Pete Rodriguez (Photo by David Aguirre)
During the early 2000s, Pete Rodriguez lived large in a former photography studio above the Cafe Jumping Bean, 1439 W. 18th St. in the heart of Pilsen. The three-story building with an aqua dome top was constructed in 1907.
Pete used the 18-foot skylight as a backdrop to photograph neighbors and Chicago cultural icons, including the late artist Carlos Cortez. Rodriguez was also a former Marine, house painter, contrarian, and colorful activist.
Many called him the “Mayor of 18th Street.”
Rodriguez died of a diabetic coma on July 6 in his upstairs apartment a block [...]
Steve Liacopoulos of Rite Liquors helps launch Isaac’s art.
When you show your art on the outside border of the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, you must really be a renegade.
That is where I found Isaac G. Abarca last month. He was propping up his oil on canvas paintings on a sidewalk near the entrance to the popular arts and crafts fair. He also hung his paintings like Christmas ornaments in a large honeylocust shade tree in front of Rite Liquors, 1649 W. Division.
“Hanging paintings in a tree is a beautiful thing,” Abarca said during a Sunday alcohol free conversation at [...]
