Bears players and staff members weren't the only ones participating in the NFL's annual "My Cause My Cleats" initiative over the weekend.
Rihanna Linyard, a junior at Chicago's Art in Motion Creative Arts School, designed and painted two pairs of shoes that were on display during Sunday's Bears-Steelers game at Soldier Field. Art in Motion (AIM) is a Chicago school for grades 7-12 that offers core arts programs in dance, music, design, writing and production. One of AIM's founding partners is Common, the award-winning musician who prides himself as a Chicago native.
"Art in Motion Creative Arts School is committed to cultivating a learning environment where students can express their creativity while striving to reach their full potential," Bears executive vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief impact officer Tanesha Wade said. "The opportunity to collaborate with AIM came from a desire to share our platform to showcase the talent thriving within their school. My Cause My Cleats is an initiative that is designed to bring awareness to important causes and inviting AIM students to share their creativity through it felt like a meaningful way to further highlight their work. We're grateful to help expand the space for their voices to shine."
"It’s our kids using their gifts, being seen and knowing they belong. That connection between Art in Motion and the Bears shows what happens when community, purpose and art come together.” Common
Linyard was selected by Venise Keys, AIM's dean of core arts. She served as Linyard's visual art teacher last year and chose Linyard for the honor because she is "not only proficient at painting and drawing, but she demonstrates an artistic professionalism through her clearly defined aesthetic and approach to refining her craft."
"I was shocked at first because I was surprised that she picked me," Linyard told ChicagoBears.com. "It's a big honor."
Linyard's body of work features expressive still life paintings of florals and fruits. According to Keys, "every piece she made during my class last year was visually refreshing and I watched her experiment with different techniques and materials while never wavering from the florals and fruits she feels so connected to."
Linyard intends to pursue nursing and art in college after graduating from AIM in 2027. Earlier this year she submitted her floral and papaya painting series to the Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Keys was thrilled when the Bears asked AIM to choose a student to participate in the My Cause My Cleats initiative.
"I'm always surprised at the opportunities that come our way," she said. "I'm always happy to highlight a student and give our students professional opportunities."
Linyard painted her pairs of Nike Air Force 1s at school last week. One pair represents AIM, which opened in 2019 in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood.
The other pair that Linyard painted represents the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which was founded in 1979 and works to end hunger in Cook County by distributing food to more than 800 pantries, soup kitchens and meal programs.
Common has won three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. But at AIM's grand opening, he told those gathered that he "can't say anything is greater than this achievement right here."
Common is just as excited about Linyard being invited to take part in My Cause My Cleats.
"I never imagined I'd be part of a school less than two miles from where I grew up, a place rooted in the arts, creativity and self-love," Common said. "And now, to see one of our students designing a cleat for the Chicago Bears' My Cause My Cleats program, that's what it's all about, dreams realized and connecting their art to something big like the Chicago Bears. It's our kids using their gifts, being seen and knowing they belong. That connection between Art in Motion and the Bears shows what happens when community, purpose and art come together."
