Avian Odyssey, by Artist Cheri Charlton
Lead by WEAR President from 2019 to 2023, Scott Fink, the WEAR community collaborated with the local Chicago Artist Cheri Charlton and the Illinois Audubon Society to create this beautiful mural.
Scroll down to learn more about the story of the mural and the artist.
Located in the Horst & Anna Wagener WEAR Garden
Avian Odyssey
Created by local Chicago artist Cheri Charlton in partnership with the Illinois Audubon Society
This mural depicts a wide range of migratory birds: some migrate from the north and spend their winters here, some migrate from the south, nest, and raise their young here. Some have made a year-round home here, in this garden, where you too are welcome to rest and share your story.
Art by Cheri Charlton. Mural sponsored by WEAR with consulting from the Illinois Audubon Society. Thank you to all our generous donors.
Cheri Charlton
Cheri Lee Charlton is an Assistant Professor of Design within the Illustration Program at Columbia College Chicago. She is a working illustrator and muralist, with a client list that includes The Sister Cities of Chicago, The American Consulate in Casablanca, BLICK Art Materials, The Girl Scouts of America, The Audubon Society, and the Chicago Fire Soccer Club. The content of her work focuses on whimsical depictions of children, nature, animals, themes of environmental stewardship, and female empowerment.
Learn more about Cheri at Cheri Lee Charlton or her Instagram page Cheri Charlton (@chersugarlee) • Instagram photos and videos
Exuberant
A Monarch Butterfly flies 1000 miles south to spend the winter in Mexico.
A Blackburnian Warbler flies 3000 miles north, from Costa Rica, to nest in Canada, but stops to rest and refuel here in this garden on its way both north and south each spring and fall.
A Snow Bunting, Slate-colored Junco, and American Tree Sparrow flee the cold, deep snow of the polar region to spend the winter here.
And the Red-bellied Woodpecker, the White-breasted Nuthatch is exuberant to live here, year-round.
Are you?
Are you exuberant?
…as migrants traveling this hemisphere,
we create a life here.
Singing, as we travel together.
Exuberant.
The beginning of the evolution
Formerly the site of a 200 foot cell phone tower, and long abandoned, in 2022 WEAR, with the generous support of long time WEAR resident Suzanne Huffman, turned the lot into a new garden focused on all native plantings to help sustain our local bird, butterfly and pollinator populations.
Creating a biodiverse Oasis focusing on Keystone Plants
Keystone native plants are integral to maintaining local biodiversity by providing critical food and shelter for many animal species with the large number of other species it supports. Keystone native plants support the local food web by being host plants for moth and butterfly larvae, a key food source for birds, by providing pollen and nectar for pollinators, or by producing fruit for birds and insects, or all three! Without keystone plants, biodiversity declines dramatically.
Artist's Coordinating Bench
This companion to the mural is a bench art piece placed at the new native garden at the south end, facing the mural.
The Maker. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our longtime neighbor, Patrick Radoszewski, for constructing this beautiful new bench.
The Artist. A special shout-out goes to our dear friend of WEAR and talented artist, Cheri Charlton, for painting the bench in her signature style. Cheri continues to grow as one of Chicago's most prominent mural artists. After completing the WEAR mural last year, she went on to create one of the largest murals in the city, standing at an impressive 100 feet tall. Cheri is now gearing up to announce an even more significant work, set to be completed later this summer.
The Neighbor. A warm thanks WEAR board member Bryce Huguenin for generously supplying the material costs.