Art on theMart is a must see experience if your downtown. The digital art projections is displayed on the Merchandise Mart Building nightly around 9PM. The illumination art display on Merchandise Mart is mind blowing. The art work is colorful and your able to witness Art come alive. It was entertaining and well worth seeing. Very memorizing to see art displayed by the water. A Nice Date Night or Solo Adventure. read more

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So interesting to watch the show projected on the Merchandise Mart, one of the world's largest permanent digital platforms. The schedule changes seasonally, so check the website for hours and what is playing. Spanning over two acres on the MART's riverfront facade, the digital show is best seen and heard along the riverwalk. Grab a seat across the river and enjoy the show that projects up 18 floors. So interesting that the MART's 4,262 windows are disguised from the 3D building model to avoid light shining directly into the interior of the building. The current shows are Gensler:Building Light and Chicago Black Dance Legacy. Such a beautiful duo of vignettes. Loved watching both the dancers and lights dance across the building. In the Big Bang Movement Theory + Black Dancing Body, so many dance troupes were showcased. Ballet. Modern. Tap. African dance. Chicago based hip hop and more. A great stop during your summer evening stroll along the Chicago Riverwalk. read more

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Since moving I have been memorize by this building. I was thrilled when I learned they do a free visual Art Show. The show is called Art on the Mart. On this occasion the theme seemed to be geometry and geometric shapes. The show was cool. It was a beautiful night so enjoying the Riverwalk was a pleasure. Riverwalk has places to eat and drink. We opted to order from KitchenMix (Ghost Kitchen with several restaurants) which is across the street. We then took our food and ate on the Riverwalk while the show ran. I was impressed with the visual and sound system, however didn't like the music for the show. read more

Art on theMART - Beautiful evening on the Riverwalk - Art Installation Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you happen to be in Chicago, Illinois during the Summer months, I strongly recommend that you give "Art on the MART" a try. Moving images set to music, this free extravaganza begins promptly at 9:00 p.m. each evening (with an encore at 9:30). The crisp images are thanks to no less than 34 digital projectors on the Southside of the Chicago River (sorry, Cubs fans!) that are trained upon the Northside of the Chicago River (sorry, White Sox fans!) of the massive facade of the Merchandise Mart. This is such a great addition to your Date Night plans and excellent views are achievable from both the riverside and street level between North Orleans Street and North Wells Street on the Southside of the Chicago River (sorry, Cubs fans!). And that's...Henry's Take. #chicagoartonthemart #chicagodatenight read more

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Honestly it's not worth the hype AT ALL. We're from out of town, we were sooo excited to find it and watch it. That was until it started and it was not good. Butterfly with eyes, watering fires and shooting lasers? No. It was dark and could still barely see it still on the building. A bunch of people were set up to watch and about 1 minute in, almost 50% of the crowd was leaving. I know art is an interpretation but this was just not up to Chicago's standards. read more

If you come specifically for this projection onto the building, you will be disappointed. However, if you are strolling down Riverwalk it becomes an added bonus. Currently, it features the work by Nick Cave. It starts promptly at 9PM read more

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The art show wasn't as spectacular as i thought it would be.. kind of looked like someone came to work drunk and set the projector wrong. The river walk was beautiful though read more

Augmented reality projections! This is a cool new style of art where an artist(s) animate/film a movie around a building, and incorporate the building into the show/display. This art display has a series of artists, who change out every so many weeks. Each artist is allotted a few minutes to make a short movie on the side of the building- they all incorporate the geometric designs, the lights, and the nuances of the building facade of the Merchandise Mart, a HUGE building along the Chicago River. Every night at 9p and 9:30p (currently) they put on a series of movies with sound. When I went, we were on the upper level, street level, and could barely hear the audio from the movies. If you're down below on the Riverwalk, you can hear better. For the second performance of the evening (it repeats once per night) we found you could hear better if you head out on the bridge a little bit. The movies were fun, interesting and captivating. They gave a wide perspective on what you can do with light dancing across the facade of a building. It was like watching movies that have been specifically tailored to the screen, the building. The whole idea seems to come from San Antonio's movie on the side of San Fernando Cathedral, San Antonio: the Saga. Check out the Yelp review on that for more info if you happen to be interested. read more

Art on theMART is a great idea for the Riverwalk! We went for a walk just before sunset with no plans to watch the light show on the Mart. Since it was starting we stayed for a while to check it out. There were a lot of people waiting on the plentiful seating area. We walked around and the view was fantastic from many locations. The audio found online seemed a bit strange. If you don't have ear buds, can you hear a lot of other people's phones? I was watching away from the crowd so I'm not sure how that plays out. Overall, I love the idea. What a great addition to an already gorgeous city oasis! read more

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I am really impressed with the Art on theMART. We were watching it for 10 minutes and it didn't even loop around to the point where we started. If we had more time we would have stayed for the entire show. The only thing that would make it better if there was a music or soundtrack (if music does exist, we could not hear it), or an interactive phone app (which could also sync the projections to music). Very nice treat for visitors to Chicago! read more

Art on theMART - Art Installation Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So at 7.30 pm , advertised time we were seated to watch , expecting to see some kind of laser light show , showing something about Chicago. The first 15 minutes they kept looping some random text "Whose hopes? Whose tears?" Etc . I give it a three star because I probably expected the wrong thing - it was a waste of time for me read more

Art on theMART is a long-term public art installation involving a nighttime light show projected on the enormous facade of theMART. On select nights (check the website at https://www.artonthemart.com/calendar), the show begins 15 minutes after sunset. It's really something to see, and since it's free, it's a great thing to do if you're touring the city with kids. The best place to view the show is on the south side of the river, across from the river facade of theMART (also known as the Merchandise Mart). Best viewing is on the riverwalk or on Wacker Drive between Orleans/Franklin and Wells Street. I wish the show offered some speakers for sound. There is apparently an audio element, but I couldn't get the music to play on my phone from the mobile website. Still, it's an impressive show, projected on the 2.5-acre face of theMART. The show consists of a series of shorts, some of which are better than others, making effective use of the historic building to offer unusual effects. read more

Art on theMART - The view of Art on theMART from the corner of Wacker and Orleans. - Art Installation Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Really cool concept to project #ArtontheMart in Chicago. On a perfect night in Chicago, take a stroll on the trendy Riverwalk across from the Merchandise Mart snd see the art being projected, across the river, with the Mart as the canvas. Official Fall launch is Sep. 21. I really enjoyed this unique art show unfolding right before our eyes. It's worth the trip and walk just to experience this scene and the busy Riverwalk action. read more

Art on theMART - Art on the Mart. - Art Installation Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is such a cool program! We stopped by after dinner to check this out, and its really cool- the art that's projected and the accompanying music is really cool, and I'm told that it changes pretty frequently. Its something fun and free to check out in the summer! I think each show is probably about 30 min, but you can come and go as you please! There are 2 shows per night, one at 9pm and one at 9:30pm. read more

Art on theMART - Art Installation Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Someone had mentioned this as something fun to see. I looked it up online and it had mixed reviews on what time the show actually was but we showed up at 7:30 pm and it started on time. However, the lights kept stating the same 3 questions (a couple shown in the pictures). I thought that there would be more to this and at least be a little more exciting. I'd say this is more of a walk by thing to do if you're in the area but not go out of your way to see it. read more

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Looking for something free to do in Chicago? I highly recommend walking down the Riverwalk and seeing all sights from down by the river. If you are close to the Merchandise Mart in the evening, you'll want to grab a seat across from the Mart for their nightly show called, Art on the Mart. This 4 billion square foot building originally housed some of the biggest names in retail and now puts on a lights and sounds show every evening after dark (which is 9pm in the summer). The show is about 30 minutes long and repeats itself once just in case you missed the earlier show. It was really cool and definitely a must see. read more

Worst use of commissioning funds ever. Art on the Mart has outdone themselves in making 2020 & 2021 worse than COVID-19 has already done. Far from inspiring. It did make you think... Who's Hopes?...mine that it would get better. Who's Fears?...mine that it was not going to get better. And we wasted our family and friends' time in from out of town. Who'sTears?...mine, again. It continued to be horrible. Such disappointment to all present in our group. And everyone on the river walk. All you heard was different reiteration of "This is it? Are you kidding me?" Barbara Krueger has scammed whomever paid for her commissioning and disappointed Chicago. The best thing Chicago could do is end it's show early (tomorrow) and put anything back up. Give the opportunity to a high school art department to create. ANYTHING would be better. Maybe one of those high schoolers will find their passion and make a mark on the world. read more

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Yawnnnnnnn. I've seen shows like this in different European cities. Although this may be the largest light display in the world I was definitely underwhelmed. It comes with music but you have to listen on your phone which was delayed in the app. It was also difficult to make out 50% if the shapes and light forms. read more

Art on theMART - Art Installation Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just left the lightshow at the Merchandise Mart.I was sooooo excited to see this.After I finally DID see it I was just like,"Oh,ok." Im not knocking it.Im a native Chicagoan who LOVES this city.Im not a visitor who is just here to nitpick at the slightest thing I see wrong.That being said,I LOVE the idea.I think if they added audio to it using an app or placing speakers somewhere that would definitely make it more interesting.Otherwise,next time I come Im just going to have to bring my fishing pole and HOPE I catch a carp while the show is going on and add my own entertainment.lol read more

After missing out on this last year i was so looking forward to finally seeing Art on the Mart. I have to say i was sorely disappointed. Important point to mention that the best place to see the show is on The Riverwalk in front of the pop up Beat Kitchen bar or on the lawn sitting in one of the Anirondack chairs. The opening segment was the most impressive part, after that you can just stay for 5 minutes or the whole show. I don't even know how long it lasted since my attention was lost. However in defense of the project, it is nice to see so many others enjoying the art projected on the mart on a nice summer night. If nothing more, check it out and decide for yourself. read more