Neighborhood News

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25
Jul 11

Kovalenko & Monastyretsky Exhibit at The Ukrainian National Museum

Painting by Oleksa Kovalenko

“The Artwork of Oleksa Kovalenko & Walter Monastyretsky” opens on Friday, July 29^th at 7:00 pm at the Ukrainian National Museum. Both painters are celebrated artists within the Chicagoland and the international art community.

Oleksa Kovalenko

The ethereal paintings by Oleksa Kovalenko transport you back in time to explore the rich history of Ukraine. Kovalenko draws his inspiration from the wellspring of Ukrainian customs and traditions. The artist as philosopher seeks to show Ukrainian culture through the lens of heritage and folklore. His oil paintings are beautiful and mysterious, and will transfer you to his native country of Ukraine.

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1946, Kovalenko completed his artistic studies at the esteemed Kyiv State Academy of Sciences 1982. Oleksa Kovalenko has exhibited widely in both Ukraine and the United States and has works in private collections around the world, including Japan, Germany, Canada, Great Britain, Spain and Brazil.

Walter Monastyretsky

A classically trained professional artist, Walter Monastyretsky’s specialty is oil on canvas. Landscape, nature and classic still life are among the artist’s favorites with the classic portrait as his forte. Monastyretsky was born, raised and educated in Ukraine where he became a licensed Pharmacist. His love of art guided him to Kyiv where he attended the Kyiv Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. Earning a Bachelor’s Degree, and then a Masters of Fine Arts, he had to fulfill his dream of becoming an artist.

Painting by Walter Monastyretsky

Before immigrating to the United States in 1998 Monastyretsky became well known throughout Eastern Europe exhibiting his works since 1981. Since moving to the United States, his works have become part of many prestigious private collections in over twenty countries and eleven museums. His landscape entitled “Lincoln Park” was presented to Mayor Richard Daley in August 2009. Monastyretsky has also participated in the exhibits of the Plein Air painters of Chicago.

Enjoy the colorful palette on display at the Ukrainian National Museum through August 21, 2011.

This event is sponsored by MB Financial

Location: 2249 West Superior Street in Chicago.

Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm,

Admission: Adults $5.00, Children under 12 – Free.

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10
Jun 11

Ukrainian Village resident arrested and faces felony charges for tagging

Chicago Tribune posted a story yesterday about a Ukrainian Village resident (Ryan R. Sahlin 29, of the 2000 block of West Iowa) who now faces felony charges after police arrested him in connection with an early-morning tagging spree in the neighborhood this week. You can read the full article here.

Alderman Waguespack added these comments in today’s 32nd Ward email update regarding graffiti in the ward:

Unfortunately, with warm weather, my office sees an increase of graffiti. If you see graffiti, please let us know, even if it is not on your building; don’t assume someone else has reported it. When you contact us about graffiti, we need to gather specific information starting with the exact address. We also need to know what kind of surface the graffiti is on (unpainted brick, metal, painted wood, etc), where on the structure the graffiti is (front, rear, side) and whether the graffiti is more than 6 feet off the ground. The more specific and accurate the information is, the quicker the problem will be resolved. Graffitiblasters prioritizes these jobs by starting with the oldest requests first. Graffiti on schools and churches, as well as graffiti that is a hate crime or a profanity will receive immediate attention…….

If there is graffiti on your building, make sure to call the police and fill out a police report, either through 311 or at your local police district station.The Police Department has done a great job catching taggers in the ward. If the police make an arrest, please make sure to attend court. If there is no victim present, the offender will be let go with nothing more than a slap on the wrist bythe courts. My staff and I have gone to court on graffiti cases in attempt to show the taggers that our community will not stand for graffiti. However, it is extremely discouraging when the actual victims do not show for the case and the tagger leaves the courthouse with a slap on the wrist. Please encourage anyone who has witnessed graffiti to show up for court advocacy when an arrest has been made.

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7
May 11

St. Stephen King of Hungary Church to Add English Mass Starting May 15th

Beginning Sunday May 15th, the St. Stephen King of Hungary Church here in Ukrainian Village (2015 W. Augusta Blvd) will perform a mass in English every Sunday at 6:00pm. To learn more about the church, you can friend them on Facebook or check out their website http://www.stephenchurch.org/.

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26
Apr 11

Ukrainian Village & Other Areas Exposed to High Diesel Emissions

Big news last week in the wake of the city council ordinance that was passed to reduce emissions from construction sites.

“Residents of several Chicago neighborhoods are likely exposed to diesel emissions at levels many times higher than the average for urban areas, testing by the Chicago News Cooperative shows. In nearly 100 hours of spot testing in early April–near dense residential areas, schools and parks in both working-class and wealthier neighborhoods–the CNC found elevated levels of black carbon. Testing for black carbon is a common way to determine levels of diesel exhaust, which is linked to higher risks of cancer, heart disease and lung disease and is also known to exacerbate allergies and asthma.”

read the full article and testing results from the Chicago News Cooperative.

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25
Apr 11

Alderman Moreno Talks About Music & Politics to the AV Club

(photo courtesy of aldermanmoreno.com)

1st Ward Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno was recently interviewed by the Chicago AV Club and talked at length about music and the Arts in the 1st Ward, as well as the upcoming ward re-mapping, the next text-messaging alert service for street-cleaning and his proposed changes to the city sticker system. Read more about the alderman in the full article here.