Access Family Health Society, Chicago Heights, Illinois
Completed in May, 2024.
“…The third installment of a larger community art initiative [which is] focused on highlighting the beauty, diversity, and uniqueness of the communities [that Access Community Health Network] is proud to serve while hoping to uplift residents and bring communities together.
The series of murals feature two iconic symbols of Chicago Heights including Bloom High School and the historic Lincoln Highway, which represents [the] community’s shared journey from childhood through adulthood. The changing seasons depicted in each mural symbolize the growth and transformation [the residents] experience together as a community.”
Thank you so much for this opportunity
Neighborhoods like Homewood and Park Forest pride themselves on their public art initiatives. Their streets are lined with big walls with bright murals, and I’ve always felt that Chicago Heights deserved the same treatment. Being invited to paint Access Family Health’s Lincoln Highway facility was a dream come true, and being able to make a mark in my community is such an honor.
My hope is that the mural will dazzle those passing by on Lincoln Highway. I’d like people to feel joy and warmth that radiates out of The Heights. I cannot overstate how thankful I am for Access Family Health and their staff for allowing me to paint their facility. And thank you to Chicago Heights for facilitating such a creative community.
I am enormously proud to call Chicago Heights my home. I grew up here, and I’ve always answered proudly when people have asked where I’m from. My neighborhood is rich with history and bustling with culture. I’ve always adored the look of our old, sturdy houses, the
sounds of the wildlife in the forest preserves. Despite my emphatic pride, I did always feel like we we’re falling behind when it came to public art.
For me, this mural represents the true goodness within our community. The piece could not have been completed without teamwork. It required full communication with faculty, patients, my fellow assistants, and my overseers to make this thing happen. Even while my team and I were painting the walls, it was communication and conversation that really kept things going. Working in the summer heat was NOT easy. But, after getting down from the scaffolding and looking at your day’s work, you realize just how much of an impact a little brush and some paint can do. A few hours in the sun is nothing for an end result like the one we have. It was a long time coming, and a very painstaking process, but the result was well worth the work and the wait.
the Painters
Personal Photographer: Alan J. Epstein (SAIC ‘26) (whatwasbreakfast.com)
This project could not have been completed without the help of my wonderful crew:
(From top left) Taylor Bullock (UIUC ‘26), J. E. Paeth (SAIC ‘26), Summer Shin (SAIC ‘26), Joel Jarquin (SAIC ‘26), Kaili Merrick (MCHS ‘26), (bottom left) Tahja Gresham (SAIC ‘26), Jada Shields (SAIC ‘26), Eddy Barber-Rozema (SAIC ‘26)
(not pictured) Theresa Hammons (MCHS Teacher)
This talented set of painters helped me turn these blank walls into finished pieces in a little under two weeks. I am forever grateful for such a committed group of artists.
