Kane County specialty courts participants use art to tell their stories
The women’s faces were paired with skulls, with stitches across their faces, while bright flowers in their hair belied the depth of their sadness.
Another skull, with aviator glasses and a hat festooned with flowers, contrasted death and suffering with the beauty of life.
The artwork of participants in Kane County’s four specialty courts filled the jury lounge at the Judicial Center in St. Charles last week, many pieces telling their lives’ journeys.
Adult drug court, alternative treatment court, DUI court and veterans court each seek to intervene and assist those who come through the court system, admit their guilt, and receive ongoing support.
Judge Christine Downs, who presides over three of the specialty courts, said participants’ art serves multiple purposes.
“We have an art show for several reasons. One, because in our specialty courts people are quite literally reinventing their lives and they are learning to socialize in pro-social ways that don’t involve drugs and alcohol — so it provides a social opportunity,” Downs said.
“But of course, art, for so many people, provides an outlet for expression — what they’re going through, what they want to achieve, what’s happened to them in their past,” she added. “So to be able to combine those things makes for such a wonderful wonderful event that we’ve been having for a number of years now.”
To Downs’ point of reinvention, veterans court participant Robert Lundquist created “Phoenix Rising From the Ashes” using tiny plastic diamond craft dots.
Lundquist wrote an essay, “Rise from the Ashes” to describe his life of alcoholism for 30 years, his mended relationship with his family and being now in recovery and sober for 13 months.
He is also in the certified recovery support specialist program at Elgin Community College — so he can help counsel others.
“I may as well take my journey into helping people recover,” Lundquist said. “I almost lost my family. I had to do 100% turnaround … All the people out there that want a change in their lives? You got to 100% want it for yourself. That’s where it all starts.”
John Higareda, a past participant in veterans court, created a copy of the Codex Borgia in acrylic paint, an ancient Aztec calendar.
The Aztec calendar had 20-day months for a 260-day calendar. Each month is designated by a symbol — vulture, hawk, serpent, deer, death, water.
“The Borgia was one of the books they saved when the Spaniards destroyed all the artwork,” Higareda said, referring to the 16th century Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. “This was left behind and they found it.”
Kane County Public Defender Rachele Conant said she loves coming to the Specialty Courts Art Show.
“It’s nice to see all the talent,” Conant said. “Even the things that they write are so inspirational and gives such insight to where they’ve been in their journey. It’s such a great thing to see their progress and who they are — outside of why they’re here.”