Pass It Forward
By Dorian Sylvain (in collaboration with Sam Kirk)
About
The artwork
Pass It Forward is a collaborative mural that spans both floors of the Main Court space in Home Court. It celebrates the cultural legacies of Chicago’s South Side, blending vibrant narrative imagery and community history to honor the neighborhoods that shaped the Obama family. The mural embodies the spirit of connection to the past while reimagining the future through the eyes of the next generation.
Location: Home Court | Main Court
The artists
Dorian Sylvain is a Chicago-based painter, muralist, and educator whose work draws on color, pattern, and design rooted in the African diaspora. Her practice explores how visual language carries cultural and historical meaning, often through large-scale public art shaped by architectural references and community context.
Raised on Chicago’s South Side, Sylvain has spent decades leading collaborative projects that engage young people and local communities. Her work centers on neighborhood identity and shared experience, with a focus on expanding access to art and supporting the next generation of artists and “cultural keepers.”
Sam Kirk is a multidisciplinary artist whose vibrant, narrative-driven practice explores identity, culture, and the power of community. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Kirk creates work that uplifts underrepresented stories and celebrates the beauty, resilience, and complexity of everyday people. Her practice spans public art, studio work, illustration, and design, with a signature visual language rooted in illustrative linework, bold color, and layered symbolism. Through murals, installations, and mixed-media works, her work invites viewers to consider the intersections of culture, place, and belonging.
