As you walk the streets of Chicago, you can’t miss the many colorful murals featuring a cartoon-like figure wearing a red bird mask. These are the works of Joseph Perez, also known as Sentrock, a locally based street artist whose style has become instantly recognizable to many Chicagoans.
For more than a decade, Sentrock’s works have been brightening Chicago neighborhoods from Little Village to the Loop to Edgewater and beyond. Many of the murals star his signature character, dubbed Bird City Saint.
“It was the idea of wanting to find freedom through my art and finding escape through my art,” he says. “That was a big component of this character wanting to take on a bird mask, symbolizing that freedom.”
Born in Phoenix, Sentrock now lives in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood and works out of a studio in Pilsen, a community known for its vibrant street art. We talked to him about some of his favorite places around the city.
Hidden gems near Pilsen
I spend a lot of time in my studio, so a lot of my favorite spots are around Pilsen because I’m always over here.
My favorite cafe is called Bueno Days in Little Village. Typically if I can start my day there, that’s where I’ll go.
And then if I have a day off, a slow morning, I’ll go to Pochos for brunch. My friend Miguel Hernandez owns that, it’s on 18th Street. They have fire chilaquiles, fried chicken, mimosas, everything.
And then, Harrison Park for a mid-day walk, to clear my mind while I’m working.
Downtown sights
The first thing on my list is definitely the Picasso statue. That’s probably my top favorite thing to see. How many cities can say they have a Picasso sculpture?
And then, you got to go to The Chicago Theatre. I have a mural right across from that, so, a little bonus, you can see my mural at the ABC building.
Must-visit museums
You have the National Museum of Mexican Art, which is free and open six days a week. So that’s always cool to casually go in there and get inspiration.
Shout out to the Museum of Contemporary Art, because I have a merch collection that I did with them that’s still in their gift shop. Definitely check out the Art Institute of Chicago. And I love the Chicago Cultural Center, because they always have really cool art exhibitions.
Street art and galleries
Up and down 18th Street in Pilsen, there are so many murals that are coming and going, replacing old murals or new ones popping up. Just take a stroll on 18th Street from Damen to Halsted if you can make it all the way. The cool thing is, I have murals all in between.
Also in Pilsen, you have galleries like the Pilsen Arts and Community House.
In Logan Square, you have All Star Press, which features a lot of local street artists and muralists, so definitely try to go there. And Anthony Gallery in the West Loop has really cool modern, contemporary stuff right now.
Spots for a slice
If you’re in Pilsen, go to Novel Pizza Cafe. I have a mural that’s directly across from it as well. It’s pretty cool, and they put some of my art in there. They do a lot of cool fusion stuff with their pizza, but I’m pretty simple. Just a cheese pizza for me.
If you’re on the North Side, go to Zazas. I did a mural for them, and their pizza is super fire. They have one in Wrigleyville and two locations in the suburbs (Geneva and Glen Ellyn).
A perfect night out
My friend owns a restaurant called Diego. The vibes are good, the people are cool. They typically have DJs in there; it’s almost like a restaurant-slash-club kind of vibe. It’s Mexican seafood, so they have fish tacos and shrimp tacos and stuff like that.
A lot of my friends like to go to Penny Whistle or Simone’s or Twisted but look, I like to just chill. If it’s up to me, I’m going to Punch House. If you’re there with friends, you can share a punch bowl. They always have a dope DJ and it kind of has a cool underground vibe to it. The ambiance is very lowkey, almost like a speakeasy.
Looking for more? Discover things to do in the Pilsen neighborhood or check out street art and murals throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods.
