Masks of Chicagoland: Portraits of the City– Part 2

This is the second article in this series. Make sure you check out part one, too.

The Coronavirus has changed our lives in so many ways, and thousands of writers are publishing fantastic, and not so fantastic, articles about them. When we dispense with all the opinion, the think pieces, and the denunciations, individuals are still living their lives.

Once the reality of COVID-19 became clear, Chicagoans put on masks to protect themselves and others. It’s changed the face of the city. I have spent the weeks of lockdown photographing those faces.

Our faces show the world who we are. Our emotions shine through in our expressions. The wrinkles around the mouth. The curve of a lip. I worried whether covering our faces would make us less connected, less human. But we’re not. There’s nothing lost beneath the mask that our eyes don’t say.

In the beginning, nearly everyone wore the standard, blue medical masks. With the variety of shapes, colors, and designs, masks are as much a statement as the rest of our clothes.