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UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday & Sunday, July 25 & 26
Taste of Lincoln Avenue
One of the city's largest and most popular summer celebrations, the Taste of Lincoln Avenue sprawls over six city blocks on a major artery in the heart of Lincoln Park where high incomes meet the vibrant DePaul University population.
Sunday, July 26
LP Kidical Mass Bike Ride
Explore Lincoln Park as Kidical Mass leads a family friendly bike ride through the Sheffield, DePaul and Ranch Triangle neighbors. The ride will depart from Dorothy's Playground at Oz Park at 4:00 PM. LCA member Jerry Quandt will serve as Ride Coordinator.
Friday, July 31
Movie in Oz Park
Bring your blankets, chairs and snacks and join your neighbors
to watch The Sandlot 2 under the stars at Oz Park.
Tuesday, August 11
LCA Zoning Committee meeting
The Lincoln Central Zoning and Planning
Committee meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month to discuss ways to ensure open and fair processes for developers and homeowners.
The meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM in the back room of the Marquee Lounge at Halsted and Armitage. The public is invited to attend.
Sunday, August 23rd
Movie in Oz Park
Bring your blankets, chairs and snacks and join your neighbors to watch the classic and neighborhood favorite
Wizard of Oz
under the stars at
Oz Park
.
Thursday, August 27
LCA Monthly Board Meeting
You are invited to attend the discussions at meetings, which are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM in the back room of the Marquee Lounge at Halsted and Armitage.
Thursday September 10
An Evening in the Park
Join your neighbors for a reception in lovely Fire Station Park from 6:00-9:00 PM to celebrate the arrival of autumn. Read about last year's party.
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| Kidical Mass Lincoln Park has taken to our streets this summer with family-friendly bike rides in our neighborhood. These fun family rides, held the last Sunday of each month, feature decorated bikes, music and bike safety education mixed into a fun 45-60 minute ride. July's Kidical Mass ride will depart Dorothy's Playground (Oz Park) at 4:00 PM Sunday for a biking tour around the Sheffield, DePaul and Ranch Triangle neighborhoods. 
Organized by LCA's Jerry Quandt, the rides help raise awareness of safe biking for kids and families by helping educate kids on all aspects of safe biking on our neighborhood streets. The rides also help identify safer biking when traveling within the neighborhood. According to Quandt, Kidical Mass LP is open to everyone who can ride a bike. "We look to have riders of various skill levels riding along side each other with teens and adults can acting as safety blockers as the ride goes through intersections," said Quandt. "The first ride of the season was rained out, but our June ride-themed Exploration of the Parks in Southern Lincoln Park-had over twenty partipants with kids as young as 5 pedaling down the streets." Kidical Mass is a national movement activated in a variety of cities across the country. The hope is to create a generation of riders that are both more aware and safe when riding their bikes as well as when driving cars. Learn more about the rides both in Lincoln Park and across the city. |
MEET LISA QU
This profile of Lisa Qu, the Chair of LCA's Event Committee, is the first in a series to introduce the people who work behind the scenes keep the heart in the neighborhood. We've asked Lisa to share her story with you.
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| Lisa Qu with Congressman Mike Quigley |
I moved to Chicago in 2010 to begin my PhD studies at Northwestern University. I had only visited Chicago a couple of times, but I had experienced enough to know that I would quickly fall in love with the city. Five years later, I had lived in three different apartments and neighborhoods before settling in Lincoln Park in 2013. Just as it is difficult to find the motivation to put time and effort into decorating a temporary apartment, it was difficult for me to feel grounded in a community when I wasn't sure how long I would be there.
But something about Lincoln Park gave me the sense that I could stay here indefinitely, and this was one major reason I became an active member of LCA. I knew that Lincoln Park was a place I could stay, and felt a great desire to furnish, improve and contribute to my new home. Joining LCA gave me the opportunity to also voice my opinion and actively engage and improve my own community.
During my time in LCA, I have helped to develop and launch several neighborhood events, beginning with the first annual Spring Zing in 2014. Since then, I've been active in planning our Fire Station Park events, including the fall Garden Party and Sunday Summer Sipper. I've design and distribute our events graphics.
While my academic studies take priority, LCA has actually provided a complementary experience. The organizational and communication skills I have developed through executing many of our events has helped me to build a well-rounded foundation for any future career I pursue. I am beginning my sixth (and hopefully final) year of pursuing my neuroscience degree. Although I still love science and my research, I ultimately hope to exit the realm of academia into more science-communication related careers. While research often hones "hard" skills of analytic thinking and data analysis, my role in LCA has developed my "soft" skills, such as teamwork and interpersonal relations. It has also given me a chance to meet and interact with many of my neighbors, whether they are fellow board members or other families in the community.
Ultimately, LCA has provided a unique opportunity to engage with my fellow neighbors, as well as actively contribute to our community. It is truly a wonderful experience to work side by side with other members who work so passionately and devote so much time to improving Lincoln Park.
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| Dear Neighbors,
The recent arrival of the award-winning Fermata sculpture to Fire Station Park brings to mind sculptures that, though carved many centuries ago, remain vibrant and impactful masterpieces even today. The names of their artists are well remembered.
Though sculpture has traditionally focused on the removal or addition of materials through carving or molding, I encourage all of us think of it more broadly. Each of us as individuals and especially all of us together as a community, have the opportunity to help sculpt our neighborhood to improve not only our lives but those of future generations.
The neighborhood is our canvas. Let's work together to create a masterpiece that will remain vibrant and impactful years from now.
From the heart, 
LCA President, Kenneth Dotson [email protected] P. S. If you are not already a member of LCA, please consider joining now. |
| By Kathy Jordan
A new sculpture sits in the heart of the Fire Station Park. Part of the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit (CSE) begun in 2001 by then 43rd Ward Alderman Vi Daley, "Fermata" brings together two of sculptor Wayne Vaughn's passions: music and sculpture.
"In music, a fermata is a pause of unspecified length on a note or rest," according to CSE's 2015 brochure. Vaughn hopes people will take time to pause in front of this sculpture and connect with it. Steel and patina combine with the large role played by nature and industry in Vaughn's work. 
The CSE's mission is to bring art to people's daily lives in the neighborhoods where they live and work-free of charge. Formed 14 years ago as the Lincoln Park Community Art Initiative, the CSE has grown to encompass several Chicago neighborhoods. "We started with just eight sculptures in Lincoln Park," says Daley, who heads the CSE as president of its Board of Directors. This year, 29 sculptures are scattered throughout the city. The sculptures change each year, with the current ones in place until spring of 2016.
"In 2007, 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney joined, Daley explained. "Last year, we added Portage Park, Jefferson Park, Uptown and Rogers Park. This year, Wicker Park, Bucktown and Greektown joined in. My goal has always been to have the sculptures displayed in every Ward. It's taking a while," she says, "but we'll get there."
The CSE is a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. Sponsors and board members are community members who donate time, contribute financially, serve on the selection jury, and attend related events. Learn more about the CSE program and the 2015 sculptures.
You can learn more about Fermata by reading artist Betsy Costello's review of the sculpture elsewhere in this issue of From the Heart. |
| By David Varnerin
With the appointment of
George Devereux as the new
18th District Commander, a series of Community Dialogue Meetings were held in June with representatives from neighborhood groups and institutions. A June 23rd meeting, attended by LCA's President and Secretary, focused on the goals, benefits and strategies of the
CAPS Program (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy,) a partnership between police and community to identify and solve neighborhood crime problems. The meeting reviewed the various aspects of CAPS for the city as a whole. The two elements of CAPS most relevant to the Lincoln Park community are the
Court Advocacy program and Community Beat Meetings.
The Court Advocacy program allows neighbors to follow specific court cases of defendants who have been apprehended for crimes committed in the community. Advocates attend court hearings to send a message to the judge that there is interest in a specific case and that the community supports the police in prosecuting a crime. "When a community turns out in the court advocacy program to show that they want a perpetrator to be prosecuted, it has a real impact on the quality of justice that we get," said
43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith. "I appreciate the support
members of LCA have provided for this program and encourage all concerned citizens to help keep our streets free of repeat offenders." To join Alderman Smith at court dates for the cases her office is following
e-mail her office.
Officer Joe Incaprera, who coordinates court advocacy in our neighborhood, agrees with Smith on the importance of community participation and believes it makes a difference, "When we all stand as a group, the officers, the victim, the court personnel - including the judge and State's Attorney - know we are in the courtroom on that case and that getting justice for the victim is of high importance to us," said
Incaprera. "Being a crime victim is difficult and having to testify is not always easy. When you serve as a court advocate you are supporting and providing comfort to the victim."
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LINCOLN CENTRE WINS APPROVAL
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Baker Development Corporation's Lincoln Centre, a once controversial proposal for a mixed-use development along a blighted stretch of N. Lincoln Ave., has now gained broad community support, as well as support at City Hall. Observers attribute the turn-around in neighborhood sentiment to Baker Development's proactive dialogue with neighbors and the Alderman's office.
"Over a period of months, Alderman Smith and our board worked together diligently with Baker Development to ensure the final approved proposal incorporated substantial amounts of community feedback designed to make the proposal a better fit in the neighborhood," said Justin Moore, President of
Wrightwood Neighbors' Association. "We were extremely pleased to see the project gain approval from both the Planning Commission and Zoning Committee in recent days. We feel this project will play a key role in the revitalization of this vital stretch of Lincoln Avenue."
Alderman Smith praised the community process that led to the project's redesign. "Many months of rigorous negotiations, in full partnership with the Wrightwood Neighbors Association, ensured that the concerns of the community were heard and, more importantly, incorporated into the project's final design. By continually working together, we were able to negotiate significant concessions by the developer on behalf of the community. These concessions resulted in an ultimately better proposal that will play a large role in reviving our neighborhood's signature street, Lincoln Avenue, said Smith. The Alderman added "I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Wrightwood Neighbors Association for their hard work and efforts during this process."
Warren Baker, President of
Baker Development Corporation, agreed with Smith that feedback from the neighborhood led to an improved design. "Working closely with the Alderman's office,
 Wrightwood Neighbors and others in the community, our team made
substantial revisions to the original plan in order to satisfy concerns expressed to us by the neighborhood. The constructive and open minded dialogue that took place between our team and those community groups actually led to a project plan superior to the one we started with," said Baker. "We will continue to work closely with the community as we move forward in revitalizing what is now a blighted stretch along Lincoln Avenue."
LCA President Kenneth Dotson, who also serves as a Commissioner of the SSA, testified before the Planning Commission on July 16 in support of the project. Dotson commended Baker Development for its community outreach and urged the Planning Commission to approve the project saying, "Too many businesses have closed; too many jobs have been lost and we've lost too much tax revenue due to the closure of Children's Memorial and Lincoln Park hospitals. Lincoln Centre will be a much needed catalyst for the revitalization of Lincoln Avenue."
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FERMATA TO AN ARTIST'S EYE
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Fermata.....musically inspired. While the basic material is steel, there is nothing harsh or hard-edged about the sculpture. The enameled surfaces are mottled with a warm brown patina. The four main elements--two curvy, triangular forms connected by a circular disc, plus a tapered arm connected to the back of the disc--are all hollow. Thumping on any of these elements produces resonant drum or guitar box sounds. The whole is gracefully balanced, resting primarily on the left-facing triangle, with a little help from the tapered arm connected to the disc in the back. The right-facing triangle does not touch the ground, but floats a few inches above. A weighty sculptural tendu?
Curvaceous and also sturdy, with cylindrical holes strategically placed on both triangular pieces, and black, narrow, parallel metal strips, it references perhaps a guitar or double bass.
No wonder the children at LCA's Sunday Summer Sipper party were irresistibly drawn to it and had such a wonderful, playful time. The gentle curves of the triangles added a bit more challenge as well as cool slides; and the perforated round holes conveniently provided notches for footholds and hand grips--an inspired, modern art "monkey bars.
Betsy Costello holds a master's degree in art studies and is a member of the Lincoln Central Association. |
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JOIN THE HEART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOOD
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LCA members are the heart of our beautiful neighborhood. The benefits of membership are many and the cost is small. If you're not already a member, we hope you'll join today. Simply select one of the affordable membership options below:
Name(s)*: _______________________________________________________
Street Address*: _______________________________________________________
City, State, and Zip* _______________________________________________________
Phone: ______________________ E-mail ________________________
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