John T Unger Artist's Portfolio

Community Harmony Through Song & Play, Panel 1: Music

Community Harmony Through Song & Play, Panel 1: Music, 2001 Ceramic mosaic on wood substrate. 66" H x 48" W x 2" D Public Art Commission

Panel 1 portrays musical styles which have been cornerstones of the African American culture and experience. The sax man probably plays jazz or blues. The banjo player picks out a country blues or maybe a dance tune. The woman may be singing gospel, though the song could as easily be Motown, blues, or a traditional field holler. The blending of these musics shows how each has grown from the songs before it and also that working together is required to make the music sweet, that respecting heritage gives it depth, that inventiveness and improvisation give it the edge to move on into tomorrow and discover an even better world. One of three mosaics created for Manly Career Academy High School in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. Assisted by Caswell James and advised by veteran muralist Nina Smoot-Cain, I worked with a team of nine community youths to design and produce three mosaic panels totaling 66 sqare feet. Commission sponsored by Chicago Public Art Group with support from Gallery 37 and the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. To read a detailed account of the project, click here.

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Community Harmony Through Song & Play, Panel 2: Arts and History

Community Harmony Through Song & Play, Panel 2: Arts and History, 2001 Ceramic mosaic on wood substrate. 66" H x 48" W x 2" D Public Art Commission

An African horn player blows his horn from the deep past, communicating with the sax man in the first panel. Behind him a mask hangs like the sun in the sky. The abstract pattern was inspired by African textiles and African American quilts. This mosaic asserts that tradition can be a lively living thing, that introspection and intuition can lead to innovation without bulldozing the inspirations we may discover in our history. One of three mosaics created for Manly Career Academy High School in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. Assisted by Caswell James and advised by veteran muralist Nina Smoot-Cain, I worked with a team of nine community youths to design and produce three mosaic panels totaling 66 sqare feet. Commission sponsored by Chicago Public Art Group with support from Gallery 37 and the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. To read a detailed account of the project, click here.

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Community Harmony Through Song & Play, Panel 3: Peace in the Park

Community Harmony Through Song & Play, Panel 3: Peace in the Park, 2001 Ceramic mosaic on wood substrate. 66" H x 48" W x 2" D Public Art Commission

In the park a band plays, a man and woman dance, a child jumps to catch the notes in the air. Creative spirits float above a pond, embracing. A man sells balloons and children get sno-cones from a pushcart vendor, a common sight in North Lawndale. The park is clean and people are enjoying their neighborhood, free to play and relax. life is good because mutual respect and effort have created a safe and joyful environment. One of three mosaics created for Manly Career Academy High School in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. Assisted by Caswell James and advised by veteran muralist Nina Smoot-Cain, I worked with a team of nine community youths to design and produce three mosaic panels totaling 66 sqare feet. Commission sponsored by Chicago Public Art Group with support from Gallery 37 and the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. To read a detailed account of the project, click here.

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Peter The Crow Mosaic Table

Peter the Crow Mosaic Table, 2002 Glass and ceramic tile mosaic, steel table. 26.5" x 19" x 17" high Commission
When my dad was young he had a series of pet crows, all named Peter, and Peter was the hero of my bedtime stories. Charles Culver, a well known artist where I grew up, traded a portrait of Peter to my dad for scrap lumber to make picture frames. 50 years later, I traded this mosaic portrait of Peter to my cousin Trina for a set of new tires. The second thumbnail below shows the original Culver portrait the mosaic was based on. If you'd like to read the Peter the Crow stories I grew up with, I've collected them here.
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El Corazon Mosaic Table

Corazon Mosaic Table, 2002 ceramic tile mosaic, steel table. 30" x 48" x 17" high Commission
This table was commissioned by Angelo at Casa Loca in Chicago. The original design is from the Mexican Loteria deck, a traditional game similar to Bingo.  I had long wanted to do a mosaic based on the Mexican Loteria deck, and this image in particular. I wish I had better pictures of this piece… it's much cooler than you can tell from these images. Teresa Villegas did a very cool updated version of the loteria game which has now been published in in a handsome book. I highly recommend checking out her site devoted to the project, which provides a good deal of background on the game and images. You can also learn more by visiting this website from Boston University on the History of the Mexican Loteria Card Game.
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After the Matador, Folk Art Mosaic Table

After the Matador, 1998 ceramic tile, glass, steel on wood. 26" x 46" x 1.5" high Buy this mosaic at ArtBuzz

This is the very first mosaic I ever did. I made it shortly after moving to Chicago, as a kitchen table for my first real studio. Shortly after I finished it, I participated in my first Pilsen East Artists’ Open House, an annual event in the neighborhood. I had a ton of great art filling the studio but the two questions I heard most were, "Wow. What's the rent here?" and "How much is the table?" Heh. By the end of the first day, I was sooooo tired of explaining that the table wasn't for sale, it was what we ate on. But by day two of the three day show, I was thinking "Hmmmm, maybe I should do more of these mosaics thingies." Some years back I removed the legs and made it a wall hanging piece, but it would be very simple to put legs on it again if you wanted a table. I think it works really nicely as a mural. The frame is made from antique yardsticks that happened to be the same orange and yellow as the tile. The bull's eye is a Xerox copier lense behind which is a photo of an eye. Actually, it's a photo of a television showing a big eye, but you can't really see the TV. The bull's horn is made from old roofing steel set into the tile.

Virgin Of Guadalupe Folk Art Mosaic Table

Virgin of Guadalupe, 1999 ceramic tile, glass, china, mirror, found wooden table. 50" x 32" x 17.5" high private collection

The design for this table was inspired by murals in the Pilsen Neighborhood of Chicago. This was my second mosaic and the last one to use broken china. Although the china looked good in this context, I learned that it did not make a particularly flat table surface…

La Femme Astrale Mosaic Table

La Femme Astrale, 1999 ceramic tile, plywood substrate. 24" x 48" x 17" high May be Available

The design for this table was adapted from a 19th Century French poster for a floating woman act.… This is one of a set of four tables I did in collaboration with Neil Verplank. The orange background tile is really nice vintage stuff from the Sixties that I discovered way, way deep in a warehouse in southern Michigan.

Cocktail Girls, Mosaic Table

Cocktail Girls, 1999 ceramic tile, glass, plywood substrate. 24" x 48" x 17" high Private Collection

The design for this table came from an antique matchbook… Most of my early mosaics were based on old 4 color ads and posters. The limited colors of tile I was using seemed well suited to matching that style, and as a graphic designer I was fascinated by old pop culture images.

Ballad of the Dragon Mosaic Table

Ballad of the Dragon, 1999 ceramic tile, glass, plywood substrate. 24" x 48" x 17" high Commission

The design for this table was adapted from a metal engraving by José Guadalupe Posada. The eye is a photo pasted behind a Xerox copier lense. … Most of my early mosaics were based on old 4 color ads and posters. The limited colors of tile I was using seemed well suited to matching that style, and as a graphic designer I was fascinated by old pop culture images.