Olivia Gude

Olivia Gude (born 1954) is an American artist and educator recognized for socially engaged community public art mural and mosaic projects, and as the founding director of Spiral Workshops, which is both an art program for teenagers as well as a curriculum research project working to invent new ways of art education.^[1][2] Gude is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and was on the Visual Arts writing team for the Next Generation National Core Arts Standards.^[3] She is a Senior Artist member of the Chicago Public Art Group and author of the book Urban Art Chicago: A Guide to Community Murals, Mosaics, and Sculptures.^[4] In 1997, she won Best of Show and Best of Series from the National Art Education Association (NAEA).^[5] In 2000, Gude's mural in DeKalb, Illinois, painted with words and images on an unprimed wall in 1999, won the Illinois Governor's Award for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization.^[6] She was also honored with the NAEA's Manuel Barkan Award in 2014 for her article, "New School Art Styles: The Project of Art Education" which was published in Art Education in 2013.^[7] Prior to that, in 2009, Gude was honored by the NAEA with the Viktor Lowenfeld Award, in recognition of her art education contributions.^[8]

Biography

Gude first moved to Chicago in the 1970s from a "racially mixed, working class St. Louis neighborhood."^[9] Gude attended the University of Chicago for her master's degree between 1980 and 1982, where she states that she "became acutely aware of how women and people of color were often excluded from history and culture."^[9] In 1994, she discussed how it was still difficult as a woman to be considered a professional in the world of art, especially as a muralist. She recalls that people would come up to her and say, "'Silly girl, you've got more paint on your clothes than on the wall.'" and her internal thoughts in response were, "Excuse me, reality check. I've been a muralist for years. These are my work clothes."^[10]

Work

Gude has helped create more than 50 public mosaics and murals with the help of various communities and generational groups.^[6] As a member of the Chicago Public Art Group, she is considered a "core artist" by Kyle McKenzie.^[11] One of her pieces, created in 1992 and entitled, Where We Come From… Where We’re Going, reflects tape recorded statements made by-passers when asked the question by the artist. It is located in Hyde Park, Chicago.^[12] Another early mural Gude designed with students and residents of Valmeyer, Illinois stretched the length of the 54-foot public library and depicted the history of the town. Dedicated in 1993, it was destroyed by a flood 2 months later, but county officials preserved the plaster pieces in the hopes that it would be restored.^[13] Along with Jon Pounds, she has co-designed many murals, including the 65 foot long mural on the side of the Mifflin Street Community Co-op.^[14] Other murals Gude has collaborated on include art in Los Angeles and Madison, Wisconsin.^[9] One of her murals in Los Angeles celebrated the World Cup and was located near Highland Park.^[15] As of 2013, she has "been part of more than 50 significant public and mosaic projects that have involved a cross-section of generations."^[6] Gude has also collaborated on murals which celebrate diversity and history, including one in Roseland-Pullman, which celebrated Eugene Debs and George Pullman, along with incorporating ethnic patterns into the design.^[16]

Gude's book, Urban Art Chicago is a 255-page guide to the public art of Chicago and is considered the first of its kind by the Chicago Tribune.^[17] Janet Braun-Reinitz and Jane Weissman, who wrote On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City praised Gude's book in The New York Times.^[18]

References