All of Mankind by William Walker and Jan Tichy

FROM THE ARCHIVE / #TBT: All of Mankind by William Walker and All of Mankind by Jan Tichy

Earlier this year, I catalogued a 2008 letter from the Chicago Public Arts Group, an uplifting update on the All of Mankind Coalition's efforts to save what is referred to as here, an "important mural." This letter, of course, refers to the fight to preserve William Walker's mural on the side of a historic church on the near north side (also close in proximity to the site of Cabrini-Green), since whitewashed and erased in 2015. I had known the building which exists today (a depressing, whitish-gray church with any of its' distinctive features painted over) and William Walker's work, but was completely oblivious to this murals existence until a conversation with Faheem regarding this letter. 

All of Mankind by William Walker, Chicago Public Arts Group

William Walker is a figure whose presence can be felt even as I work here at the Burroughs'; a mere few feet from me in the mansion exists one of the few surviving pieces of his work on the south side of Chicago, let alone the rest of the city, which is part of what had made All of Mankind's whitewashing so devastating.

Photos by Jan Tichy, courtesy of Floating Museum

As we near exactly two years since the opening of Floating Museum's Chicago Architecture Biennial exhibition This is a Rehearsal, I thought it fitting to refer back to All of Mankind as Jan Tichy had referenced the mural in the form of a large scale installation on the face of Joffrey Ballet's building downtown.  Past -> present <- future

Photos by Jan Tichy, courtesy of Floating Museum