Lighthouses on the Mag Mile

This summer Chicago is sponsoring Lighthouses on the Mag Mile which features 51 six-foot lighthouse sculptures, created by national and local Chicago artists, many with disabilities. Here are 8 of them that I enjoyed on my walk down Michigan Avenue in June.

"A Daring Adventure"

"A Daring Adventure" by Carrie Carlson was designed to help support her interest in local prairie restoration. Diversity in the grassland ecosystem supports a healthy variety of plants and animals. Respecting diversity and protecting inclusiveness in the human population is even more important. As a high school educator, she has had the privilege and joy to teach some remarkable young adults with vision impairments and her lighthouse included this quote from Helen Keller: "Knowledge is love and light and vision".

"Dream"

"Dream" by Mark Nelson contains a wind harp inside, but there was not a stong enough breeze when I passed by to hear it sing. The windows and door are open and covered with grates to let the air pass inside.

"Lift Us"

"Lift Us" was sponsored by the Blackhawks and was created by Hamza "IN-ZO" Muhammad who uses comic book art platforms to capture and inspire his audience. He has served as a fine arts and popular culture educator for high-risk youth.

Damon Lamar Reed's mission is to use the power of art to create positive change, and his interpretation of this project moved me due to our personal experience with Cory's mental health issues. He looked up the meaning of the word disability: a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. Damon states that he knows his position may not be a popular concept, but that being born a black man could be considered a disability.  He also says we are all born with two things: an obstacle and a gift.  And we have to have a support system to soar. I know that this is a mantra I share with everyone I speak to about Cory.  Cory is still with us today because he has such a strong support system.  The flip side of that is all the people with mental illness who do NOT have a strong support system and my heart breaks for them.  I'm certain many of the homeless people one sees on the streets of Chicago are unmedicated mentally ill individuals who have no help and whose illness interferes with their ability to trust anyone and to ask for that help.

"Join the Dance"

"Join the Dance" by Sarah Jenkins is an invitation to us all to recognize each other’s unique strengths and creatively work together to include individuals with disabilities into our workplaces and communities.  She works at a day school for children with disabilities and says every day her students surprise and bless her.  She believes we must work hard to see the potential for growth in those who are disabled but that we must not romanticize their handicaps either.

"We Bloom"

Vivian Visser has shown her sculptures nationally and internationally (Cool Globes - Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet, which was at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen) and she shares her ideas about our need to create a better relationship with nature as a way to find peace within ourselves and each other  with the piece "We Bloom" .  She believes we all have the potential to "bloom" and succeed. Check out that link for the Cool Globes, they are awesome!

"Eye Wonder"

Being a former Optician turned Eyeglass Frame Sales Representative of course I couldn't help but be drawn to "Eye Wonder" by Lisa Birmingham.  She is The Chicago Lighthouse’s Chief Creative Director, but prior to her appointment with the Lighthouse she was the staff medical illustrator for the Ophthalmology Department at The University of Illinois at Chicago. For over twenty five years, Lisa has developed a deep understanding of eye anatomy and has been in awe of the beauty of its various tissues and structures. The partnership of a medical illustrator with physicians and researchers helps advance medicine in the treatment and prevention of eye disease.

"Northern Lights" shines outisde the Tribune Tower

Lori Murphy is currently funded by a grant to teach studio art to young adults with autism and she created this piece along with Fiona Murphy. The silver metallic paint changes in different light, and luminescent paint in the windows and the streaks representing the Northern Lights absorbs light from the sun during the day and glows at night.

"Make the World Felt"

But my favorite was the simple yet startling "Make the World Felt" by Yu-hui Huang & Eduardo Arias.  I didn't know the meaning and as I hustled down the street all I could think about was who were those people trying to break through? Here's a quote from the Lighthouses website from the artists: "...The community created by arts is a great source of inspiration for activists who work to transcend the stigmatization of other people, positions, and worldviews sadly endemic in public today. They hope art will take part in discussions of social issues and artists will be included when leaders consider solutions to the challenges we face in the world today."  Ahhh, that explains it's attraction to me!  They use their artistic talents to craft facial prosthetics, and used prosthetic hands to symbolize breaking down barriers to promote access for people with disabilities.

Tomorrow I'll talk a little about our experience seeing Kathy Griffin at the Chicago Theatre!