03/19/2019

Art Exhibit Honors Torture Victims of Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge

Still Here Exhibit

WBEZ News covers Still Here, the Arts Incubator exhibition showcasing six design proposals submitted by commissioned artists which will become the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial. The public memorial brings awareness to the torture of more than 120 Black men and women from 1972 to 1991 by the Chicago Police Department under the direction of former Police Commander Jon Burge. The memorial is intended to honor the decades-long struggle for justice, as well as the survivors, families, and communities targeted by Burge and his midnight crew. 

The public memorial is one component of the historic Reparations Ordinance passed on May 6, 2015. Chicago is the first municipality in the United States to provide reparations for racially-motivated law enforcement violence. Six artists were invited to submit proposals to produce an ambitious, permanent public artwork to honor named and unnamed torture survivors. The artists are Monica Chadha/Nelly Agassi, Juan Chavez, Sonja Henderson, Andres Hernandez, Preston Jackson, and Patricia Nguyen/John Lee. The exhibition is curated by Hannah Jasper, Independent Interdisciplinary Curator and Arts + Public Life Exhibition Coordinator.

Tap the link below for the story from WBEZ News.

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