confederate statues removed.

VIDEO: "Welcome to Englewood" Sign Unveiling, May 12, 2017

[VIDEO] I'm sorry to have missed this video. Last month the Englewood community got themselves a landmark sign located at 63rd/Yale (almost near what used to be the former Harvard stop on the CTA Green Line). This is an event I caught wind of mainly on ig and even regrammed one record of this event.

Anyway this illustrates something that I've noted here on this blog. Englewood has a marker, and then I found that Grand Crossing and Park Manor have markers. Even suggested at one point perhaps Chatham should have a sign or mark at entry points into the Chatham perimeter.

Perhaps on King Drive, Cottage Grover, 75th, 79th, 83rd, 87th and certainly on State Street. I got one potential candidate for what this sign this Chatham brand should look like. Of course someone who lives there has to make the proposal and ultimately make it happen.

Of course I recognize that's not the only community that can use this idea. Perhaps once Pullman's national monument really gets going this is the treatment they get. Hopefully in the future Roseland can have one to begin it's revitalization, especially when the CTA red line gets extended past 95th Street.

Forgot to add this video was produced by an old favorite artistmac who was also in Englewood for the groundbreaking and grand opening of Whole Foods Market Englewood. And he also drove along 63rd Street at one point also.

Crain's: Why so many young Chicago men pull the trigger

Go Falcons!

One attempt to get a handle on the issue of gun violence in Chicago's crime ridden neighborhoods. At one point in time this blog strived to avoid issues of crime even though I recognize it as a reality in our fair city.

Regardless the fact that a shooting and the volume of them is news not just locally but nationally also is problematic. We all hope for a solution to save our young people. No easy answers, but something has to be done about the violence.

Also for this, there will be three parts to this series. I hope to be able to share the other ones as they're published.

Chatham: You are beautiful

Walking along 79th Street this past Saturday saw this on the side of a beauty salon right off the corner of 79th & Evans. Perhaps a project of the Chatham Development Corporation who you can also follow on Instagram.

A post shared by The Sixth Ward (@thesixthward) on Mar 19, 2017 at 4:08pm PDT

Happy Memorial Day

On this occassion we'll honor the Buffalo Soldiers who are members of the US Army's 9th & 10th Cavalries. This unit was active from roughly the end of the Civil War all the way through the second World War. They were given the names by the various Native American tribes of the west as a term of respect comparing their courage with the fighting spirit of the buffalo.

Some of this information and the above painting was retrieved from the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Delaware.

Could we do this with some of our potholes?

I saw this piece of art near the intersection of Michigan/Ohio in downtown Chicago. It was formerly a pothole and then recently saw that a piece of mosaic artwork has been embedded in this pothole. My comments on ig was basically in support of such activity by an artists. Surely there are other parts of the city that may not get the services it should get where someone who cares about the community can do something such as this.

 Sooner or later unfortunately the city will probably destroy this piece, the artist Jim Bachor is not sanctioned by the city to do this. It's probably a wonder that Bachor hasn't been arrested by authorities for his activities and doing such a bold thing but going to such an active part of town to fill in a pothole with his materials.

I know there are more creative people in our communities who could do this with our potholes. Knowing this can only cost money if the businesses and residents of our community was able to do this with our potholes. Our IG post on this is below

I would like to see the creative people in our community do things like this for our potholes. Very creative indeed. This former pothole is located at Michigan/Ohio near the Guess store. #art #creative #publicart #streets #chicagogram #michiganavenue

A photo posted by The Sixth Ward (@thesixthward) on Nov 13, 2015 at 2:48pm PST

Tribune: First look inside Theaster Gates' new Stony Island Arts Bank

Stony Island Arts Bank 68th & Stony Island by Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune

One of the cultural things that I would like to see more of in our communities. How many of us would support such a project and when it's done come visit?

The last time Theaster Gates walked me through the abandoned bank at East 68th Street and South Stony Island Avenue, water dripped from the ceiling, clouds wafted over a hole in the roof, and shards of glass and scraps of plaster crunched under his feet.

The 42-year-old Chicago artist will debut his $4.5 million renovation of the bank — which he has transformed into a library and cultural center — on Oct. 3, the opening day of the city's first architectural biennial.

That the city's cultural elite will be drawn about 9 miles south of the Loop into a building once scheduled for demolition speaks to Gates' lofty position in the contemporary art world.

It also speaks to his commitment to the South Side, even as Manhattan and Europe frequently draw him away, as well as his skill at requisitioning everything from record collections to patrons' money. Playwright Regina Taylor once aptly summed up Gates' demeanor in the Chicago Reader as that of "a soulful Cheshire Cat."

"I was really determined to see this project happen," Gates said in a phone interview from Istanbul, where he was preparing for that city's contemporary art biennial. "For people in my life who respect the work I do and understand the work, everyone around me had anxiety about its scale. And the friendly advice I got from everybody was to walk away."

Read the whole thing!

VIDEO: CHA project turned into artists' home

[VIDEO] This seems like a great case for adaptive re-use of a CHA housing project. While the housing isn't just for artists it's still great that this property had been revitalized and put back into use.

Theaster Gates is an artist who's also involved with making art for the Dan Ryan branch of the CTA Red Line. You will see him in this video from the Chicago Tribune as well.

Artwork unveiled for CTA Dan Ryan Red Line stops

Art work to be installed at 63rd/Halsted

From Cermak to 87th Street new artwork will be installed in the future at those stops.

Both the Chicago Tribune & DNA Info has photo slideshows of the expected artwork for each stop. Also the CTA has their own press release regarding this project.

Red Eye: CTA sets meetings between South Side residents, artists

Some meetings to keep in mind this coming week. Regarding the artwork to come soon at the L stops along the Dan Ryan branch of the CTA Red Line:

The CTA will have meetings next week for South Side residents to introduce artists who will be creating works for eight Red Line stations that saw renovations last year.

The new artwork is part of the $425 million, five-month overhaul of the southern portion of the Red Line, which reopened in October. A separate art project is planned for the 95th Street station.

The meetings, which begin at 6 p.m., will be at the following:

• Tuesday at St. Samuel Church of God in Christ, 8749 S. State St., for the 87th Street station
• Wednesday at Friendly Temple Church, 7745 S. State St., for the 63rd, 69th and 79th Streets stations
•  Thursday at Wentworth Gardens Gymnasium, 3770 S. Wentworth Ave. for the Cermak-Chinatown, Sox-35th, 47th Street and Garfield stations.

What are the landmarks of our community?

I found this Built for Chicago ad on the train from downtown one night. Unfortunately this event has passed and this is one way to show off our communities. Whether we have a regular camera or cameraphone we could take pictures of something we may consider a landmark.

In my head, buildings would be a landmark although that's not the only limit. We could be talking about houses, schools, or even businesses for example. What landmarks in our communities would we consider worthy of a postcard?

What I would ask is that, whatever you have in mind for a landmark feel free to share them with us. You're more thank welcome to either tweet them to us @thesixthward or post them to our FB page. We would like to see what you would consider landmarks where you live and what would make for a good postcard.

CTA Announces Artwork Plans for Red Line South Stations

There are meetings coming up for public art to be installed at the closed Red Line South stops when that branch is finally reopened in October 2013. Here's an official press release from CTA and these are the dates provided within:

• Thursday, June 27
  6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
  Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church
  5141 S. State Street
• *Tuesday, July 9
  1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
  Chicago Police Headquarters
  3510 S Michigan Avenue
  (*this meeting is only regarding the Sox-35th Red Line station
• Wednesday, July 10
  1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
  Chinatown Library
  2353 S. Wentworth Avenue

I am Englewood logo contest...

Now this is what I'm talking about. It looks like there is finally a call by the neighborhoods to brand themselves. In this case it's Englewood who had been represented negatively by The Chicago Neighborhoods and Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters. Now it's great to see Englewood start to take matters in their own hands:

The Invest In Englewood Advisory Council is actively seeking a locally designed logo for Englewood. The logo will be used for all marketing materials for the Invest In Englewood Campaign which is being managed by the Greater Englewood CDC.

The Invest in Englewood Campaign is a comprehensive initiative whose mission is to rebrand, rebuild, and revitalize the economy of Greater Englewood by building on existing community assets and facilitating collaboration between residents and other key stakeholders.

The contest is for students of Englewood in grades 7th- 12th who live or go to school in the Englewood neighborhood. We are working to create signage, banners, yard signs, t-shirts, etc. and hope to have a symbol/logo that represent the pride, hope, and opportunities that lie within Englewood. We are accepting submissions until November 28th.

Download attached form for contest details.

The Invest In Englewood Advisory Council is actively seeking a locally designed logo for Englewood. The logo will be used for all marketing materials for the Invest In Englewood Campaign which is being managed by the Greater Englewood CDC.

The Invest in Englewood Campaign is a comprehensive initiative whose mission is to rebrand, rebuild, and revitalize the economy of Greater Englewood by building on existing community assets and facilitating collaboration between residents and other key stakeholders.

The theme that will be use for many of these materials will be Rebrand. Rebuild. Revitalize. We hope the logo/symbol will represent these three important elements of the campaign. For more details call 866-845-1032 or email your submissions to abutler @ greaterenglewoodcdc . org!

We need everyone's help in order to REBRAND. REBUILD. REVITALIZE Englewood!

And again, we're going to make another call for more people who are artists or graphic designers to make logos or brands for their respective communities. Hopefully we will all see what the residents of Englewood can eventually come up with.

Flyer is below, if you want to spread the word!

Not sure Englewood would like this one...

I'm not sure if a link to this site was shared earlier on this blog, but this site makes images that are certainly insulting to neighborhoods and suburbs around the Chicagoland area. Englewood gets the treatment you see above. The site is called Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters and I checked the site out after a posting about another image from there over at Sloopin.

click for larger resolution

While not meant to be "slightly insulting" this almost evokes The Chicago Neighborhoods' brand for Englewood the background pic utilized was of the "murder castle" mentioned in the image above.
The brand you see to the left caused a stir on this blog when it was originally posted.

In any case what you see above certainly is meant to be sarcastic. The murder castle itself at 63rd & Wallace is long gone. But as with the case of the earlier brand from Chicago Neighborhoods, it may not help Englewood's image as a violent neighborhood.

I wonder what the residents of Englewood think about this.

Buy your neighborhoods prints from The Chicago Neighborhoods

Logo prints are now available at The Chicago Neighborhoods. Buy a print and help represent the neighborhood where you live. Especially if you live in the various neighborhoods on this part of town. And also remember you can still buy t-shirts as well.

The Chicago Neighborhoods: Chatham & Englewood t-shirts now available!

Click image to go to the online store!

I noted when hearing that neighborhood t-shirts were available from them, certain neighborhoods that we know had been represented in a brand had yet to go on sale. Now they have such neighborhoods as Chatham, Englewood, and Greater Grand Crossing available!

Will you "represent your 'hood" with a t-shirt? Click here for the online store!

The Chicago Neighborhoods is now offering t-shirts...

Now you can buy t-shirts for the various neighborhood brands created by artist Steve Shanabruch. Sadly the nice brand for the Chatham neighborhood is unavailable and I'm sure many of you who identify with Chatham will buy those shirts off the rack like gangbusters.

Other nearby neighborhoods have their "Chicago Neighborhoods" brand on sale such as Woodlawn, South Chicago, Roseland, Pullman, Beverly and Morgan Park.

People disagreed with the image used in the background for Englewood but most of these t-shirts emphasize the lettering of those brands not the background images. I'm sure there are those who would like to wear t-shirts to represent Englewood just as well.

Click the image at the top of this post to visit The Chicago Neighborhoods to see if your neighborhood is represented as a brand. Also let Shanabruch know that you want to represent your neighborhood with a t-shirt. Here's contact info below!

• E-mail  
• Twitter @chgohoods  
• Facebook

Finally my challenge still stands! Some of you out there are artists who could really utilize your their talents to show our communities in a positive light.

Hat-tip Chicagoist!

Neighborhood Pride on a Poster - Gapers Block Chicago

Neighborhood Pride on a Poster - Gapers Block Chicago

Check out http://studiochris.com/ for some examples of neighborhood posters. I look forward to seeing a Chatham poster although I'm sure there are some graphic artists in the neighborhood that can produce something similar to allow residents to show their pride in their neighborhoods.

Over the history of this blog we have shown neighborhood logos for both Englewood and Chatham. We even wondered why Chatham doesn't have at least neighborhood markers for the neighborhood although apparently Park Manor and Grand Crossing do have markers on opposite sides of the expressway.

What other ways do you show pride in the neighborhoods where you live?

Chicagoist: More Neighborhoods Get "The Chicago Neighborhoods" Treatment

Chicagoist recently featured the many designs from The Chicago Neighborhoods project. Amongst those shown there are the logos for Chatham, Englewood, & Bronzeville.

We already know people from Chatham on Facebook already like the design created for that particular neighborhood. A more negative reception for the Englewood design was seen on our blog.

Also I add Bronzeville primarily because it's another predominantly Black neighborhood that deserves some due. I would consider this a home run and especially for the description where Bronzeville residents didn't like their community being referred to as merely the "Black belt or ghetto".

Anyway I share this so that you all will still see how others may perceive our communities. I also share this so that you will be allowed every opportunity to share you thoughts on the various designs for various city neighborhood. You should go to Chicagoist to share your thoughts as well!

Also note Chicago Neighborhoods are on Twitter & Facebook as well!