Unison is proud to support Marwen, a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides visual arts education to young people across the city. Since 1987, Marwen’s programs have connected students with mentors, fostered creative expression, and provided a foundation to build a future through art and community.
This year, we commissioned artwork from Marwen’s student artists for our limited-edition greeting cards. One of these artists is Via McEwen, a high school junior from Chicago’s South Side. Via has a love for bold color and primarily works with oil paints. Her featured piece, Rainbow Panes, captures her distinct eye for hue and texture.
“Growing up among the beautiful Chicago greenery, blue lake and sky, red-brown brick and metal, and hundreds of other colors through florals, glass, and the dazzling Ferris wheel has kept me immersed in inspiration since I was young.”
Recently, Via sat down with us for a Q&A to share more about her journey, artistic process, and her experience at Marwen.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into making art?
I’ve grown up in a family of artists. I’ve always been surrounded by art. My dad makes music and is an actor. My mom did visual arts in her childhood and in college. My dad was like ‘ever since you were two and you could hold a pen, you always did the right way.’ So I think it’s just always been something I’ve been inclined toward.
How has Marwen helped you as an artist?
There’s a big difference between using online platforms or self-studying versus having a teacher who can focus on your specific skills and pieces. They can point out what to improve and what to add. Having teachers, peers and Marwen as a space—with materials and a work conducive environment—gives me time to practice, especially with mediums I don’t have access to at home, like oils, ceramics or spray paint.
As an artist, what other types of projects do you enjoy working on?
Large paintings, ceramic wheel thrown pieces, Usable art/pieces, and taking photos/crocheting/sewing from home. Projects that test my capabilities so that by the end I can see how my skills are growing.
Is there an artist, place, or memory that always inspires your creativity?
Thalia Stanton is an artist who I follow on YouTube. Their use of mixed media, color and large canvases to make such stunning portraits are works I aspire to be able to achieve one day! In addition, I find sunlight in many forms very beautiful, which makes me want to create art. This light can be when passing through leaves or skin (sub-surface scattering) causing vibrant color, dappling on buildings through trees, and generally various shapes of light and shadows. Finally, memories with my girlfriend Karis also tend to inspire my art! Memories of our first date inspired my Design to Print card (a Marwen commission program).
How does living in Chicago inspire your artwork?
As an artist I’m always training my eye by taking in the world around me. Because I live in Chicago, the way I think about color, light, things of nature like skies and trees, etc. are shaped by how those things look in Chicago. In addition, as I paint from photo references I take on my phone, a lot of my art is of Chicago in general.
What inspired the design you created for this card?
When I was looking through Unison’s website, I was really drawn to all the woven textures and the color palette—it’s saturated and bold, but still earthy and grounded. I thought, wow, this is so nice. Let me just mush it all together into what I think I can make with paint.
Your card uses a bold color scheme. Is this a common theme in your other work?
Yes! I largely make my art to capture what I find most beautiful in the world, whether that be people, nature, fashion, etc. Color might be the biggest thing I see in the world, and that inspires me to make art! Because of this, most of my works feature bright saturated colors and unnatural palettes while depicting natural things.
How do you go about choosing color palettes for your work?
I choose what makes me happy! My favourite color palette tends to be a mix of warm reddish-oranges, purples, and blues. Because I just go off which palettes make me the most excited, a lot of my paintings tend to overlap in color scheme.
What do you hope people feel when they see your card?
Mostly just joy. I love saturated colors in my art, that’s one of my favorite things to use, because color in the world makes me so excited. So just as happy as I am about the way it looks.
Where do you hope your work as an artist takes you next?
To more opportunities to do what I love. Whether I get paid for my work, get to share my work with others, or just get more time and space to make work that makes me happy.
When you shop on Giving Tuesday (12/2/2025) Unison will contribute a portion of our proceeds and match your gift to Marwen on that day (up to $5,000). Through this partnership, we hope to help foster a more inclusive and imaginative future—one that nurtures both individual growth and collective well-being.