Oaks of North Lawndale
Oaks of North Lawndale brought the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the City of Chicago and the North Lawndale community together to reimagine the westside neighborhood as a verdant, peaceful and tree-lined place. Inspired by artist Joseph Beuys’ 7,000 Oaks (Germany, 1982), this project aispired to address job creation and economic development, environmental improvements, equity issues, and encourage wellbeing by reforesting the 3.2 square miles of the North Lawndale neighborhood.
As a symbolic start to the project, in September 2017, the Office of Engagement brought artist Pedro Reyes to SAIC’s Homan Square campus to restage his work 'Palas por Pistolas' (Guns into Shovels). On this momentous occasion SAIC’s mobile foundry and Lawndale Forge were installed in the Homan Square parking lot and Reyes oversaw SAIC students, alumni, and North Lawndale community members in melting down confiscated firearms forming the material for the shovel heads. The molten metal was then smithed into shovel heads and once cooled, they were attached to wooden handles milled from local ash trees felled as a result of the emerald ash borer beetle. The ash handles were prepared by youth involved with Greater West Town Partnerships.
The shovels were then used by community members to dig holes and plant 10 trees; along with this limestone blocks were placed adjacent to each tree.
Press
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Putting The Lawn Back In Lawndale: Neighborhood Leaders Win Forestry Award For Plan To Plant 7,000 Trees (Block Club Chicago, December 26, 2019)
