Caryl Yasko

Caryl Yasko was one of the nation’s first female public muralists and was at the forefront of an art movement that produced hundreds of large-scale works in the United States and Europe.

Yasko graduated from Dominican College with a bachelor’s degree in art in 1963. Five years later, Yasko relocated to Japan after her husban was awarded a Fulbright scholarship, and was influenced by the Japanese brush-and-ink technique, which she incorporated into her trademark style.

In 1970, Yasko relocated to Chicago’s South Side where she started working with her mentor, community artist William Walker. She was a founding artist in the Chicago Mural Group and taught public mural techniques at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and other colleges and universities.

“We started the mural movement because we believed that art should be available to everyone,” Yasko said. “We broke the barrier between the artist and the viewer and collaborated with people on the street and in communities to reflect what they wanted to say about what was important to them at the moment.”

Her emotionally compelling work is praised for its strong compositions and breathtaking use of color. She has won numerous awards, is published internationally in books, is featured in films and has held over 50 artist-in-residence positions.