C Drew - Street Artist Adventures

Printing on State Street

Construction sites are willing to allow youthful artists associated with a connected non-profit like Gallery 37, a non-city agency created by Daley with his wife controlling the board, to display temporarily on their plywood street walls. This token to art appreciation does not count much. The artists can not benefit but the construction company gains the credit for a beautiful face to their ugly backyard.

Meanwhile, artists trying to survive can’t represent themselves in the Loop on a day to day basis. The City’s propaganda as friendly to artists is a sham.

This day I lay down my blanket in front of Channel 7 (ABC) on State Street, Chicago’s main drag in the Loop, just to the right of the towering video display shown above.

The evening rush hour was beginning and I printed without much interruption. It appears that the City has alerted its police to leave me alone. In previous years, when I had a peddler’s license I would have been investigated quickly in this same spot.

Once I had built up a pile of prints, a group of three or four African Americans stopped to admire my work. We talked and they introduced themselves. “Have you heard of Fred Hampton?” one lady asked me. I said I had. “This is Fred Hampton Jr.” The lady speaking was known as Queen Sister. They respected my effort to fight for free speech and found my methods interesting. “Have you ever considered coming to the south side,” Queen Sister asked. I said I would be happy to, if invited. She gave me an invitation to an event they were producing at the 63rd St. Park House.

Not long after this, two ladies, engaged me and Gina pictured below took enough interest to help out by handing out my patches to passersby as I printed. This type of spirit is the energy that fuels social change. As long as she helped, I remained.

Once she left, after helping for a solid half hour out of her day, I packed up and headed home satisfied. I had printed for about two hours without a single policeman asking for my peddlers license. Thank you Gina. Your spirit is the spirit of change. You inspire me to do more.