Brooks Golden’s “Nesting II” (2013). Photo courtesy of the artist.

Golden’s “Nesting II” echoes this sentiment; blunt, black, illustrative prowess is on full display. Some may recognize Golden’s work by way of the mystical owl, which is forever prominent in other work; here, its unwavering gaze is nearly twenty feet up. It sits nesting at the center of a large tree, perched upon a network of enigmatic symbols including a yin-yang, a pyramid upon a cloud and much more. The tree stretches nearly from floor to ceiling, radiating out at top as long spindly roots dig in at the bottom. Huge and looming, it’s rich with line work and demands repeated, extended viewing time.

With such an all-encompassing show, a fortunate encounter on opening night with Golden himself lead to some valuable insight on the whole shebang. The artist, a former student of SAIC, was first introduced to the art form through the skate and punk rock scene in his hometown of Milwaukee and has been on board since. He has exhibited throughout Chicago and was one of the first artists aboard the mural project, Art In Public Places, set forth by Alderman Danny Solis of the 25th Ward in Pilsen. The resulting mural at 16th and Paulina is a breathtaking close-up of owl eyes that splay out in an extraordinary display of draftsmanship. Golden sees the current exhibition as a good thing. “For such a show to be held in a cultural institution…is positive,” he says. Under other circumstances an artist could run into serious legal matters, which could amount to serious jail time, but the obvious fact here is that “nothing is being destroyed.” There’s an underlying message afforded in shows like Paint Paste Sticker, it gives voice to the form, its artists, and the potentials for both.

Image courtesy of the Chicago Cultural Center.

Consequently, this brings to mind the inescapable question that shadows many artists: how does one make a living? The process is basic. “Make art first, network… sell the product,” says Golden, matter-of-factly. There are many ways in which such craftsmanship and creativity could be put to further use, there’s public art which inherently promotes tourism, plus branding and design for businesses. Further talk on the subject includes current Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “tolerance” for street art as opposed to that of Mayor Daley. A quick run of the show makes it evident that there’s a trickle-down support of sorts. The exhibition is sprinkled with information regarding the many projects backed by the city.

To start, there’s the Orange Walls Mural Project, which sought to increase public art in Wicker Park, partly as an alternative to other forms of tagging there. There’s also the 49th Ward’s Joe Moore and the Rogers Park Participatory Budgeting Program. This initiative, introduced by Moore, allowed residents to vote directly on projects related to their neighborhood, effectively allocating a portion of the budget to that which they deemed priority such as the Underpass Mural Project. The list continues to lengthen as city council members find creative alternatives for public funding and community enrichment, some of which provide invaluable resources to graffiti writers and street artists. However, it should be noted that such endeavors are not left to the city alone; equally driven and mutually motivated enterprises also arise from the communities of artists themselves, such as Galerie F and the Logan Square Mural Project.

As the reception wound down and attendees were ushered to exits, Golden reiterates that street art, graffiti, and tagging have meanings beyond common conception. “There’s history there,” he says, adding that the terminology, the lifestyle and the commitment to this form are things that can’t be appropriated as it gains popularity. Most of the artists involved here have a lot at stake. Between their inner and outer lives, their aliases and otherwise realities, what is being presented at the Cultural Center is, in short, the blood of its creators – shaken up, scrawled out, and on display.

Paint Paste Sticker: Chicago Street Art runs now through January 12, 2014
Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor
78 E. Washington St.