CultureWorks students had the honor of meeting and working with acclaimed mural artist Sandra Antongiorgi on a new collaborative mural in Fennville.
Our students were so honored to meet and work with Sandra Antongiorgi, an accomplished singer, songwriter, and painter based in Chicago, who is leading the project. The mural, located behind Root Cafe, will explore themes of belonging, healing, and community.
Sandra has an idea of how the mural will look, but she’s also been listening to and learning about our community and working with groups of students to develop and create the mural.
Sandra shared her life’s story with our crew of young artists – a story of grief and healing, of vulnerability and strength. She shared about what it was like to grow up in a neighborhood in Chicago where every resident has been touched in some way by gun violence. She shared about the power of mural art in her own life and her passion for engaging communities through public art, for the sake of healing and seeking social justice. Read more about Sandra’s work here.
Sandra’s parents were musicians, so she took up guitar at the age of 5 and used music as a means of expression and escape. Then she taught herself to draw from some booklets and excelled in that at school, and grew to love the immediacy of the visual arts, and she received positive feedback at school. As a young teen, Sandra drew what she knew – images of violence and weapons, but her teachers recognized her ability and suggested she attend a fine arts school during her high school years. She threw herself into the arts and took every opportunity to grow and learn, eventually taking classes at the School for the Art Institute of Chicago, which she attended during high school and then as a full time student after graduation. The Art Institute became her refuge. Sandra spoke about the vital role that mentors played in her life – “mentors see you; they see your potential…and they’re usually ahead of you in whatever medium you use.” Mentors made all the difference in Sandra’s life, helping her see a future beyond the trauma of daily violence; helping her see herself more truthfully and to come to terms with who she was and who she could be.
Sandra also talked about rootedness (we were sitting outside of Root Cafe, after all) and challenged our students to think about what it is that gives them a sense of rootedness, stability, and strength. It’s been a long journey of personal reflection, healing, and discovery for Sandra, but she’s in a healthier place now, a place from which she can recognize and respond to human suffering, using murals to elevate and honor others who suffer from violence, marginalization, stigmatization, and incarceration. There will be a mural celebration in the alleyway behind Root Cafe on July 29 from 6-7pm.
Thank you for inviting us to contribute, Sandra Antongiorgi and Saugatuck Center for the Arts!
