September 1, 2017
COOPER ACADEMY
by Franciso Mendoza
Given its name by Czech stockyard workers who settled there in the late 19th century, a century later 80% of the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago were first or second generation Mexican immigrant or Mexican American. Serving the changing needs of the neighborhood the Peter Cooper Elementary Dual Language Academy set out to engage students with a rich curriculum, including attention to the arts. In 1991 award-winning art teacher Francisco Mendoza began working with his students to hand-set Venetian glass tiles and transform the facade of the school, and by 1999 the school served as showcase for 2,100 square feet of mosaic mural, some panels as large as 7’ x 27’. In addition to highlighting important Mexican artists and revolutionaries, and Mexican American labor leaders, one panel to the right of the W. 19th St. entry (shown here) portrays the late art teacher himself: Francisco Gerardo Mendoza Ybarra (1958–2012).