This month, Chicagoans can expect to see some vibrant images and thought-provoking messages during their commute on the Blue, Orange and Green Lines.
Among several “moving murals” currently displayed on select CTA trains is the picture of a young girl standing among daffodils, meant as a symbol of hope. Another train features a hand painting the phrase “New Ideas” amid a bevy of flowers. A third includes the phrase “Help us bridge the gap” while showing the juxtaposition of the city’s pristine downtown and the disrepair of certain neighborhoods.
Designed by local artists, these train wraps are part of several new public art projects announced by Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Several murals will be installed in Humboldt Park, the West Loop and Woodlawn/Washington Park. Others will go up in additional neighborhoods this fall.
All will either celebrate Chicago’s blues and house music legacies, or reflect themes of democracy, civic duty or diversity, equity and inclusion.
Titled “Track(ed) Changes: Democracy runs through our neighborhoods,” the train wrap project was curated by Chicago-based graphic designer and artist Bob Faust.
The designs will run for the next three months and may remain on display for up to a year, depending on their condition. Overlapping with this week’s Democratic National Convention, the works are an expression of the artists’ ideas of democracy.
Renderings of the artist-designed train wraps project, “Track(ed) Changes.”
Courtesy of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
“By choosing artists across mediums that come from different backgrounds at different places within their practice, the idea of democracy is inherent in the project,” said Faust, who owns a nonprofit called Facility in Old Irving Park. “It’s for everybody to be seen, to be heard, to be experienced, acknowledged and celebrated.”
Passengers can expect to see everything from “uber-sharp” images of the digital designs to the “luscious softness” of the paintings, he said.
To convey resilience and beauty, artist Carlos Roló worked with recycled tarps used during hurricanes in Puerto Rico, creating a picture of pink flowers against an arresting blue background. Artist Kristopher McAfee painted a burst of color and geometric designs to represent both the interconnectedness and uniqueness of people.
Artists who designed the train wraps of the “Track(ed) Changes” project pose for a photo.
Faust said all of the artists succeeded in combining the worlds of art and design.
“They understood the difficulty of making something that’s powerful as it moves, as well as something that’s powerful up close, and still has all its energy from far away,” he said.
The project also features the work of youth artists from the Urban Gateways arts organization. Their piece, “We Are Chicago,” depicts a colorful group of characters representing themselves and members of their communities.
“They’re all kinds of people, all different ages and ethnicity,” Faust said of the design. “Some are eating pizza, some have their headphones on and they’re jamming. It’s like a slice of Chicago all in a picture that you couldn’t take.”
Kari Blak’s mural, “Beyond the Pages,” at Bessie Coleman Branch Library
Courtesy of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
DCASE Commissioner Clinée Hedspeth said she was impressed when she saw the mock-ups for the train wraps.
“They’re stunning, and we should all be proud of them,” she said. “It’s telling you, ‘Come onto the L.’ It’s breathtaking.”
Hedspeth also stressed that while the train wraps and murals will be seen during the Democratic National Convention, they are just a continuation of the city’s efforts to amplify artists year-round.
Still, the works will reflect a more complete picture of the city for visitors, she added.
“They should get a feel for the city as a whole — not what they read, not what they think, not the sometimes faulty statistics that they’re told,” she said. “We are pushing for them to go look at these spaces, look at these communities and experience Chicago firsthand so that they want to come back.”