FMS Patriot (147) — Chris Drenth
Artist
Chris Drenth (51)
Materials Used
Acrylic paint
Your website or social media
Describe your bug and its beauty
Our Cicada was made to represent Freedom Middle School (FMS), where I am proudly the art teacher to all of our FMS students. The cicada boasts the colors red, white and blue, which are the signature colors of our school and mascot, the Patriots. The cicada's head is light gray with blue highlights and has 2 large red eyes and 3 red oceli (simple eyes.) The thorax is blue and the wings feature a blue and gray ombre, with the gray starting near the head and transitioning to full blue at the wing tips. The dark blue thorax between the wings contains the acronym FMS in a lighter blue. On the right wing the word Freedom is highlighted in red letters with white trim. There are 17 thin grey lines running lengthwise on each of the wings - 1 for each year between emergence - totaling 34 lines in all. Each of the lines represents 100 students, and in all, approximately the 3400 students that have attended Freedom Middle school in the last 17 years. At the central base of the wings are 3 white stars with red and blue lines streaming from the bottom, which is the Freedom Middle School logo.
How long do you think you took decorating your bug?
6 hours
Tell us your Story
The cicadas emerging this year last visited us 17 years ago. What kind of change have you seen in your city, yourself, or someone you know over the last 17 years?
In the past 17 years, our city has become a wonderfully diverse neighborhood. Berwyn has become a hub for artists, musicians and other creatives. This makes it a great place to live, a great place to hang out and enjoy art and music, and a great place to raise a family. I have 3 children aged 20, 17 and 16. Each of my children attended Hiawatha Elementary School, Freedom Middle School and now, Morton West High School. None of my own children recall the last cicada emergence. This made me think about the hundreds of students that I have taught over the past few years, many of whom were not yet born the last time this brood of cicadas emerged. I worked on the cicada in my classroom and asked the students to share some of their ideas for creating the piece. These conversations with students led to the choice of color and some of the decorative features on the cicada. They also led to the idea to represent the thousands of students who have graced the halls of our school. Many of the students I am teaching and have taught will have their own families in 17 years. It is interesting to think about the future and children of today sharing this year's experience with their families 17 or 34 years from now. It makes me wonder....What will our city look like then? Will we still be a place to come for art and music? I am hopeful that Berwyn will continue to grow as a destination for the arts and continue to head down the path of greater inclusion and equality?
Location
Berwyn Gardens, 2134 Home Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402, between Clinton Avenue and Kenilworth Avenue — Map
Dedicated To
Inclusion and Equality