SGA YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF PUBLIC SPACE IMPROVEMENTS AND ART INSTALLATION IN SUMMIT
Pigment artist and collaborators on the Argo Park Site (Photo Credit: Nora Gregor/Arts Alliance Illinois)
SGA YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF PUBLIC SPACE IMPROVEMENTS AND ART INSTALLATION IN SUMMIT
Community-Led Creative Placemaking Initiative Transformed Public Spaces Through Art, Gardening and Neighborhood Beautification
SGA Youth & Family Services (SGA) announced the completion of Summit Together Creative Placemaking initiative, an eight-month project that brought Summit residents together to reimagine and improve public spaces through art, gardening and community engagement.
The project includes public art, gathering spaces, community gardens and public space improvements at Argo Park, Summit Park and Summit Public Library. It was supported through the Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking grant program, a Cook County initiative implemented in partnership with LISC and Arts Alliance Illinois. Designed to foster belonging, creativity and community pride, Summit Together provided residents across generations with opportunities to help shape the places where they live and gather.
“SGA Youth & Family Services has had a deep commitment to the families of Summit since 2015. Through Summit Together, Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking funding has made a lasting impact on the Summit community for generations to come,” said Martha Guerrero, President and CEO of SGA Youth & Family Services. “SGA, Summit Community Network partners, residents and Summit institutions all came together to find belonging and a shared path forward through physical spaces.”
The celebration featured a ribbon cutting at Argo Park, followed by a trolley ride to Summit Park and Summit Public Library, giving attendees an opportunity to experience the completed projects and learn more about their impact on the community.
At Argo Park, the project grew out of residents’ deep connection to a public space with longstanding significance to Summit’s historically Black Argo community. In spring 2026, a proposal to annex the park land from the Summit Park District prompted residents to mobilize and express concerns about the future of the space. SGA used the opportunity to gather input from residents about the improvements they wanted to see at the park and shifted existing Creative Placemaking plans to direct additional attention and resources to Argo Park.
The revitalized park now features the community mural, a restored basketball court and improvements to its picnic pavilion. The basketball court features a design reflecting the universities and corresponding jersey numbers of four Division I basketball players who grew up in Summit, while the pavilion includes a mosaic sign created by residents. Residents also planted trees and flowers, Home Depot donated benches and picnic tables, and a bronze plaque commemorates the work completed at the park.
A new mural, created by main artists Brenda Dickerson, Barret Keithly and Blake Lenoir; assistant artists Writer Carter and Amorion Bell; artist builders Kahari Blackburn and Joseph Andrews, with art direction by Dorian Sylvain and support from Summit youth, reflects Argo’s history as well as the community it is today. Its completion comes weeks after Illinois marked Emmett Till Day on July 25, honoring Till’s legacy and connection to the state. Till grew up in Argo with strong roots to the community. In his honor, the Emmett Till Memorial Center was established in Summit and is located across the street from Argo Park. Till, who was known to play in the park, is depicted in the mural riding a trolley with his mother. The mural also incorporates other elements of Summit Argo’s history and community.
"Cook County is committed to making strategic investments in historically disinvested communities to nurture talent, promote a sense of belonging and foster growth," said Cook County Bureau of Economic Development Chief Xochitl Flores. "Today's unveiling reflects the hard work of our partners and neighbors, made possible by two key Cook County programs. The Creative Placemaking grant empowers suburban nonprofits to lead transformative, community-driven art projects, while the Transforming Places program drives place-based, community-driven, sustainable economic development."
Summit Together also brought residents together to improve public spaces at Summit Park and Summit Public Library. At Summit Park, preteens explored pride in place through visual art, creating mosaic garden stepping stones and helping design mosaic embellishments for community garden boxes with glass artist and mosaic project lead Joe Waropay. At Summit Public Library, seniors and families worked with an urban gardener to bring new life to the library courtyard.
“Overall, this program gave us valuable skills, brought us closer as a family, and gave us a great way to help care for our local community spaces. Thank you for organizing such a rewarding and educational program,” said the Rodriguez family, who participated in the creative placemaking process.
Summit Together Creative Placemaking was led by SGA as the quarterback agency for Summit Community Network, a Cook County Bureau of Economic Development Transforming Places Network in partnership with United Way Metro Chicago Neighborhood Networks. Key Summit Community Network partners included Nubian 9 (N9) Social Club and The Lights On Collective, along with other supporting Network partners. Arts partners included Pigment International, Ignite Glass Studio and urban gardener Sandra Reno.
Cook County Arts is a pilot initiative of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development made possible by $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. With a focus on the County’s suburban communities, Cook County Arts provides support for artists and nonprofit arts organizations, and seeks to mitigate the lingering negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen the suburban arts sector in the long term.
Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking grants are supporting community-driven projects throughout suburban Cook County that integrate arts, culture, and design into broader efforts related to public space, economic development, education, neighborhood identity, and community engagement. Unveilings are already underway and will continue throughout the fall of 2026.
For more information about Summit Together Creative Placemaking, visit cookcountyarts.org. For more information about SGA Youth & Family Services, visit sga-youth.org.
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