Uptown artist puts piping plovers up on Buena Park underpass — for 2nd time
Uptown artist Ashley Kennedy has painted five murals in her life, all drawing upon life in Chicago.
Her latest is actually a re-do. A new-ish mural was officially unveiled Tuesday at the Buena Avenue underpass at DuSable Lake Shore Drive. It replaces an earlier work she painted — featuring the beloved and endangered piping plovers — that was covered up this summer.
“The plovers are important to our neighborhood, and they’re important to me,” Kennedy, 45, said. “They make us happy.”
Kennedy, a former teacher who also works as a tour guide on the Chicago River, had been trying to bring more art to her pocket of Uptown ever since the city in July painted over the art that previously decorated the Buena Avenue tunnel.
Despite reaching out to local officials and groups, she found it hard to navigate the process of getting cleared to paint there.
“I’ve been trying to figure out how to get it done for years now, and it is just prohibitively complicated,” Kennedy told the Sun-Times on Monday.
Kennedy took matters into her own hands, and working with Buena Park Neighbors painted the original mural, “Piping Plover Pose,” to honor the birds that call nearby Montrose Beach home for part of the year.
But since no paperwork was filed with the city’s mural registry — a database created in 2019 to stop the city’s graffiti cleanup crews from accidentally removing public art — the Park District dispatched a crew to cover the mural up.
“The city washed over it, and it pissed off a lot of people,” Kennedy said. “This tunnel’s been barren for years.”
A neighbor left a laminated note and photo of the mural pinned to the wall after it was covered. Eventually, the office of Ald. Angela Clay (46th) put out an open call to artists to replace the mural. After another month of working with Clay’s office and Friends of the Peace Garden, a local group that preserves the nearby gardens, Kennedy was given clearance to put another mural up.
The city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events “has shared the mural permitting process with the artist. The Park District has met with 46th Ward Ald. Angela Clay’s office to explain the review/approval process, and as of late, has not received notification from CDOT/DCASE of any approved murals for this location,” Irene Tostado, the Park District’s deputy communications director, said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our sister agencies and the alderwoman’s office to coordinate the necessary approvals for this mural.”
Kennedy’s second take will be similar to the first, though it will now include three flowers as a tribute to the plover chicks who died this month, as well as the nearby Peace Garden.
Kennedy said she was still trying to get through the city’s permitting process, which she described as being heavy on “legalese.” She suggested the city consult artists on how to simplify the process or have a liaison to help field questions.
She still has doubts about whether her art will be protected despite filling out the paperwork. Having the neighborhood’s support has been welcome.
“These wonderful people in the neighborhood have been helping me with the ins and outs,” Kennedy said moments after passersby stopped to thank her. “I’m still nervous … but nervous with an army of people to help me.”