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Community
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Thursday, 25 June 2009 05:25 |
 By Francis Scudellari
Rogers Park’s annual Artists of the Wall Festival completed another successful weekend on June 20 and 21 as local residents displayed their unrivaled and colorful creativity to decorate the concrete bench that runs along Loyola Beach from Morse to Pratt.
The event is organized by the Loyola Park Advisory Council and the money it raises is used to fund several park programs throughout the year.
It was a family-friendly two days of fun and sun (and a few clouds) at the neighborhood’s jewel of a lake front. The event welcomed both new and experienced painters of all ages. Adding to the festivities, there was a children’s craft tent and eight live bands who rocked the park from a stage nestled within Lynn Takata’s recently rehabbed Windform sculpture.
The painters were able to work with a pristine surface, as the layers of paint that had accumulated over the years were sandblasted down to the concrete. Each was asked to paint to the 16th Festival’s theme, which was “Midsummer Day’s Dream.”
The Festival logo, which adorned its popular t-shirts and posters and was designed by local graphic artist Renee Witherwax, offered some inspiration, but everyone was free to express the idea as they wished.
 Entries ranged from cartoon parodies to ethereal landscapes. Not surprising to anyone familiar with our activist neighborhood, there were political commentaries on Gay Marriage and the President. There was even a reference to the city’s recent parking meter debacle, which used a motif from Edvard Munch’s The Scream to comically express how many residents feel.
Entrants were judged in three different categories: Junior, Teen and Adult. There were a number of worthy spaces, but the festival judges did an admirable job of selecting the seven winners who each took home a cash prize.
This year’s Adult winners were: John Randle sponsored by Anthony Mesok from Bark Place (Spaces No. 16 & 17, 1st Place); Allison Rae Butkas (Space No. 27, 2nd Place); and the Taibossigai Family (Space No. 84, 3rd Place).
Teen top finishers were: Clayton Demma (Space No. 87, 1st Place); Tea Swift (Space No. 62, 2nd Place).
Junior winners were: Sonja Stachurski (Space No. 57, 1st Place); John Williams and Zachary Thomas (Space No. 108, 2nd Place).
You’ll be able to view all of the entries by enjoying a lovely summer walk at Loyola Beach. But don’t wait too long, next summer and the 17th Annual Artist of the Wall Festival will be here before you know it. |
