HR1036 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1036 LRB102 30099 ECR 42314 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Jon Veal of Chicago, who passed away on December 21, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Jon Veal was a transdisciplinary artist focused on the capacity of symbolic gesture as a strategy, using his artistic agency as a platform for building communal spaces; his artwork was exhibited at the Chicago Artist Department, Silent Funny, the William Hill Gallery, the Homewood Science Center, the Chicago Cultural Ball, the Kiss the Brain Gallery, the Catich Gallery at St. Ambrose University, and the Terrain Biennial representing Austin, Chicago; he was the first African American artist in Residence at Oak Park Public Library and held the Field/Work Artist in Residence position at Chicago Artist Coalition in 2019; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, Jon Veal and Jordan Campbell co-founded alt_Chicago, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, artist-led organization that aims to transform the communities of Chicago through art; their organization became known for its free community markets on the West and South sides and their flagship venture Project Stamp, a campaign to document the lives of West Siders through portraits taken in neighborhood spaces; at the time of his passing, alt_Chicago had collected $350,000 over the past year to hire staff, realize projects, and eventually find a permanent studio on the West Side; and

WHEREAS, Through alt_Chicago, Jon Veal received numerous honors, grants, fellowships, and opportunities to serve the City of Chicago through several programs, including Project Stamp, alt_ Market, alt_ b.i.n., Redemptive Plastics, and alt_ Academy; in 2020, he was a recipient of 3Arts' Make A Wave grant and the Chicago Artist Coalition's Spark grant, which recognizes exceptional artists working in Chicago; in 2021, he was invited to join the Resource Global Chicago Cohort in addition to being named the 2021 Spring Latham Fellow at the IIT Institute of Design; and

WHEREAS, Jon Veal served on the auxiliary Board of Directors for the Design Museum of Chicago and on the Chicago Avenue Corridor Improvement Study Team in partnership with the Lamar Johnson Collaborative and the Chicago Department of Transportation; and

WHEREAS, Jon Veal was known for his ability to converse with strangers and quickly become friends; he will be remembered for his work and his commitment to bringing art and opportunity to the West Side; and

WHEREAS, Jon Veal is survived by his fiancée, Brittney Carolina; his mother, Karen Veal; his father, Joseph Veal; and his sister, Cartier Veal; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Jon Veal and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Jon Veal as an expression of our deepest sympathy.