I Am Man is a mural in Wicker Park at the corner of Milwaukee and Wolcott, near the CTA Blue Line…read more It was conceptualized and painted by Jared Diaz, Darius Dennis, Ephraim Gebre, and Robin Alcantara. This 30-foot-tall mural uses as its model an original photograph from 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Memphis to support the Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike (a movement that started with the death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker). The night before his assassination, MLK spoke to the strikers. The photo that forms the basis of this mural is from the memorial march for the civil rights leader. This mural is illuminated by floodlights at both the top and the bottom. Most murals don't receive this type of treatment--it suggests to me that the artists, or the people who commissioned the mural, want to bring attention to the important events that took place during the Civil Rights Era. It was created in 2020, right around the time of the George Floyd protests, so I'm not sure if it was already planned or if it was a response to the protests. But in a country that is quick to forget its history, I'm glad to an artwork like this literally shine a light on darker times in our history so we can learn from our past.

This is a single-tiered fountain with a pool. It is located in the Polonia Triangle, in the…read moreChicago's Polish section. The fountain was constructed in 1998 as part of the city's public fountain program, but it looks much older. It has definitely seen better days, but I am glad that at least it is operational. It provides a soothing flow. The fountain is named after novelist, Nelson Algren, who lived in the area and is best known for his novel The Man with the Golden Arm, which won the first National Book Award in 1950. You will find a plaque on the ground around the fountain with a quote from one of Algren's essays, Chicago: City on the Make. It reads, "For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart." The fountain is made of black iron and has a pool that is about 9 feet in diameter.This is definitely not a destination piece and most viewers will be transiting the Triangle.

"For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart" reads the inscription around…read morethe Nelson Algren fountain located on the Polish Triangle, near the Division street Blue Line Stop. This is a quote from Chicago: City on the Make, which sums up this city better than anything I have ever read. This review is not for the uninteresting design of the fountain that is a favorite amongst pigeons and the homeless. It is for the idea. One of the turning points of Algren's masterpiece, The Man with the Golden Arm is when Frankie Machine drunkenly crashes his automobile into the triangle, where fountain is located, paralyzing his wife. Division street, especially the portion between Ashland and Damen was the focal point of this novel, and mentioned in some of his other works. It is also located only a few blocks away from his long time residence on Evergreen street.

2022 was the inaugural year for the Evanston Plein Air Festival. I heard about this months ago and…read moreput it on my calendar because I think plein air painting is especially cool. Throughout the week, starting on Wednesday or Thursday, almost 50 artists have been painting around Evanston. I didn't get a chance to pop up to Evanston and watch folks painting, unfortunately. I know that the artists were able to select from anywhere in the town to paint, and I didn't want to drive around aimlessly, but next year I would do it because there are some places where people would almost certainly stop to paint. Evanston Made, the non-profit organization that launched the festival, did put together a Google map that showed possible areas people might paint so that people could go see them. Day four, which was today (Sunday), was a art sale and judging, held in Fountain Square in downtown Evanston. There was a Festival Favorite award, where the artists submitted one of their works and visitors would wander through and vote for their favorite. There were works of varying price points in the tent, and as I was leaving I found one that I liked quite a lot. I decided to buy it before someone else did--and because I figured if it DID win, it would be snapped up. I did see others admiring it after I purchased, so I was probably right to do that--and my painting won an honorable mention, so I'm glad I had the foresight to purchase it before the awards were announced! Interestingly, I learned that the artist lives only about five blocks away from me. All this provenance makes it even more cool to me. I also bought another paint that was very different in character, and quite beautiful in that it is a nocturnal scene over the lake. Both are quite peaceful, and both are of a shape that they may work in some spaces where artwork would generally not fit. I got photos with both of the artists and their painting, in part because I like to do that, and also for the provenance. One of the organizers--the one whom I tracked down to sell me the Sloss painting--took the photo for me and she was really friendly even though she had a ton of things happening! The winners of the Festival Favorite and the Best of Show awards were announced around 3:20, and the festival concluded at 5 so that folks could continue wandering around to admire, meet, and purchase art. The paintings entered in the Festival Favorite category that had not been purchased will hang in the Evanston Public Library through the end of July. The festival was clearly a hit. Fountain Square was packed with people and painters. The plein air festival will be back next year, and they said it will return the same weekend. I'm already looking forward to finding some of the artists as they are painting! It would be cool if they could find a way to have to map it out each day as the artists pick their places, but that is probably a tall order. I wish Chicago and/or some of the neighborhoods would have their own plein air festival, because I'd really love to have a nice painting of somewhere in the city in which I live. We're lucky to have so many fantastic artists here in the area! Oh, and today I learned that "plein" is pronounced to rhyme with "pen". Themoreyouknow.gif.

We had a very fun experience, Rick is informative and entertaining. The property is such an oasis…read morein the city, the food was amazing and I highly recommend a tour.

Wonderful tour with Rick and his gardener. We had plenty of time to explore and ask questions and…read morethe margaritas were delicious. Highly recommended.

Currently off view whilst renovations are being done on the Chase Tower. Possibly for lat next year…read moreviewing.

I really enjoy Chagall. The America Windows are my favorite exhibit in the Art Institute; my…read moreworkplace has reproductions of some of his works, and then there's The Four Seasons. It certainly helps too that I love murals and mosaics. It depicts the seasons in Chicago, which truly is a city that can experience them all (although I feel like spring and sometimes fall get the short shrift). This work was made in Europe and shipped here for installation, which I was surprised to learn. It also continued to be modified by Chagall after the installation, with bits of brick from Chicago also added at times to make it even more native to this space. It's one of a kind, and we're fortunate to have so much public art by world-reknown artists littered about our downtown.

I love the city of Chicago. I love this mural. I think it's a beautiful public art display and we…read morelove finding greetings from our welcome to certain cities everywhere we visit.

If you are into wall art, Logan Square has some quality opportunities for pics and selfies…read more We got off the Blue Line at California, ate at a local place and made our way towards the Robin Williams mural. Along the way though you will run into the Greetings from Chicago and a sports mural by Jappy Agoncillo (formerly the Quincy Jones mural). The Robin Williams/Aladdin genie mural is huge and in a parking lot. It's a nice mural of one of my favorite actor's roles. I don't know if these murals are lighted, but there is plenty of space during the daylight hours. Since we were headed back downtown we caught the CTA back from Western, which was just as far as the stop at California. It's a worth detour if you have the time.

This bright red/orange piece, that resembles a cross between a praying mantis and an elephant. It…read morejust sucks you in. You cannot pass by it without looking. There is metered street parking and commercial lots within a reasonable walking distance, but most viewers of this statute would be passers by, on their way to another destinations. You will find this piece at the Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building The steel sculpture is the work of Alexander Calder. It stands 53 feet tall and weighs 50 tons. It was commissioned by GSA in 1974. This piece is well maintained and looks great, especially for its age. I think it is supposed to represent a flamingo, but does not even come close to that. I think at a minimum the piece should have been painted pink versus its current international vermillion hue. As with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a destination piece, nor a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area (and there are many of them), or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Another fun iconic sculpture in downtown Chicago! We had no problem finding it while walking back…read moreto Union Station from the Art Institute of Chicago. It's located at the intersection of W. Adams and S. Dearborn streets. American artist Alexander Calder installed the 53 foot tall steel sculpture in October, 1974. It is painted a bright red, vermillion red, which is now called Calder red. Enjoy!!

Have you ever walked by this and wondered…read more.. "What is THIS?" =Monument with Standing Beast. It is French Artist and Sculptor Jean Dubuffet's public artwork that he "hoped would 'resonate' with the average person." Hmmmm...it is intriguing... The City of Chicago describes the piece as "Monument with Standing Beast is comprised of four elements that suggest a standing animal, a tree, a portal and an architectural form. The configuration invites viewers to enter the sculpture and echoes the dramatically open plan of the James R. Thompson Center." 4 elements: 1. standing animal 2. a tree 3. a portal 4. architectural form (this part is a "no brainer.") See: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_s_publicartjeandubuffetsmonumentwithstandingbeast.html