TPP: Some Final Thoughts And a Thank You

As my classmates Amanda and Monica have already said quite eloquently, a great deal was learned and accomplished over the past few weeks. We have had the pleasure of working with a terrific artist and his site. We have learned an unbelievable amount, not just about social media, network and producing content for online news, but about a vibrant, fun, and all-around cool community. So I won't belabor the points made by my classmates (good points all). Instead, I would like, on behalf of the Pilsen Project, to extend my sincerest thanks to Pilsen and its artists for welcoming us into their community, taking time to talk with us, and sharing with us your enthusiasm for what you do and the neighborhood you call home.

A project like this is only as successful--or indeed as interesting--as the subject matter allows it to be. As our statistics showed over the past four weeks (almost 2,000 unique views in under four weeks!) The Pilsen Project was quite successful, if we do say so ourselves. We couldn't have accomplished that without the Pilsen art community, who effectively made this project as colorful and fun as it was.

So thank you Miguel Cortez, Jeriah Hildwine, Saul Aguirre, Alvaro Sahagun, Rebecca Beachy, Kate Bowen and all the other artists who took the time to speak with us about art, about community, and the subtle (and not so subtle!) intersections between the two. We could not have done this without you.



Katherine H.

Artist Snapshot: Saul Aguirre

Saul Aguirre | Photo by Irish S.

We took a few minutes at "Short Court" to speak with Pilsen artist of many mediums, Saul Aguirre. 

Aguirre has been quite a force in the Pilsen art community since arriving there, and is currently helping to organize a show for some local artists in New York this summer.

"I've been making art since I was young," Aguirre said of how he got his start in art. If he had to fix it to a number, he believes he started creating when he was around seven years old, a young boy in Mexico City, Mexico.

In 1986, Aguirre moved to Chicago, where he has lived ever since. It was here where Aguirre "really opened doors" to his art career. He went to the Art Institute, where, as a student, he "was almost like being an apprentice."

"I would ask, 'how do you use that?'" Aguirre said of the various tools and media his teachers used. "'What is that?'"

Now , Aguirre does it all, a "multidisciplinary artist," who likes to work with all kinds of media. He uses his art to express ideas about the current social and political landscape, and to "visualize what's going on in the world," Aguirre said.

Aguirre has maintained an active presence in the local Chicago art community since moving into the Pilsen neighborhood. Chicago, he feels, suffers a lack of recognition by the larger art world. The more conservative tastes of collectors who are used to art-producing giants like New York City and Miami mean that they are not buying from Chicago artists as much.

"For an artist to be here and work [only on art] is hard," Aguirre said, "there is no support system."

As such, the artists have created their own support system, and are working to bring the rest of the world up to speed on the kind of art Chicago creates. It is up to the community, Aguirre believes, to decide to put Chicago on the map as an artist's city.

Until then, Aguirre continues to do what he loves best: creating art, and helping build the art community.

"I am not exclusive," he said. "I am for the community. Anyone needs me, I'm there."

To learn more about Saul Aguirre, or learn more about his upcoming projects, click here!

Katherine H.