Anandita Vidyarthi
Go[ld] down winthrop avenue
Artist Statement: Go[ld] down Winthrop Avenue is an ode to joy. The illustrations are based on the endearing narratives of Winthrop’s multigenerational residents. The stories expressed by these individuals were full of moments of peace, belonging, and love, despite living in a deeply segregated time. Vidyarthi rendered flashbacks of community role models, activism, playful streets, quirky individuals, and a lost chicken. The medium of collage intertwines moments in the same way the lives of Winthrop’s first families came to be. The gold painting of the streets replicates the Japanese art of “kintsukuroi” which is used in pottery to fill cracks and beautify them. The tradition sees the crack as a piece of the art itself rather than shunning it, in the same way, that members of Winthrop Ave. were able to create beauty within a difficult world.
COLLIER’S CHICKEN
The image of the chicken recalls the community gathering spot of Colliers chicken restaurant and the joyously humorous story narrated by Emmy Lockridge of a rooster running wild through the apartment - which Lockridge surmised was cooked up for a special occasion when she could no longer spot it wandering through the apartment.
hillmans grocery
Leondra Price mentions Hillmans grocery store - and especially it’s loading docks that abutted Winthrop Ave - as a place for children to play. In addition to providing a space to play, the grocery store also signifies a space to access food, a medium that brings people together, much like the families on Winthrop Avenue.
HOFFMAN’S SHOES
Sharon Giles and Joan Johnson reminisced about “Hoffman’s Shoe Repair” shop and Mr. Hoffman himself. Along with Mr. Eff, the barber, and the Colliers of Collier’s Chicken, this was one of the black-owned businesses on the block. These businesses provided space and built community among the members of the block.
playtime!
Cheryl Clark and Leondra Price reminisced about the weekends when children - their siblings and cousins -would come out to use the wooden swing in the playground set up by Ma Sophia, play “double dutch” on the streets, play “house” on their back porches... and just remember swingin’ with grandma on the porch.
CHERRY BOUNCE
Leondra Price described the scene of adults like “Mama Sophie” making a beverage they referred to as “cherry bounce” that contained apricots cherries, peaches and most importantly, alcohol. It would ferment on the porch of her apartment and would be brought out on special occasions to be enjoyed by the adults.
red grocery wagon
Sharon Giles recalled fond memories of accompanying her mother to the grocery store… and carrying groceries back in her red wagon from the store to her home around the corner, on Winthrop and Leland Avenues. The innocence and quotidian nature of this moment really spoke to us.
sounds of winthrop
Cheryl Clark and Leondra Price describe the then budding-musician Bobby Baker playing his trumpet at night when the sounds of the avenue had died down. These memories speak to the incredible talent that was fostered on this street. Bobby’s brother, Eddie, was also a renowned pianist, recording with Max Roach back in the day.
watermelons feasts
Joan Johnson remembered one of her favorite pleasures in the summertime - eating freshly-picked watermelons with her sister. They would get the watermelons from their uncles and aunties’ yards in Nashville and break them open on the sidewalk, before picking up the pieces and devouring them.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Anandita Vidyarthi (she/her) is a multimedia artist and poet. Anandita's artwork deals with topics like race, caste identity, family, and love. She is currently an Undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) majoring in Interdisciplinary Education in the Arts with a double minor in Global Asian Studies and Museum and Exhibitions Studies. Anandita is the co-founder and organizer of Asian Ink, a Chicago-based collective for AAPI creatives.
Copyright ©2018 Dis/Placements Project