The Project
Mission
- Bring unity to the La Grange area through the power of art.
Vision
- Partnered with local and diverse La Grange area community groups/organizations, artists and individuals of all ages and skillsets.
- Gained community participation in sponsored artistic projects to build relationships through collaborative art project and engagement activities.
- The committee and all event participants used a consultative process: listen, evaluate, decide and support decision.
The Project (click buttons below)
October 2022 – April 2023: Coordinating/Fundraising
The CDG Arts Committee was formed, starting as a diverse group of “strangers” who got to know each other very well, quickly. A most dedicated group, they pooled their individual talents and made this project a reality in only a year—an impressive accomplishment!
The committee met monthly to update, coordinate and fundraise before the Kickoff Meeting in April with Green Star Movement, where we discussed the project and timeline. Heavy marketing fueled excitement for the project, and money raised with a month and an half was more than our fundraising goal! We were able to expand the mural design and add to the Workshops/Dedication experience.
April 2023: Kick-Off Meeting with Green Star Movement
The CDG Arts Committee met with Kamelia from Green Star Movement to discuss the CommUNITY Mosaic Project. We learned about the entire process and created a timeline for the Design Workshops, where the community would brainstorm ideas and shared stories about the community.
April/May 2023: Design Workshops
April 19 Design “Brainstorming” Workshop: We gathered with Green Star Movement and more than 30 participants, representing different parts of the La Grange area, to brainstorm ideas for the mosaic design. It was an engaging and productive conversation. We heard wonderful stories about this culturally rich east side community and the historic Community Center—‘The Center’, as it is so respectfully called. The images and themes shared helped Green Star Movement create multiple designs for eight panels that tell an important aspect of the community’s origins!
Green Star Movement sent us many design options for our group to consider and decide by consensus which ones would best represent the essence of the community with the theme: The Community Center – PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE
May 4, 2023—Design ‘Decision’ Workshop: We engaged in a lively, two-hour discussion with a group of about 20 participants—both La Grange generational and area residents— as well as representatives of La Grange organizations and churches, local artists, muralists, and art educators from two school districts. Those who could not attend were encouraged to send feedback on designs and shared their preferences via email, text, or video call. The discussion was lively and everyone was given a chance to be heard, including Zoom participants.
Having local businesses as part of the project made it even more of a community happening. For the Design and Tile-Laying Workshops and the Mural Dedication Celebration, La Grange area businesses were asked to be included as a way to connect to to the project and build more relationships along the way.
Positive Feedback from Design Workshop Participants!
Some expressed that they were “inspired”, “uplifted”, “enlightened”, and one former La Grange resident said “really great to be included, it was like being home again …”. Community perspectives were valued and we all learned a little something about each other, which is as important as creating this beautiful mosaic mural.
August/September 2023: Tile-Laying Workshops
The CDG Arts Committee coordinated again with Green Star Movement to host eight Tile-Laying Workshops. The La Grange-area community was then invited to sign up and hundreds of participants responded!
Families, Friends, Neighbors, Village Officials, Fire and Police Departments, Churches, Organizagtions, and Businesses … All Showed Up BIG to be Part of the Story!
500 timeslots were filled to help complete the mural by smashing, shaping, and placing mosaic tile onto the panels in four one-hour timeslots per workshop per day.
There were so many ways to enjoy the workshops …
- People came to lay tiles multiple times because they found it relaxing, cathartic, and fun.
- Others just wanted to learn more about the community and be part of the “happening”.
- Generational residents had family members who came to La Grange from the south during the Great Migration to work at Electromotive Train Plant. They brought generations of their families to the Tile-Laying workshops to create the Train Panel representing that journey.
All who came to these workshops learned the story of the community as told by the community. A TRUE CommUNITY Experience!
The Community Center: Past-Present-Future is the theme that thoughtfully tells the story of this culturally rich and historic East Side of La Grange. A proud, self-sufficient, and vital contributor to the distinctiveness of this extraordinary community, despite its long history of disinvestment, discrimination, and segregation.
Photos from the Tile-Laying Workshop
Click here to See Many More Photos of CDG’s Mosaic Project
