A mural celebrating Chicago’s spirit now greets residents and travelers at Midway International Airport, and 19 high school students helped create it.
The artwork, titled “Midway Spring Breaks,” is the result of a collaboration between James “Casper” Jankowiak and teens across the city, including nine students from Hancock High School. All were completed over their spring break. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Chicago Department of Aviation, and the nonprofit After School Matters partnered on the project, which was unveiled July 20.
Jankowiak, a Hancock art teacher, also teaches a Contemporary Painting Studio through After School Matters, recruited his students from the Learning Lab at the Chicago Cultural Center. DCASE brought in additional teens from neighborhoods across the city.
“It was special for the students to get a chance to meet kids from outside their neighborhoods for a change,” Jankowiak said.
The teens proposed a framework that gave each young artist a designated area to work while leaving space for Jankowiak to contribute around them. Over four five-hour days during spring break they built the mural together. Afterwards, Jankowiak had the panels delivered to his art studio and added his contributions. The panels were then delivered to Midway.
The 16 four-by-four-foot panels now hang in the transom between the Midway Orange Line and the airport terminal, where thousands of travelers pass daily.
The teens wanted the artwork to reflect what they love about being Chicagoans. They chose the base colors of the CTA train lines: blue, orange, red, etc., and made a pigeon a central character. “Pigeons were symbols of resilience and togetherness,” Jankowiak said. “You can’t visit Chicago without encountering them.”
Many of the young artists favored abstract work, so they incorporated patterns reflecting Chicago’s ethnic diversity, woven together with Jankowiak’s own abstract contributions.
Several teens worked beyond their scheduled hours, Jankowiak said, eager to show their best work.
“I absolutely love that at such a young age, they have already contributed to the city’s rich tradition of public art,” Jankowiak said. “It is a source of sincere pride to have been the link to make that happen.”
