OPRF art teacher builds community with murals
Art is a form of creative skill, imagination, and an expressive mouthpiece for so many who take its interest. In Oak Park and River Forest, there are countless artists who express themselves and inspire others.
Murals are enlarged pieces displayed on a big wall that bring important messages to the public. Tracy Van Duinen, an art teacher at OPRF who is also a muralist, has poured his heart and passion into what he does. He has created work around Oak Park, Chicago, and even in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“I’m a community-based muralist, so my work is about giving voice to the communities I’ve worked in,” he says. “Every mural, there’s months and months of work with the community to kind of see what they want to say, and they’re putting that into visual form.”
Before teaching at OPRF, Van Duinen was an art teacher at Austin College and Career Academy High School. In this area of Chicago, some of the kids he taught were victims of violence and criminal activity. He had some students who were incarcerated, showing him wounds, or even killed due to the extreme violence. To keep kids off the street, he would use the power of art.
“I was trying to figure out how I could engage kids in the classroom, but I also remembered a professor and the work that she would do in the communities in the summer,” says Van Duinen. “I thought it would be a great way to grab as many kids and get them off the streets and work with me on murals.”
As further inspiration to the community, Van Duinen has made murals on the outside walls of Percy Julian Middle School as well as Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School. These murals depict Black excellence as well as other important figures who have empowered and given courage to many. They display the words, “empower,” “create,” and “respect” to show what these role models, as well as the school, represent.
“When he was doing the Brooks and Julian murals, he wanted to bring in the story of Gwendolyn Brooks and Percy Julian,” says colleague Lindy Novotny.
For the reveal of Percy Julian’s shining mural, Julian’s daughter, Faith Julian, attended and spoke on behalf of her father. Novotny said the presence of Faith Julian very much inspired him “to do his work, as he’s super community-based.”
Many OPRF students admire Van Duinen’s art and are touched by the passion and love that he spreads throughout his work. “I think Mr. Van Duinen’s work is very inspiring because it connects and brings the community together, but also makes Oak Park more positive overall,” says junior Reese Garland.
Van Duinen has learned a lot from working on his murals, especially how important it is to follow your passions. “As you start thinking about (life) going forward, you somehow figure out how you fit that thing that you love (in your life)…whether it be what you do for a living or what that living allows you to do,” he said.