Chicago History Museum Unveiled Westside Love Map
The new installation highlights personal memories from West Side residents through hand-drawn neighborhood maps.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Fine Art
Live Poll
Should your local history museum prioritize exhibits featuring stories and artwork from neighborhood residents?
The Chicago History Museum has unveiled the Westside Love Map, a new installation featuring hand-drawn maps of Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and Austin. The project showcases memories and significant locations contributed by local residents.
Why it matters
This installation honors the rich cultural fabric of Chicago's West Side by centering the lived experiences and personal histories of its residents. It serves as a community-led effort to preserve local identity within a major historical institution.
The installation includes 3 distinct hand-drawn maps representing Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and Austin. These works will remain on public display as part of the permanent exhibition space through March 2027.
The players
Kent Jones
Kent Jones is the artist who led the creation of the Westside Love Map installation.
Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum is a major institution dedicated to documenting and showcasing the citys diverse past and community narratives.
Capstone Clique
Capstone Clique is a local preservation group that partnered with the museum to facilitate this community project.
The details
Artist Kent Jones collaborated with the preservation group Capstone Clique to curate this collection of hand-drawn memories. The exhibit is integrated into the broader Chicago: Crossroads of America exhibition at the museum.
Timeline
The museum unveiled the installation on September 22, 2026.
The display period is scheduled to conclude in March 2027.
Industry Dynamics
Major cultural institutions are increasingly shifting toward collaborative models that prioritize community-led storytelling over traditional curatorial methods. This project follows the trend of integrating neighborhood-level historical preservation into established museum narratives.
Visitors can view the installation as part of their general admission to the museum through March 2027. The exhibit provides an opportunity for residents of Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and Austin to see their personal local history recognized in a public forum.
The takeaway
The Westside Love Map highlights the power of communal storytelling in documenting the history of urban neighborhoods. Residents interested in local history can participate in similar preservation projects by engaging with community-based groups like those represented here.
Further reading
Explore more local arts coverage in our Fine Art section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBS News.
Live Poll
Should your local history museum prioritize exhibits featuring stories and artwork from neighborhood residents?
