SXU Students Participate in White Sox Game Changers Initiative
As part of Saint Xavier University's (SXU) partnership with the Chicago White Sox, SXU students recently participated in their Game Changers initiative, designed to celebrate and empower underrepresented communities. This season focuses on sharing stories of diverse communities through art and baseball.
This summer, SXU students attended a Chicago White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field and met Chicago-based artist Eddie Santana White, or Edo, a self-taught multimedia artist whose work has been exhibited in galleries in Chicago and New York. Edo mentors young men in basic graphic design in his free time, as he feels that providing creative opportunities to the youth is important.
The Chicago White Sox commissioned Edo to create a mural that reflects the experience and inspiration of Black culture through the lens of baseball, which Edo unveiled at the July 21 game. Edo, also an entrepreneur, was born on the South Side of Chicago and has been experimenting with art since he was 19. He represents the South Side culture through his work. Edo describes his art as a puzzle that the viewer is meant to solve, revealing messages of love, pain and triumph, and feels that his purpose on Earth is to bring joy to others through his creativity.
Edo's piece highlighted Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, the creator of Anderson's League of Leaders, a character-building youth program. Edo wanted to represent Anderson's integrity, strength and inspiration to the youth of Chicago.
"Black excellence is succeeding in whatever you want to succeed in. You're powerful. The only thing that is stopping you from doing what you want to do is you. For this piece, I want the color to bring you in, for you to feel that this is beautiful, this is culture, this is the South Side of Chicago," said Edo.
Before the game, Edo joined a virtual conversation with SXU art students and art faculty members Nathan Peck and Stephen Flemister. The group discussed Black excellence, sports and stories in Black culture that serve as inspiration, and the history of Black baseball players.
In the fall, Saint Xavier will welcome Edo to campus to meet with art students.