Color Jam: A Playground Amidst the Concrete Jungle
Photo Credit: James Watkins ©
When one thinks of a large urban city like Chicago, the colors that usually come to mind are steel gray, austere charcoal, stark white, and reflective silver. One does not expect to see a bustling, oft-traversed intersection in downtown Chicago to be splashed with a vibrant crimson, a luscious green, and a cheery turquoise. But that is just what you will see if you pass through the intersection of State and Adams in downtown Chicago this summer.
The vivacious hues are the latest work of multimedia artist Jessica Stockholder, whose work has been shown at Dia Art Foundation in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Pompidou Center in Paris. Chicago is the lucky recipient of her latest work – “Color Jam” – which will occupy the popular intersection in the heart of Chicago’s Loop for the summer.
The “Color Jam” exhibit was commissioned by the Chicago Loop Alliance and is one of the largest public art installations that Chicago has ever seen. Throughout the duration of the exhibit, which will remain in place until September 30, the intersection will serve as the venue for a number of cultural activities, including musical concerts, dance performances, and family art programs.
The exhibit can count among its biggest fans Ms. Stockholder herself. “The reflection is really beautiful,” she told the Chicago Tribune. “It picks up details like I couldn’t have imagined. The challenge was to have the work maintain itself in the middle of all this. The hope is it does that while embracing all of the busyness and clatter.”
Photo Credit: Milosh Kosanovich ©
Perhaps a person will look out his or her window this summer during a mid-afternoon slump and be energized by the vivacious crimson reflected off the adjacent building. Perhaps someone else, while scurrying back to the office after a stressful meeting, will be calmed by the soothing turquoise sidewalk. Or perhaps an aggressive driver will be eased by the serene green outside the car window. By splashing color throughout the typically drab concrete jungle, Ms. Stockholder has transformed a business epicenter into an unexpected playground for the eyes, heart, and mind.
About Christine Organ
Christine is a freelance writer and blogger. As a freelance writer and former lawyer, she frequently writes blogs and web content for attorneys and law firms. On her blog, Random Reflectionz (www.randomreflectionz.com) she covers a variety of social...
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@christineorgan Great stuff Christine!
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Add Some Color to Your Day | Random Reflectionz says:June 14, 2012 at 8:56 pm
[...] mood go hand in hand. Colors are influential on a social, cultural, and personal level, and my recent post in Urban Times talks about the impact that the “Color Jam” exhibit in downtown Chicago might have on [...]