Artist Profile: Dorian Sylvain

Dorian Sylvain is a painter whose color and texture explore ornamentation, pattern and design
as identifiers of cultural and historical foundations. She is a studio painter and muralist, as well
as an art educator, curator, and community planner. Much of her public work addresses issues
of beautification, inspired by color palettes and patterns found throughout the African diaspora
and particularly in architecture. Core to her practice is collaborating with children and
communities to elevate neighborhood aesthetics and foster shared understanding. In addition to
commissioned studio and mural work, Sylvain has led public-art projects over the past four
decades that empower communities and expose children to art making. She has partnered with
and been commissioned by organizations such as the South Side Community Art Center, Hyde
Park Art Center, National Museum of Mexican Art, DuSable Museum, Chicago Park District and
the Chicago Public Arts Group, working to build the next generation of “Cultural Keepers.”

Ms. Sylvain began to explore the larger creative community four decades ago on the South Side
of Chicago, where she was raised and received much of her artistic training and raised her three
sons. She received her first grant at age 21 to create a free art program at the local library.
Many years later she was awarded “Arts & Culture: Connecting Communities to the Arts’ from
the University of Chicago and the South East Commission, recognizing her outstanding work
and that same commitment to bringing arts to young people. She was influenced by the thriving
community of Black artists around her as a young artist, and in the Black Theater, she gained
her foundation as a designer and artistic collaborator. As a scenic designer, she worked with the
leading Black playwrights and a variety of artistic members of the Black Arts Movement,
including poets, musicians, painters, and dancers. This exposure shaped her understanding of
“artist as citizen,” inspiring a life committed to connecting community to the arts.

Much of her early artistic experiences helped her develop a proficient level of skill in carpentry,
drafting, model making, and decorative painting. These skills were later adapted to painting in
private homes during the school years of her three boys. After leaving the theater, Sylvain
explored a variety of ways to exploit her many artistic skill sets. She built a decorative arts studio
which allowed her to strike a balance between the needs of her children and her artistic
practice. For 20 years, Sylvain created private murals as well as curatorial services. The variety
of specialty interior projects honed her design and painting skills, which would later support the
creation of large-scale public art.

Recently, Sylvain founded the South Side “Mural Moves” to address the environmental aesthetic
of the South Shore neighborhood to benefit the families, individuals, and businesses that
together create this unique and historical lakefront community. It will provide visibility and a
legacy to everyone who participates and help revitalize the South Shore community. Sylvain has
supported and fostered her community for decades through the practice of sharing and making art
with people of all ages from across Chicago.