CTA Chairman Valerie B. Jarrett and Alderman Theodore Matlak (32nd) joined representatives from Project LEAP today at the Paulina rail station on the Brown Line to welcome the group into the CTA's Adopt-A-Station program. As part of its agreement with the CTA, Project Leap decorated the station by installing four, 4' x 8' murals created by students that depict an educational theme.
"We are pleased that Project LEAP has agreed to adorn our Paulina station with these wonderful murals. As part of this partnership, the students should be proud of themselves for giving something back to their community by creating eye-catching, thought-provoking art under the banner of education," said CTA Chairman Valerie B. Jarrett.
Project LEAP, or the Lakeview Education and Arts Partnership, is a collaborative effort between students at Audubon, Blaine & Ravenswood Elementary Schools and Lake View High School, and the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, Sulzer Regional Library, Beacon Street Gallery & Theatre and Northeastern Illinois University's Chicago Teachers' Center.
The purpose of the program is to explore ways that the arts can be used to challenge students in the classroom. At the culmination of the program each year, the students' artwork is displayed at Sulzer Regional Library, Beacon Street Gallery and local businesses within the Lakeview community. This year, Project LEAP took its efforts a step further by including the CTA in its beautification efforts and adopting the Paulina station.
"Working with Project LEAP through our Adopt-A-Station program is one of the many ways that the CTA continues to reach beyond the scope of transportation to interact with the communities in which we serve," said CTA President Frank Kruesi.
The Adopt-A-Station program now covers 28 'L' stations throughout the CTA service area including: the Addison station on the Red Line, adopted by illustrator Steve Musgrave; the 18th Street station along the Blue Line, adopted by Gallery 37 and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum; and the Belmont station on the Red, Purple and Brown Lines, adopted by Ann Sather Restaurant and featuring murals by artist David Lee Csicsko.
Since its inception in 1997, the CTA's Adopt-A-Station program has encouraged community groups and businesses to work as partners in making CTA rail stations more inviting and attractive. Groups have assisted the CTA's beautification efforts by donating artwork, planters, or benches to enhance the local flavor of a station. Maintenance work remains the responsibility of the CTA.
For more information about the CTA's Adopt-A-Station program, contact Marisue O'Connor at 312-664-7200, ext. 3067.
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