Roberto Valadez of the Pilsen neighborhood, Chicago,
headed the group of artists who painted "Adelante." Working with
a Latino committee and Sterling's Mural Society, the artists made visible a
century of history and change for Mexican-Americans and other Latinos of the
city. Below are photos of Roberto, Jesus, Santiago, Bill and their volunteers at work on the mural. Follow their progress from early sketches and outlines
through the five finished panels.... Click on
small images to enlarge them.
Sketches & Outline Charcoal &
pastel sketches of the five panels outlined the basic plan for the mural's
design. Community members assisted the artists by finding historical
photos in collections of the Gazette newspaper and Sterling-Rock
Falls Historical Society. Family pictures provided the artists with the faces of "real people" in Sterling
history: children posing thirty years ago; young men killed in
battle during World War II; early settlers and recent immigrants, workers on
farms and factories, community leaders, teachers,
entrepreneurs. Bill Campillo (right), principal of Acorn High School
in Chicago, completes the portrait of Janet Silguero. [A "photo
raffle" was held as a fund-raiser: the winners had their
photographs turned into portraits on one of the five panels].
Artists at Work
Week by week, the Chicago artists
added color and details as they painted local history on the western wall of
the Napa Auto Parts store in the center of town. Jesus
Gonzalez and
Bill Campillo (left) add depth to the farm scene. Beyond the fields
are railroad boxcars which agricultural and factory workers used for temporary
housing. Below, Mauricio
Vazquez touches up the Sauk Valley Community College
sign, Javier González paints the "Adelante" mural title, visitors check on
the artists' progress, and the portraits of Juan González and Al Silva are
brought to life from family photographs. Additional painting
assistance was provided by Luis Montenegro and local community youth.
Adding Historical
Details The artists painted a "Virgen de Guadalupe" panel
first to oversee
the expanding mural: a symbol of faith for generations
of Mexican immigrants and the Latino townspeople of Sterling. The
second panel depicts the economic contribution of immigrants and settlers to Sterling's
economy, including NorthWestern Steel ("The Mill"), with one of the earliest
electric steel furnaces built in 1937. Mill workers were unionized in
1936, and today, a good number of Mexican American elders receive pensions
for their decades of work at NorthWestern Steel (as much as 50 years of
service!). Agricultural labor in maize, cucumbers and other regional
crops, as well as ongoing contributions of recent immigrants in the local service
sector, complete this panel dedicated to Latino workers. The central panel depicts family
reunions for returning Chicano veterans of World War II. The
gravestones serve as a memorial to the young men of Sterling who never returned.
The third "Fiesta" panel celebrates a September tradition (Mexican
Independence Day) begun in the 1940s, as well as the Gonzalez family market and
cafe, one of the earliest community businesses, and details of folklórico
dancers.
MORE:
SEE PAGE ON MURAL THEMES
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