The Design Museum of Chicago invited a select group of local Chicago designers to work on permanent installation banners that represent historically significant theaters in Chicago’s theater district. I was chosen to represent the Auditorium Theater. I am thrilled to announce that these are NOT mock-ups. This banner stands proudly on Randolph Street near the Washington Brown Line Stop, directly in front of the Design Museum of Chicago. Most definitely a shining moment for me.
Deliverables
The research for this project was very fun. I took the $20 tour of the Auditorium Theater. The building and its history is a romantic Chicago gem, and I highly recommend it.
The vision for the artwork came to me immediately after leaving the theater, and I began sketching on the train ride home. The subject would be the radial geometry of the Auditorium Theater's interior architecture, and the content would be the history, people, and unique beauty of Chicago.
I began thinking of myself as a modern-day Enheduanna. She was a Sumerian Priestess and the first known author in history. I asked myself, if future humans found this city 4,500 years from now, what story would my ghost tell them? What did this place mean to us? I came up with many symbols, but for uncrowded composition, I narrowed it down to only eight! The story of Chicago goes on and on, and I left a lot out. It was very difficult.
Black Power, Harold Washington
First Nations, Mi'kmaq star
Stone flowers, terra cotta, ornamental facades
Cicadas
Stone flowers, terra cotta, ornamental facades
Wheat, Ceres, board of trade, Haymarket Rebellion
Tulips everywhere!
Wild Bunnies
I am so happy in this photo! This was near the end of my 7 years living in Chicago. Chicago shaped me in many ways, and it is truly one of the most magical places on Earth.
My friend Cheryl and I got some coffees, celebrated my banner, strolled around the Design Museum, and just made a day of it!
