October 2017 • Citywide • FREE

Year of Public Art  >  Public Art Festival

(click on image to enlarge) (Artwork: Pajaro Cosmico by Remed, Photo credit: Adam Alexander)

As part of the 2017 celebration of the Year of Public Art, Chicagoans and visitors are encouraged to learn more about Chicago’s public art collection – the iconic as well as the new, including the completion of several works as part of the 50x50 Neighborhood Arts Project. The citywide initiative commissioned dozens of local artists to create new sculptures, murals and other public artworks in Chicago’s 50 wards. The festival culminates with a Public Art Symposium on October 26 and 27 at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), coinciding with the release of Chicago’s first Public Art Plan, a set of recommendations that will help shape the future of public art in Chicago.

October is also the perfect time to get out and explore your favorite public artworks across the city—from Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”) in Millennium Park to The Picasso on Daley Plaza, vibrant murals throughout the Pilsen neighborhood and Alison Saar’s Monument to the Great Northern Migration in Bronzeville. There are so many ways to explore—including the Public Art Chicago app, the Statue Stories Chicago project and public art information on the Choose Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Park District and DCASE website.