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WABASH ARTS CORRIDOR

It largely consists of big wall murals spread across seven blocks of Chicago’s South Loop: from Van Buren to Roosevelt and is framed to the east by Michigan Avenue and to the west by State Street. It began in 2013, when Columbia College launched the Wabash Arts Corridor. The idea was to immerse students in the creative spirit by using urban spaces and reclaimable resources to revitalize and transform the South Loop business district into one of the city’s major cultural assets. The Wabash Arts Corridor encompasses cultural institutions, schools and art spaces.

“It is now a Living Urban Canvas”, says Mark Kelly, the Vice President of Student Success at Columbia College Chicago and visionary behind the Wabash Arts Corridor’s mission.

The WAC includes 8 educational institutions [30,000 students], 19 galleries, 14 performance spaces, 5 major hotels, 8 dance
companies, and more than 40 restaurants, including: the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Ballet Chicago,
Blackstone Hotel, Buddy Guy’s Legends, Columbia College, Chicago, DePaul University and its Merle Reskin Theatre, East-West University, the Fine Arts Building and Collective, Hilton Chicago, Jazz Showcase, Joffrey Ballet, Site Design Group,
Spertus Institute, and Harold Washington Library, to name a few.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Some international artists have participated including: Never 2501 [Italy],  Ben Eine [London, UK] and Kashink [France]. This year, in 2016, four international artists are participating: Eduardo Kobra [Sao Paulo, Brazil],   Marina Zumi [Buenos Aires, Argentina], Ricky Lee Gordon [Cape Town, S.Africa], and Collin van der Sluijs [Maastricht, the Netherlands].

In 2014,   the Provocateurs Artists – Shepard Fairy, Cleon Peterson, POSE [Jorden Nickel] and RETNA [Marquis Lewis] – participated in making murals in WAC.

In 2016, eighteen new big wall murals are being added.. For more click here....

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2016: New Additions to WAC

This year, eighteen new big wall murals join the earlier murals in the WAC. These new murals are by international, alumni and local street artists. For more, click here...  Image below is a mural by Don’t Fret [photography alumnus of Columbia College] at 1152 S. Wabash Avenue.

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Published by Jyoti Srivastava
Image copyright © Jyoti Srivastava