Mayor Rahm Emanuel Announces the Public Art Chicago: 50 for 50 Campaign
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the city’s plans for public art in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed piece. The Public Art Chicago: 50 for 50 Campaign aims to put a public art project into action in each of Chicago’s 50 wards. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's President Walter Massey is one of three committee members who will spearhead the project.
Emanuel discusses the city’s legacy of public art and its recent initiatives for making spaces more amenable for its residents. He mentions SAIC faculty member Frances Whitehead’s artistic influence on the development of the 606, SAIC faculty member Kay Rosen’s work at Milwaukee Avenue and Leavitt Street, and works by artists from Project Onward, a program started by SAIC alum Rob Lentz (MFA 1997) and faculty member Randy Vick.
Part of the Commissioner Michelle Boone’s cultural plan is to make sure every Chicago community has access to the arts: sculptures on Lake Shore Drive will be moved to sites throughout the city, and summer job programs for youth will be established as a means of further cultivating and creating art for the public.
Image: Robert Sengstacke
In celebration of alum Georgia O’Keeffe: My New Yorks opening current SAIC students were invited to submit artworks inspired by O’keeffe and the city of Chicago.
An image from the exhibition opening of “My Chicagos: SAIC Students Honor Georgia O’Keeffe.”