Artist Fernando Ramirez. (The Gate/Sonya Eldridge)
Since he was about five years old, Back of the Yards resident Fernando Ramirez, 38, has been busy drawing, painting, and designing artwork on a regular basis.
Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, Ramirez moved to Chicago when he was three years old. He’s lived in Back of the Yards and Pilsen for most of his life.
“One of my first memories, was an uncle on my dad’s side who was staying with us when I was living in Pilsen – he wanted to see if I could draw the Pink Panther,” Ramirez said. “So he drew it for me, showed me the process, then I did it really well. After that, he started showing me how to do more stuff.”
When Ramirez was nine, he went to Mexico and visited another uncle who was also an artist. Ramirez then learned how to draw more realistic images.
From there, Ramirez developed his own unique style, a combination of cartoonish and realistic imagery.
Ramirez attended Hedges Elementary and graduated from Marist Catholic High School in the Mt. Greenwood community, where his talents were recognized and nurtured by staff.
Early on in his artistic career, Ramirez was placed in advanced level art classes, typically reserved for older students. At the tender age of ten, he sold his first piece of work, a giant cardboard happy face sun that was used as a prop in a play.
“I was encouraged by teachers all throughout school- they’d have me do drawings for the room,” Ramirez said. “I was real shy when I was a little kid, so it was a great way for me to, you know, introduce myself to people by drawing, getting to know me that way, before they knew anything else.”
As a teen, Ramirez was a part of Gallery 37, a youth arts organization founded by the late Maggie Daley.
He started working there in 1994 when he was 15, and right away, his talents were noticed by staff and people in and outside Chicago.
“Pretty soon after he started, [Maggie Daley] focused in on having [Ramirez] do special commissions for people that were visiting the city– mayors from other cities and ambassadors,” Project Onward Studio Director and Back of the Yards resident Mark Jackson said. Ramirez chimed in, adding that he painted a bench for the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair and former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox.
Ramirez was one of the primary painters for the city’s popular Cows on Parade exhibit, which was a collection of colorful cow sculptures on display at key tourist attractions downtown beginning in 1999. According to Ramirez, former Gov. George Ryan was given one of his cows as a gift.
Today, Ramirez is a resident artist at Project Onward, a nonprofit arts studio housed in the Bridgeport Art Center that engages and supports mentally and developmentally disabled artists.
Project Onward was founded in 2004 as a Gallery 37 pilot program for eight artists who “had aged-out of the local youth job-training organization’s program, but due to their disabilities they had no opportunities elsewhere to advance their artistic careers,” according to the organization’s website.
Ramirez was a part of the original cohort of artists.
When I sat down to meet with Jackson and Ramirez, I was greeted by a beautiful family portrait that Ramirez was commissioned to create. Ramirez said he finished the keepsake in just three days’ time.
On the table in front of me were also a couple of incredibly detailed ornaments Ramirez created to memorialize man’s best friend, the family pet.
Last year, Ramirez made about a hundred unique ornaments for clients, leading up to the holiday season, Jackson explained.
“Between August and December, he was focused on pet ornaments. He had so many orders, he worked right up until Christmas,” he said.
Project Onward artists are admitted to the studio’s roster through a competitive process, explained Sandra Tanzer, a development consultant for the organization.
“Each person in our program is challenged with at least one mental or developmental condition (autism, schizophrenia, severe depression, etc.) that keeps them from being able to hold down a so-called “normal” job,” Tanzer said. “But when each studio member gets off the elevator, he or she is an ARTIST FIRST and proudly identifies as such.”
Once a new artist becomes acclimated to the program, Tanzer explained, he or she finds an outlet and is able to focus their energies and talents in new, productive ways.
“In fact many of the distracting or disruptive behaviors that might occur in a more ‘normal’ environment disappear in the studio; many artists become more socially active, cooperating with and helping each other [while] focusing on their art,” she said.
In celebration of Chicago Artists Month, and to mark the 25th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Project Onward will host a multi-arts showcase entitled “When I Paint My Masterpiece” on Friday, Oct. 16 from 6-10 p.m. as part of Third Fridays at the Bridgeport Art Center. The event will celebrate the talents of artists with disabilities from all over Chicagoland, and will feature a visual arts exhibition, live music theater and a panel discussion.
The organization is currently working hard to raise money for its operations. While half of all profits for commissions help support the work of the organization, it is not enough to cover all operating expenses, like staff salaries, rent and materials, Tanzer said.
To donate, please visit the studio and “feed the pig” or visit projectonward.org for more information.
Project Onward exhibits are free and open to public Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.