Sunnyside Mall Community Art Restoration

Sunnyside Mall is asking for support for the restoration/repair of From Many Paths We Come, the public art project in the mall, which was first installed in 1996. This project originated as a partnership between the Chicago Public Art Group, CDOT, Hull House, the 46th Ward office, and Beacon Street Gallery. Ginny Sykes (ginnysykes.com) was the lead artist along with Mirtes Zwierzynski, and was assisted by another local artist, Corinne Peterson. They trained neighborhood teens to help fabricate and design the work through Chicago's Gallery 37 program (now After School Matters).

For many years Ginny has tended to the columns doing minor restorations and repainting the columns. Now the conditions of normal wear and tear are such that they require another level of professional help. We would like to work with Brian McGlade, a specialist in public art tile installations, with whom Ginny has worked on a number of projects, including her mural at O'Hare airport's Terminal 3.

Total Budget:
Low: 1650.00
High: 3025.00 

Repair Details:

• Use an elastomeric caulk matching the grout to prevent further deterioration of mosaic tile at the ground around the columns where there are several fractures running through the mosaic at ground level. 
• The columns have handmade glazed and fired ceramic tiles. There are areas of deterioration in many of the tiles.Use a polyester colored resin epoxy mix to retouch the glazed finish of the original hand made tiles 
• Install glass tiles where missing and add ceramic tile substitutes as needed.
• Re-grout the entirety of the mosaics on all the columns as well as the ground level elevations of mosaic tile. A high quality grout, masonry sealer should also be considered. The performance and quality of the materials has greatly improved in the twenty-four years since the original installation. 

At this particular time when monuments are being reconsidered all over the city, from the Mayor's office to local community initiatives, we would like to assert that From Many Paths We Come, which was made by the community, speaks about and to people who lived in Uptown and still live here, and have been active in making Uptown a unique place, with its history of immigration and diversity, should be maintained and preserved. From Many Paths We Come is a unique marker of Uptown and has been featured in numerous articles and books. The repair budget is very reasonable. We would like to do the work this summer (2021) which would prevent another winter's impact.