Project Description

Forever Told, Forever Kept is a storytelling mural that depicts memories of local elders in McHenry County, IL, by exploring life before World War II. The goal of the mural, painted by teenage artists, was to begin a dialogue between the two participating generations. Forever Told, Forever Kept aimed to encourage dialogue between long-time Illinois residents and more recent immigrants.

Beginning in June 2001, Forever Told, Forever Kept brought together two groups: the senior citizens group Memory Makers, who are trained by the Illinois Storytelling Festival to volunteer in school literacy programs; and teenaged artists, connected to the project through McHenry County high schools, the Hispanic Concerns Office of McHenry County College, and various local arts organizations. In the first week of the program, the teenage artists learned how to use video equipment and devised a list of questions for their senior storytellers. After the teens conducted the interviews, they reviewed raw footage and selected the strongest images to put on the mural. Artistic Director Dee Abbate encouraged the young painters “to focus on their personal responses as artists and not to focus on the stories they might have felt they were expected to select.”

Once the stories were selected, they conducted research about popular clothing and modes of transportation before World War II at the McHenry County Historical Museum. The teenagers completed their sketches and then transferred their drawings to the mural, comprised of five large canvas panels, making it possible to tour the mural at different venues around McHenry County. Each teenager painted an image from their senior storyteller’s childhood on one of the panels, along with a portrait of how each storyteller looks today. The mural was named Forever Told, Forever Kept by the teenagers, who had come to believe that “once people tell about their life experiences, their memories are forever kept in the hearts and minds of those who hear and see their stories.” The artists also created poetry honoring each of their storytellers, which was presented with the mural.

To accompany the murals while on tour throughout the state of Illinois, a package of educational materials was created that included a book, audio recording, and video tape of the actual interviews, as well as worksheets for schools, families, and senior centers. Each venue involved members of the community through planned performances, reflecting readings, facilitated audience participation, and personal or family writing projects. For example, the Old Court House Art Center hosted a follow-up activity to the mural’s exhibition: a poetry reading and open mic. Events at the other venues included playing of the audio tapes, family and children’s programs, Memory Makers trainings, displays of intergenerational albums, and facilitated dialogues.

Civic Engagement/Dialogue Activities

In McHenry County, the rural landscape is changing to suburban housing developments, the farm economy is switching to light manufacturing, and the small town centers are being replaced by strip malls. Furthermore, McHenry Country has undergone significant changes in population over the past decades, with a strong influx of Hispanic immigrants. Dee Abbate, artistic director of the Northwest Area Arts Council, hoped to address many of the changes within McHenry County through the images of the mural.

Since the completion of the original tour of Forever Told, Forever Kept, more activities have been scheduled around the mural’s display. Some of the future venues for these events include the McHenry County Historical Society, McHenry County College, Firehouse Fine Arts, Harvard Public Schools, McHenry Retired Adults Program, and McHenry County Retired Teachers’ Association. Finally, the teenage artists of McHenry County told newspapers following the story that they have continued to keep in touch with each other, as well as their senior storytellers.