The 606 showcases monthly video series by Marwen student artists
The 606 is proud to premiere People of The 606—a short video that celebrates the diversity of our unique park-and-trail system through the eyes of Marwen students Isabel Chavez, Michelle Martinez, Mia Mendez, and Billie Murray. Click and watch.
The video is one in a series of four commissioned by The Trust for Public Land as part of Marwen’s career program, showcasing the talent of a cohort of young professional artists as they tell stories highlighting the importance of public spaces in their own city.
The first video premiered Wednesday, April 19 on The 606’s website and social media platforms. Each month featured a new video:
- Benefits of The 606—April 19 by PJ Beigh, Aisha Harrel
- Bike Safety at The 606—May 10 by Josue Herrera, Ariana Ornelas, Penelopi Perez
- Get up, Get out and Move—June 1 by Mitchel Cheng
- People of The 606—June 15 by Isabel Chavez, Michelle Martinez, Mia Mendez, and Billie Murray.
“We’re excited The 606 serves as an inspiration to young artists,” said Caroline O’Boyle, Director of Programs and Partnerships for The 606. “Especially as they tell stories about this great park from their unique points of view.”
Marwen’s career program hires and pays high school juniors and seniors as professional artists. Throughout the course of 10 weeks, 10 students and their teaching artists, Sarah Joyce and John Lyons, worked closely with The Trust for Public Land to create a shared vision and goals for this project.
“All the hard work is worth it because the end product makes you proud as an artist. You will also be challenged and grow as an artist,” said student Mia Mendez. “On top of growing as an artist, you will learn valuable skills needed for any job.”
The 606-Marwen collaboration was funded in part thanks to the generosity of the Exelon Foundation and supporters of The Trust for Public Land. For more information visit The606.org
About The 606 The 606 is Chicago’s innovative park and trail system – featuring its centerpiece, the elevated, 2.7-mile-long Bloomingdale Trail – as well as four connected, ground-level neighborhood parks (with two more parks to come), the Exelon Observatory, public art installations, educational programming, and other amenities. Kids are learning to ride their bikes here, commuters are finding a new shortcut to work, and neighbors are making new friends. Serving more than 80,000 residents from surrounding neighborhoods and visitors from throughout Chicago and beyond, The 606 is changing the way you see our city. For more information, visit The606.org.
About The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land serves as lead private partner and project manager for The 606 on behalf of the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District. The Trust for Public Land’s mission is to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To learn more, visit www.tpl.org.
About The Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is the 2014 Gold Medal Award winner, recognized for excellence in park and recreation management across the nation. For more information about the Chicago Park District’s more than 8,500 acres of parkland, more than 595 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY.
About Marwen Since 1987, Marwen has educated and inspired young people through visual arts. Each year Marwen provides free art courses, college planning and career development programs to more than 900 of Chicago’s underserved 6-12th graders from nearly 300 different schools throughout the city. For more information visit http://marwen.org