Compliments of Chicagohoodz- Chicago Street Gang Art & Culture

James “Jinx” O’Connor and Damen Corrado’s new book Compliments of Chicagohoodz: Chicago Street Gang Art and Culture (Feral House) draws upon the world’s largest collection of Chicago street gang memorabilia and research material to decipher their arcane visual language of the city’s street organizations. This comprehensive survey breaks down and analyzes approximately 700 street gang business cards (“compliment cards”), along with photographic documentation of the lost era of street gang graffiti (“emblems”), gang member portraits, archival photos of varsity-style gang sweaters and patches, drawings, and commentary from gang members and artists such as Robert N. Taylor and Jack Walls. Through these images Compliments of Chicagohoodz traces the history and development of the neighborhood street gang, from the “social athletic clubs” of the 1950s “greaser” era, through the racially divided 1970s, up to the 1990s and beyond. Former Guardian Angel “Jinx” has spent 30 years combing the streets, researching territories, interviewing and photographing gang members and countless hours conducting research in the Chicago Historical Society and the Harold Washington Library. Damen Corrado is an artist and filmmaker from the North Side of Chicago. For more info: feralhouse.com OR 323-666-3311 Facebook Invite Here.