The rhythmic poetry of Don L. Lee (Haki Matabuti) and Bill Walker’s murals embedded across Chicago’s Southside in the 1960s greatly influenced artist Dorian Sylvain growing up. For this exhibition, she creates an 80 foot long temporary mural to reimagine how racial unity and pride appear in Black communities today. Sylvain combines the Afro-centric ornamentation and color palettes of Walker with her updated patterning and stylized urban landscape to highlight the reconciling of past and present social movements to build a more positive culturally rich environment for the next generation.
During her three-month residency in the Guida Family Studios, Sylvain will paint on non-woven material to be collaged on to the mural and work with middle school youth to reconsider what the role public art should be in our neighborhoods.
