Art as healing
Aaron and Alan Hicks '85 BS BVIS are almost certainly the only identical twins to graduate from UIC’s Program in Biomedical Visualization.
In their studio, Twin Hicks, the brothers create Afrocentric murals, portraits and religious imagery—artwork displayed in churches, schools, public buildings and homes, as well as films like “Coming to America 2” and “Equalizer 2.” Their art can be seen in the Chicago church that gospel great Mahalia Jackson attended.
They’re planning new art for the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, to be rebuilt after it was destroyed by flames last April. A mural the brothers painted in the South Side church in 2008 was the only wall left after the blaze.
“It amazes me that the mural was still standing after the whole church burned down,” Alan said.
“Even though that mural can’t be saved, we can do a new one, we can make it better and have more of an impact than what this mural had,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times after the fire.