Chicago Architecture Biennial Announces Spring 2021 Student Ideas Competition Winners 

Over 170 7th-12th grade students, representing 46 schools and 35 zip codes across the Chicagoland area, participated in this year’s competition. Since 2015, CAB student competitions have encouraged middle and high school students to explore how design can play a role in creating shared spaces and improving communities. The Spring 2021 prompt—inspired by The Available City led by Artistic Director David Brown—asked young people: How can existing urban spaces be reimagined to better reflect the needs and interests of local residents?

The winning projects were selected by a panel of distinguished jurors and present innovative ideas that creatively respond to local contexts:

1st Place: The Floating Village by ACE Chicago Team 5. A homeless shelter that addresses basic, psychological, and self-fulfillment needs.
2nd Place: Perspective Tower by Owen Somers. An elevated public space that helps residents visualize change in their communities.
3rd Place: Grocery Garden - A Bodega for North Lawndale by Rosina Iniguez, Ian Hudson, and Jason Hart A grocery store and garden that provides healthy food and adds beauty to the neighborhood.

The Chicago Architecture Center Reopens its 10,000 SF Gallery Space And Kicks Off For Summer

With the Memorial Day Weekend summer kick-off just days away, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) has re-opened with all-new and updated exhibits in its 10,000 square feet of galleries, full of scale models of new building designs from Chicago and around the world. The Chicago Gallery, home to the Chicago City Model Experience, is completely overhauled and all-new exhibits on Current Chicago Projects, Chicago Chicago’s neighborhoods and the new home design exhibit, Housing for a Changing Nation.

“All CAC exhibits have been updated with new scale models of exciting architectural designs and we’ve created an all-new exhibit on cutting-edge, affordable, flexible home designs,” said Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of the CAC. “The new exhibit in the Chicago Gallery, Housing for a Changing Nation, highlights innovative architects who are creating homes for a diverse range of needs from live/work spaces to multigenerational families to cohousing.”

Hello Helios: The warming suns of Chicago’s Greektown opens June 5 along Halsted Street

Greektown Chicago presents its new outdoor art exhibit Hello Helios: The warming suns of Chicago’s Greektown, with 24 vibrant three-dimensional artworks lining Halsted Street from Monroe to Van Buren Streets, opening on Saturday, June 5, 2021 and running through spring 2022.

Painted by a diverse group of Chicago artists and named for Helios, the god of the sun in Greek mythology, the 24 sun sculpture editions celebrate the sun and light up the start of summer in Chicago. Many works in the exhibit draw inspiration from related mythologies, including those in the Greek, Aztec, Yoruba, Japanese and Native American cultures. 

“Greece is a land of sun and water, with an average of 250 sunny days per year, and we are bringing some of that Mediterranean sunshine to Chicago,” says Greektown Arts Chair and SSA Commissioner Eve Moran. “After a difficult pandemic year that many of us spent primarily indoors, this exhibit encourages everyone to come out and enjoy the outdoor art in Greektown, grab an alfresco dinner or drinks on a patio in our neighborhood, and be newly energized. Here comes the sun!”

Sterling Bay Partners With Gallery Guichard To Showcase Art Of The African Diaspora At One Two Pru

Sterling Bay, A Chicago real estate investment and development firm, announced that it is hosting a new art installation at the East Loop office complex, One Two Pru, in partnership with Bronzeville's Gallery Guichard. The installation, entitled African Diaspora: Chicago, showcases multicultural artists specializing in African Diaspora, or communities and cultures descended from native Africans, and debuts to the public in the lobby of One Two Pru on Friday, May 28, bringing the space to life as Chicagoans begin their return to the office.

"We are excited to partner with Gallery Guichard and to transform One Two Pru's lobby into an engaging cultural experience for tenants and visitors as we all begin to emerge from the pandemic," said Andy Gloor, CEO of Sterling Bay. "Sterling Bay is a proud supporter of the arts and incorporates works from local and global artists in a creative and meaningful manner across our commercial spaces. Through our collaboration with Gallery Guichard, we are hoping to expand representation and exposure for Black artists and celebrate the diverse, dynamic cultures that define our city."