Chicago is known as the birthplace of house music, and a local artist is making a very public tribute to the beloved genre.

A new mural is set to be unveiled at the Chicago Public Library’s Uptown Branch across the street from the now closed Gherkin Records.

Last week, the library allowed members of the community to come out and observe the artist, Max Sansing, at work.

The design encapsulates the unifying feeling and power music has on all people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender.

“The spirit of house music is so very inclusive, and this neighborhood has such a diverse array of people and cultures,” Sansing said. “So I thought it was the perfect merge for creativity and environment.”

Sansing, known for his use of vibrant colors, made no exceptions for this piece. He wanted to tell a particular story of the genre, which led him to pay tribute to house music pioneer Frankie Knuckles.

Sansing grew up watching documentaries on Knuckles and listening to his music — one of Sansing’s favorites is “The Whistle Song.”

Though Sansing is a fan of house music, he would not categorize himself as a house head.

“I will not claim I am a house head because I know some die-hard house heads,” Sansing said. “I am basically a hip-hop head, but I’ve grown up with house and I do listen to it very often. I’m a house head adjacent.”

Sansing used his love and familiarity of the unique musical genre as a guide and focal point for the mural. He didn’t want the piece to be literal but rather “euphoric in the nature of what house music does when you listen to it.”

Knuckles, known as the godfather of house music, used to pack dance floors and kept people in a joyous dancing mood for the whole night. He knew how to draw in a crowd, similar to Sansing. Several members of the neighborhood stopped to watch him work with smiles across their faces.

Sansing thought this to be an interesting experiment and appreciated all the kind words community members shared with him.

The mural, “Under One Roof,” was funded as part of the city's recent neighborhood mural initiative led by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in collaboration with Chicago-based artists and community organizations. Recent installations were at public sites in Humboldt Park, the West Loop, Bronzeville and Woodlawn/Washington Park. Additional murals will debut this fall in Edgewater, Mayfair and South Chicago.

One of the community organizations, Chicago Public Art Group (CPAG), hired Sansing and Japanese visual artist Tomokazu Matsuyama. Matsuyama’s mural will be featured at the Edgewater Library; it’s set to be completed by the end of October.

There will be an unveiling of “Under One Roof” from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Uptown Branch library. DCASE, Chicago Public Art Group and the Chicago Public Library are hosting the celebration.

“Public art is a powerful vehicle for instilling pride and ownership in a community,”  said Chantal Healey, executive director of Chicago Public Art Group. “Sansing’s mural, ‘Under One Roof,’ celebrates our diversity as well as our community. This makes us stronger, as we are all more similar than we are different.”

Flowers in the mural — lily, calla lily, hibiscus and lotus — represent East African, Latino and Asian communities based on extensive research and inquiries of different community groups in Uptown.

The flowers hold another form of significance to the mural. Sansing said he used them as a way of “giving his flowers” to Knuckles. The popular phrase means to give someone respect, recognition and compliments for the work they’ve done.

While working on the mural, Sansing propped headphones over his ears, playing different house music as a form of inspiration.

“My work is very inspirational, and house music sounds like that theme music for being able to overcome and shake off the woes,” he said. “I want folks to feel good and feel happy. It’s one thing to get a compliment about your skill but it’s another thing to get a compliment about how your art makes someone feel.”