Chicago Public Art Program  >  Public Art Projects

 

The Chicago Public Art Program implements the City’s Percent-for-Art and manages other publicly-funded permanent and temporary public art throughout the city. DCASE also manages the Chicago Public Art Collection, which includes more than 500 works of art exhibited in over 150 municipal facilities around the city, such as police stations, libraries, and CTA stations. The Collection provides the citizens of Chicago with an improved public environment and enhances city buildings and spaces with quality works of art by professional artists.

This is not a request for proposals and is provided for informational purposes only. Interested in learning more about public art opportunities? Sign up to receive notifications.

 

Terminal 5 Expansion Project at O’Hare International Airport

DCASE and the CDA are delighted to announce the artists and creative professionals who will bring the $3.5 million public art plan to life as part of the Terminal 5 expansion project at O’Hare International Airport.

The Terminal 5 Expansion public art project will include curatorial/design team Ionit Behar and Andrew Schachman (Behar X Schachman), and new large-scale commissions by artists Nelly Agassi, Jonathan Michael Castillo, Assaf Evron, Krista Franklin, Wills Glasspiegel and The Era Footwork Crew, Jenny Kendler, Mayumi Lake, Yvette Mayorga, Cecil McDonald Jr., Ebony G. Patterson, Faheem Majeed, Huong Ngo, Chris Pappan, Cheryl Pope, Edra Soto, Leonard Suryajaya, Selina Trepp, Jina Valentine, and Bernard Williams.

The project presents a unique opportunity to invest in Chicago artists and creative professionals while providing international visitors a dynamic and welcoming first impression of our city. This is largest single acquisition of works by Chicago artists by the City in the last 30 years.

 

12th District Police Station

Project Description: A public art exterior sculpture/installation commission to complement the construction of the 12th District Police Station located in the Near West Side neighborhood.

Address: 1412 South Blue Island Avenue

Ward: 25

Budget: $221,816

Artist: Juan Angel Chávez

Phase: Design

 

Little Village Branch Library

Project Description: A public art mural commission to complement the construction of the

Little Village Branch Library located in the Little Village neighborhood.

Address: 2311 South Kedzie Avenue

Ward: 24

Budget: $72,555

Phase: Artist Selection

 

Whitney M. Young, Jr. Branch Library

Project Description: A public art sculpture commission to complement the renovation of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Branch Library in the Chatham neighborhood.

Address: 415 E. 79th Street

Ward: 6

Budget: $30,000

Phase: Scoping

 

19th District Police Station (Formerly 23rd District)

Project Description: A public art commission to create an exterior installation to complement the construction of the 19th District Police Station in the Boystown neighborhood.

Address: 3600 N Halsted Street

Ward: 44

Budget: $98,000

Artist: Luftwerk

Phase: Design

 

Riverwalk East Gateway Project

Project Description: A commission to develop a cohesive and integrated series of public art installations that envisions the Riverwalk East as a gateway and cultural beacon, and that will transform the area into an iconic visual marker for the south bank of the Chicago River. Address: Riverwalk between Michigan Avenue and Lakeshore Drive

Ward: 42

Budget: $2,000,000

Artist: Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle and Bill Baker

Phase: Design

 

Maxwell Street Market Arts Engagement Project

Project Description: DCASE was awarded an NEA Our Town grant to fund the development of community-engaged arts programming at Maxwell Street Market that will inject new energy into the site, retain and grow vendors and diverse audiences, and expand the possibilities of the market and its surrounding footprint as a creative hub and artist incubator.

Address: 800 S. Desplaines Avenue

Ward: 25

Budget: $100,000

Artists/partners: Borderless Studio LLC, National Museum of Mexican Art, Yollocalli Arts Reach, others

Phase: Planning

 

Cermak Corridor Public Art Project

Project Description: A comprehensive public art installation that will reinforce the connection between the Cermak CTA Green Line station and McCormick Place. Address: Cermak Road between State Street and King Drive

Wards: 3 and 4

Budget: $800,000

Artist: to be announced

Phase: Design

 

CTA Damen Green Line Public Art commission

Project Description: A commission to create a site-specific artwork that creates a sense of place and vibrancy for the new Damen Green Line CTA Elevated Station, located at the intersection of Damen Avenue and Lake Street.

Address: Damen Avenue and Lake Street

Ward: 27 Budget: $100,000

Artist: Fo Wilson

Phase: Design

 

Neighborhood Arts Project: Collectively Split

Project Description: In partnership with Alderman Cardenas and the 12th Ward, a public art commission to create a mural under South Archer Avenue viaducts. Address: South Archer Avenue at Western Avenue

Ward: 12

Budget: $20,000

Artist: Tony and Shannon Passero

Phase: Design

 

Neighborhood Arts Project: Tribute to Ray Charles Easley

Project Description: In partnership with the Chicago Transit Authority, Alderman Taliaferro and the 29th Ward, a public art commission to create a sculpture at the CTA Chicago/Austin Bus turnaround

Address: Bus terminal at Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard

Ward: 29

Budget: $63,950

Artist: Jesus Acuna

Phase: Fabrication

 

Neighborhood Arts Project: Everything is Radiant

Project Description: In partnership with CDOT, Alderman Cappleman and the 46th Ward, a public art commission to create murals for the east and west embankments of the Lake Shore Drive bridge at Wilson Avenue

Address: Lake Shore Drive and Wilson Avenue

Ward: 46

Budget: $40,000

Artist: Molly Zakrajsek

Phase: Design

 

Collection Management

The Public Art Program has a limited, annual conservation budget that is used to maintain, preserve and protect the collection. Program staff monitors the condition of artworks and encourages representatives of City departments and other participating public agencies, as well as the general public, to advise DCASE of damaged, degraded or at-risk artworks.

Recent conservation projects include:

 

Monument to the Great Northern Migration

Artist: Alison Saar

Address: 22nd Street and King Drive

Ward: 4

Project Description: Alison Saar’s bronze figure is a testament to the thousands of African Americans who migrated to Chicago in the early 20th century in search of greater freedom and opportunity. The figure, installed in 1996, is oriented to the north, symbolizing the traveler’s destination. The bronze figure was cleaned last year, and the pedestal will be conserved in 2019. With permission of the artist, the city is creating a new mold and casting new bollards to replace those that are weathered or missing.

 

Bronzeville Walk of Fame

Artist: Geraldine McCullough

Address: 22nd to 35th Streets on King Drive

Ward: 4

Project Description: Designed by Geraldine McCullough, the Bronzeville Walk of Fame has 91 bronze diamond-shaped plaques embedded on the sidewalks, medians, cross walks along King Drive from 22nd to 35th Streets. The plaques were placed in 1996 to commemorate current and former Bronzeville residents. Twenty-seven plaques were installed on this prominent work – 22 replaced those that had gone missing over the course of two decades, 3 reworked those that had deteriorated significantly, one of Jack Cooper that was found in storage was finally mounted and two gave Ida B. Wells and her husband Ferdinand Barnett each their own plaques in place of the previous joint one.

 

Stained Glass

Artist: Mike Hill

Address: 1st District Police Station, 1718 S. State Street

Ward: 3

Project Description: The sculpture by Mike Hill relates to the architectural scale and elements of the 1st District Police Station. The steel blocks and paving tiles were fabricated from scrap steel, the by-product of illegal firearms confiscated and destroyed by the Chicago Police Department, and transformed to create a contemplative space that honors those who protect the community. Chicago’s freeze/thaw cycle had caused many of the glass blocks to crack. Additionally, some of the colors had faded. Working with the original artist to refurbish the artwork, the seating was re-engineered to alleviate future cracking from environmental conditions. The artist sourced new glass blocks with more durable color. The artist also refinished the cast metal elements.