Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting west sider Justin White Foreva and watching him in action. The full-time, self-taught painter is legally blind, and since the age of 13, his eyesight has been deteriorating.
Keratoconus has impacted White’s vision for more than 15 years, and though he now has scleral lenses that perfect his sight, White prefers to paint without them, informing the way he paints and the subjects he conveys.
Read more about White and his painting process in the story below. Also new this week, Mayor Johnson announced a new initiative to open a year-round market on the South or West Side and connect citywide markets. And a small part of Austin is giving out microgrants to bring neighbors together.
Happy reading!
Jessica Mordacq
Staff Reporter
The Lead
Decrepit but historic, Laramie State Bank redo is next up
The Laramie State Bank building sits at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Laramie. Over decades, the remarkable art deco façade and its stunning interior have fallen into advanced stages of decay.
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More news
As sight diminishes, West Side artist keeps painting
Though Justin White, 29, has loved art for as long as he can remember, painting became more of a form of artistic expression after he became legally blind with keratoconus.
Open Books, UIC offer college essay-writing workshops for West Side students
High school students who live or attend school on Chicago’s West and Southwest sides can get free, one-on-one help with their college application essays at upcoming workshops.
Market City initiative to increase food access coming to West Side
There’s a new initiative to strengthen food access on the West and South Sides of Chicago — where, respectively, 45% and 51% of homes are food insecure, according to a 2026 report by the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
How $100 microgrants are helping Island neighbors build community
Through a national pilot initiative called “With Neighbors,” the Island Civic Association (ICA) spent the summer and fall awarding $100 microgrants to residents to host gatherings on their blocks.
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