Large crowds of Cubs fans left heartfelt messages in chalk on Wrigley Field's exterior brick walls after the Cubs' historic World Series win. Credit: Paul Boucher
As much as 2016 was a hectic year in Chicago (and in America, and throughout the world), I find that the photos that stayed with me the most were the quiet ones. The pictures that aren’t necessarily bombastic, but still capture slices of life throughout the city and tell us what it means to be in and of Chicago and the midwest.
Garland Martin Taylor, a sculptor who found a unique way to respond to the city’s gun violenceCredit: Jonathan GibbyKim Foxx, who won the Cook County state’s attorney’s race against Anita AlvarezCredit: Jeffrey MariniFrom left: Kristiana Colón, Charlene Carruthers, Rachel Williams, Janaé Bonsu, and Veronica Morris-Moore, five queer black women activists shaping Chicago politicsCredit: Danielle A. ScruggsLos Crudos frontman Martin Sorrondeguy at the site of Casa Aztlan, one of several former haunts of his hardcore bandCredit: Stephanie BassosEvanston rapper and producer Kweku Collins, at Soundscape Studios in East Humboldt ParkCredit: Zakkiyyah NajeebahFor our Summer Guide issue, Steve Bogira wrote about Englewood’s Hamilton Park baseball league, and Jeffrey Marini took beautiful photos of the kids during practice.Credit: Jeffrey MariniWaukegan alderman David Villalobos, who supports alternatives to coal for his townCredit: Richard AndersonReader interns Sunshine Tucker and KT Hawbaker-Krohn teamed up to cover black drag queens in the Chicago area. Pictured here is the Vixen on Harlem Avenue in Berwyn.Credit: Sunshine TuckerA Trump supporter shows off a rather interesting sartorial choice at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.Credit: Joeff DavisChicago Call to Action Protest organizers Imani, left, and Kristen gave safety instructions before a march that shut down the Dan Ryan Expressway in July, showing how to lock arms so that the police could not easily break the group apart.Credit: Sunshine TuckerVideo game designer William Chyr in a colorful, pixelated landscapeCredit: Colleen Durkin; Props by Doug JohnstonAward-winning composer (and University of Chicago professor) Anthony Cheung at his piano; he performed at this year’s Ear Taxi Festival.Credit: Ben GeboThe sign says it all: taken during game one of the World Series in front of Wrigley Field.Credit: Paul BoucherCamiella Williams, who was featured in our most recent People Issue, has dedicated her life to violence prevention after losing more than two-dozen friends and family members to gun violence.Credit: Whitten Sabbatini
