While most of us haven’t even seen half of Chicago’s individual neighborhoods, one Chicago resident took it upon himself to visit all of them recently.
23-year-old photographer Mike Gugliuzza spent two months photographing residents of Chicago from each of the city’s 77 neighborhoods, showcasing the vastly different areas and their inhabitants.
Inspired by the People of New York Facebook page, Gugliuzza ‘s Meet Your City project has taken off, gaining the support of many, and even nabbing a spot on ABC 7 News.
“The purpose of the project is to get people to get out of their six or seven neighborhoods and explore something new,” Gugliuzza said. “There’s just a lot in this city to experience.”
Gugliuzza, an Uptown resident and graduate student at Moody Bible Institute, was urged by one of his professors, Brian Kammerzelt, to take the project on. Gugliuzza had previously been giving tours of the city to Moody Bible’s international students, though these consisted mainly of the large tourist attractions.
“What an amazing project with so much potential,” Kammerzelt said. “Something everyone should take part in. Mike’s determination, heart for the city, and boldness in making this project happen was exciting to see. The photos are excellent and the combination with the map and Instagram is brilliant.”
You can follow Gugliuzza on Instagram under the username gugmi01. You can also check out his other work at mikegugliuzza.com. On top of his Chicago neighborhoods project, the 23-year-old also does portraits, music & events, and wedding photos.