Ruben Aguirre, an alumni of Thornwood High School in South Holland, went from graffiti writing to being a professional abstract painter and contemporary muralist.
Some of the Chicago artist’s pieces are in the “Linements” exhibit on display to Oct. 1 in South Suburban College’s Dorothea Thiel Gallery in South Holland, thanks to a recommendation from SSC’s Photo-Four Gallery curator Sergio Gomez.
“The work itself is really colorful and beautiful. A lot of what we do is give our students role models of how your life might evolve,” said Jack Kirkpatrick, coordinator of the Dorothea Thiel Gallery and an educator at SSC for more than 20 years.
“It’s hard for people to imagine themselves being an artist. They have no clue. He’s a local kid. He was doing street tagging and graffiti, hung in there and kept developing his craft and his art. They’re these really nice, beautiful things.”
For “Linements,” Columbia College Chicago alum Aguirre used spray paint to create a fresh mural that is 8 feet tall and 12 feet to 15 feet long on one of the gallery’s walls.
“His art has taken the imagery from his mural work, which is on walls, and he’s transitioned it to wood. The wood will show through,” said Kirkpatrick, who grew up in Crete and has family who lives in Lansing.
“They’re really well-crafted things and very impressive. You can see he invests a lot of time and effort, and the finishes of things are really clean and crisp. The edges are nice. It’s really hard to do what he’s done.”
The “Linements” reception, which includes a question-and-answer session with Aguirre, is booked for Sept. 14 to kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
“You live on the South Side and it’s a real melting pot, such a melting pot that people have no idea,” Kirkpatrick said. “That vitality that comes from those divergent cultures makes us so much stronger and makes it so much more vibrant.”
SSC has three art galleries, including the Lee E. Dulgar Gallery, supported by the school and the South Suburban College Foundation.
“We run two to three professional shows each semester in each gallery,” said Kirkpatrick, who teaches a variety of SSC courses including ceramics. “There are real legitimate artists sometimes who’ve been working for dozens of years.
“It’s a lot of fun and it brings culture into our college. It’s just until you see art in person, it’s not the same thing. It’s a great resource for our students and for our community.”
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
“Linements”
When: Through Oct. 1; gallery is open generally from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays or by appointment and closed on weekends and holidays
Where: South Suburban College’s Dorothea Thiel Gallery, 15800 S. State St., South Holland
Admission: free
Information: 708-596-2000, Ext. 2445 (Jack Kirkpatrick) or ssc.edu/services/art-galleries; theshiftchange.com
Etc.: Hispanic Heritage Month event, the Ruben Aguirre exhibit has a reception set for 12:30 p.m. Sept. 14
