Matriarchy for a New Millennium

I've been walking Wyatt in Gill Park since we got him, over four years ago. Gill Park is located a little northeast of Wrigley Field; it has a playground for kids, a baseball field, and some grass to spare. When Wyatt was a baby, this was the nearest chunk of grass to our apartment. We went here aaaaaaaallll the time, till I was just sick to death of every single thing in that darned park. Now remember, in the beginning, we were doing about 10 walks a day. I boasted of knowing every tree, every pine cone even - but, I never saw Matriarchy for a New Millennium.

That is, not until last week, when an old lady with a dog I know (I assume she was the dog walker) got chatty with me at the park. She pointed out that she liked the mural that brightened up a parking garage wall that abutted the baseball field. I was like, "Huh, I never noticed it before." And felt like an idiot. I mean, I've never had the strongest dose of art appreciation, but for someone who thought they knew every blade of grass in Gill Park and had seen them all peed on, it was sort of absurd I'd never looked up and taken in the gigantic, colorful mural taking up a building's worth of wall.

On the far right side, with white paint on a blue background, you can see the title - Matriarchy for a New Millennium. Beneath that, in faded purple on pink, with aqua and yellow bleeding through from an older hidden mural, there was a number coded explanation for what everything meant. Now, this is what I need! Because I had briefly taken in this mural and could not figure it out. I need an art appreciation by number system!

But the mural number key was, unfortunately, too faded to make heads or tails of, so here I am on my couch, with wine, Googling. I'm trying to dig deep and find some art appreciation!

Matriarchy for a New Milennium (plus Wyatt in the middle, my little pal Rumi the dog on the left, and a dude playing lacrosse against the mural in the background)

The mural was created by Tim Portlock and Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, who worked with local teenagers in 1997 to design a mural for the park. The teenagers requested three themes they wanted to be portrayed: gentrification and the displacement of local families; the evolving role of women, especially single mothers; and the unity of the many different people who live in the community. Good ideas teenagers!

Towards the left, I think you can probably see the two Native American faces - this was done to draw parallels to people displaced from their land. And I can't see it in my photo now (I'll have to go back and look!), but there is a traffic sign that says "10 miles from home to work exit", to emphasize the commuting troubles caused by the displacement.

Towards the center, there are the stories of different women. One comes home from work, changes out of her work clothes, and has to set to work doing household chores. A second woman flexes her arm, showing off her tattoos, and discovers she's pregnant. There is a baby near her that holds a flag with Spanish words on it that translates to, "The babies united will never be defeated." This is about the hope of a new generation. I assume, this foretold the coming of the Millennials, and their wonderful avocado toast and the death of Applebees.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the full detailed map key online, but I think I can sort out a lot of what's going on now. In any case, I have the main gist - a diverse group of people, women struggling to do everything, and the poor getting pushed aside. A bit sad, but I'm glad to have that new generation for hope!

So, this mural was painted over an original that was done in the 1970s. Thus I can't help but wonder if someone out there, right now, is gearing up for the next round. The 1970s mural was about women's equality, and was also done with the help of community youth. I'll be keeping my eyes open! I'm glad I snapped a photo of this one when I did, before it is gone forever. And I'm glad I had my eyes opened by that dog lady, so I can appreciate what my community did long before I was ever a part of it.

Hey folk, do you have any art gems in your neighborhood?