A collection of portraits depicting remarkable Chicagoans from artist Hana Bleue Chaussette will be displayed on bus shelters during a three-month exhibition with JCDecaux.
“Unsung Heroes of Uptown: Art of People ON the Streets IN the Streets” launched on May 6th across 30 JCDecaux bus shelters around Chicago with a focus on the historic and dynamic Uptown neighborhood. A collaboration between JCDecaux and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), this exhibition reveals the exciting stories behind five notable Uptowners who may otherwise fly “under the radar.”
One of the portrait subjects is Pulitzer Prize-winning oral historian, actor, and radio and television legend Studs Terkel. Terkel is the primary inspiration of both this exhibition and much of Chaussette’s entire career as he, like Chaussette, believed strongly that everyone has a remarkable story to tell.
The other subjects include: Jackie Taylor, CEO and founder of the Black Ensemble Theater; Yman Huang Vien, entrepreneur and co-founder with her father Duc Huang of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association; Terry Abrahamson, Grammy Award-winning writer of “Bus Driver” with the legendary American Blues singer-songwriter Muddy Waters; and K., whose positive spirit inspires all who know her, despite losing her teenage son to a childhood friend’s gang initiation.
Each portrait is presented in an Instagram-like format with interview excerpts as captions and QR codes below that will bring viewers to webpages with more information.
After graduating from Duke University with a BA in Political Science followed by a BFA earned through a scholarship at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chaussette’s career flourished in Japan and China where she produced TV and radio content for 13 years, breaking boundaries and bridging the gap between East and West.
Chaussette believes that by telling these local stories through a uniquely accessible public medium like JCDecaux street furniture, she can combat isolation of the digital age and encourage Chicagoans to learn about, explore and reconnect with their communities.
Learn more about artist Hana Bleue Chaussette, her inspiration Studs Terkel, and the exhibition here.