'Greatness of Gary' billboard campaign celebrates city's unsung heroes

Gary-native helps redefine his hometown through youth art project

A new art project in Gary, Indiana, is putting hometown pride in the spotlight ? one billboard at a time.

GARY, Ind. - Gary, Indiana is primarily known as the home of Michael Jackson and a city that was once a giant in the steel industry. That all happened decades ago.

PeQue Brown is helping paint the future of his hometown.

"My father told me early on, you can't make any money as an artist, so you might as well get a real job," said Patrick Quinton. "He got the name PeQue from his mother."

Both of PeQue’s parents were artists but ultimately chose practical professions. His mother was a homemaker, and his father worked in the steel mills.

PeQue likes to say, "I didn’t choose art, art chose me." His work has been featured for television shows, films, commercials, and he’s even been commissioned for a mural of Kamala Harris that hung outside the United Center.

The artist has returned to Gary and partnered with the Gary Alumni Pathways to Students program. The citywide billboard project is called The Greatness of Gary. The goal is to celebrate Gary’s cultural legacy, which goes beyond the national headlines.

"It helps me see that no matter where you come from, you can turn into something great," said student Makayla Evans.

The hope is that this project not only inspires youth but also gives the people of Gary something to be proud of.

"Hopefully they look at it and recognize that there's more than Michael Jackson," said PeQue. "We love Michael Jackson, but we want the world to know that there's more than just the Jackson family. Some amazing people have come from here."

Six Gary natives are featured on the billboards that the students helped design.

• U.S. Representative Katie Hall, who helped establish the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.
• Gary’s first black mayor, Richard G. Hatcher.
• Current NBA all-star Darius Garland.
• Astronaut Frank Borman from the Apollo 8 mission.
• Former White Sox power hitter Ron Kittle.
• Olympic gymnast Dianne Durham.

"It's time for us to tell our own narrative and stop letting people make up their minds about what Gary is or was," said Lisa Bennett, executive director for Gary Alumni Pathway to Students. "It’s important to bring people like PeQue and others back to the community because some of these kids want to be an artist. But a lot of times when our parents have struggled with things, or they didn't have opportunities, they might minimize that dream. They have the best of intentions of loving us and trying to move us to the next level, but sometimes they can squelch a dream and minimize it, particularly when it comes to arts. Because that's not a practical thing, right? You need to pay your electrical bill, but you want to be an artist. No you need to get a real good job so that you can support yourself."

PeQue is proof that it doesn’t matter where you’re from. Your passion can produce a paycheck.

"I hope they (students) feel a sense of pride, a sense of ownership, and I hope that it gives them a sense of direction and meaning for life. I hope that this sparks something new in their lives. And even if they don't decide that art is the thing that they want to do for life, at least it lets them know the possibilities of being able to do whatever it is that I set my mind to do."