Keep on truckin’: Exhibition brings the arts to Humboldt Park

Humboldt Park has no gallery-lined streets. Its few art events are under-promoted, its residents sometimes skeptical of new artists' arrivals. Owing to lack or time or knowledge, many inhabitants don't experience the arts at all.

Local artist John Song is trying to change all that. If the community can't flock to art, he can bring it to them. Literally.

Song has created "Mobile Exhibitions," an art installation about the people and urban geography of Humboldt Park. But this display is not the "what," it's about the "where": Song's unexpected gallery space is three 24-foot Ryder moving trucks, which gathered before curious onlookers next to a Pizza Hut at the corner of North and Western avenues on Sunday evening.

All told, the trucks were in five different community locations throughout the day. Song, who moved to Humboldt Park about a year ago, said it was important to him to make the exhibition mobile, as opposed to simply displaying the works in a traditional gallery.

"I wanted to introduce myself to the community," he said. "I wanted to get art into the community, to create alternative spaces."

Song's philosophy jibes with that of Chicago Artists Month. The goal of the event, which runs through Oct. 31, is to bring visibility to Chicago artists in their communities, said Nancy Cortez, senior program specialist for arts and culture with the Chicago Park District. For its part, the Park District installed the art of two Puerto Rican artists at the Humboldt Park Boathouse to mark the month.

"Chicago residents don't really know who the artists are in the community, so that's the thrust of Chicago Artists Month, to bring them to the community," Cortez said.

Similarly, Song said he feels artists don't always engage their communities, so he wanted to create art that was both for and about Humboldt Park.

"Truck 1" does just that, featuring 22 photos of well-known area residents taken immediately after they popped a balloon. Song said popping a balloon helped to create a natural reaction from the subjects, but he was also interested in cultivating communal reactions from those who viewed the portraits.

"People look at the pictures, and a lot of people point out 'Oh, I know that person,'" Song said.

As if on cue, two school-age children entered the truck and tugged at Song's shirt.

"Excuse me mister," said one, while pointing at a man on the wall, whose portrait was next to his wife's. "We know them. That's Tony. They run a flower shop."

Song told them he has a story about each person captured on the wall. He pointed out one, a meat wholesaler, and another who runs a restaurant, saying the two now have a business relationship. Song said that while his goal was to interact with the community, even he was surprised by the extent of the community response.

"I really didn't expect people to meet each other through this," Song said. "It's really difficult to go up to strange people and ask them to get involved. But I found that if you keep explaining it to them, they'll go along."

Another one of Song's portrait subjects is Jorge Felix, program director at the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Felix's bald head, goatee and closed-eyed, serene look draw the viewer into his photo, and also his story.

Felix was less wary about the project than most, Song said, because Felix is involved with the arts. But Song said Felix has his own challenges, such as how contemporary art is viewed in Humboldt Park-many residents don't consider Puerto Rican contemporary art as authentic "Puerto Rican" art, Song said-and gentrification, the 500-pound gorilla that accompanies art in the community.

"He invited artists from different parts of Humboldt Park to talk about gentrification at a panel," Song said. "And none of them wanted to. Gentrification is a really sensitive subject."

Damien Miller, 34, a volunteer docent with the exhibition, said there are definite concerns about the link between art and gentrification.

"People worry that when you get young artists moving in, the neighborhood will get hip and property prices will go up, and then their neighborhood will change," he said.

Song said he tried to reflect the character of the neighborhood, including gentrification, in the exhibition. That's why his materials included items residents see but take for granted, such moving trucks and the balloons that adorn the area's plentiful real estate signs. Song said he was further inspired by a scene that took place on his street.

"One morning I woke up to three reverse tones from moving trucks, on the same block, at the same time," he said. "So that's what's going on here."

Song said he hoped his art would encourage residents to reexamine their outlook on gentrification.

"I hope that people are willing to listen to each other and different viewpoints in the community," he said. "The art is about alternative perspectives and juxtaposing things, and I hope people will look at the issue differently."

Perspective was also on display in "Truck 2," where Song recreated graffiti blasting, which occurs when the city sends around teams to cover up graffiti with paint. But the new paint always ends up standing out, resulting in the appearance of pockmarked walls. The truck also contained a photo album showing examples of graffiti blasting from around the neighborhood.

Casey Sanchez, 28, of Humboldt Park, was a volunteer docent for "Truck 2." He said he liked how the truck reflected Chicago's unique approach to graffiti.

"In other cities, taggers just graffiti over graffiti," Sanchez said. "Here, it's this weird problem where we have it, but we clean it up very quickly. But it's not quite cleaned up, it's just sort of staining the city."

Mitch Kranitz and his girlfriend hadn't heard of the exhibit, but stopped by the truck while on a walk. Kranitz, 35, said he appreciated both Song's work and the fact that art had appeared in his neighborhood.

"I didn't know about it, but I think it's an enjoyable experience just to stumble upon it," he said.

"Truck 3" contained a number of paper-mache and wire pinatas. Song said that truck was motivated by differing reactions to urban animals.

"Stumbling upon a rat, one person may scream and holler, another grimace and a third might have a rat at home as a pet," Song wrote in the text that accompanied the exhibit.

Ultimately, Song, 32, said his goal was to create art that people-especially those of his generation-could connect to. He said he thinks the "do it yourself" aesthetic of his work-it is, after all, set up on trucks and composed largely of "trash and everyday objects"-makes it appeal to Generations X and Y.

"People in their 20s and 30s are more interested in medium and style, as opposed to older people, who are more interested in subject matter," he said.

Longtime area residents said they thought Song succeeded in injecting himself into the community and drawing the best of it back out with him. Michael Bancroft has lived in Humboldt Park for 10 years and helped Song with the project. He said "Mobile Exhibitions" captures the spirit of the neighborhood.

"The exhibition speaks to issues of graffiti, recycled materials, wildlife you see in a city setting," Bancroft said. "It talks to the diversity of people doing work, whether it is at a bakery or the Boys and Girls Club. It really has its roots here."