ReSOURCE
Artists

Mr. Imagination
Gregory Warmack, more popularly known as “Mr. Imagination” (1948-2012), was born in Chicago, the third of nine children. At the age of 30, Warmack was shot during a robbery, leaving him in a coma for six weeks. This near-death experience, which he described as an out-of-body encounter with visions of ancient cultures, profoundly influenced his creative trajectory and artistic practice. After his recovery, he adopted the name Mr. Imagination and began creating art from discarded materials, such as shattered glass, painted rocks, tossed-away bottle-caps, whittled tree bark, and a variety of other materials. This practice served as a healing experience, and he often involved local children in his creative process to create structures such as the Imagination Grotto, located at the southeast corner of 39th and Michigan in the art garden of the former Elliott Donnelley Youth Center, only one block from the South Side Community Art Center. In 2002, he moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but a devastating fire in 2008 destroyed his home and much of his work. He relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2009, where he continued to create and exhibit his art until his passing. Mr. Imagination’s work includes assemblages, functional structures, sculptures, public art, and wearable objects, all salvaged from materials that fascinated his creative curiosities.