CPAG on TV and Thanks for Painting the Town!

CPAG on WTTW's Chicago Tonight, Tonight! 11/9/10. 7pm CTE!
Set those DVRs or be around a TV tonight, as Chicago Public Art Group's playground art is being spotlighted in a segment for tonight's episode of Chicago Tonight at 7pm CTE, on WTTW.

For several years, CPAG and its artists have been creating playful artistic elements for numerous Chicago Park District playgrounds, such as Slimey the Snake, pictured here, from Commercial Club Park (created by Phil Schuster and Henri Marquet).

Tune in tonight to learn more about this type of playful art. Click here to see if WTTW (Chicago's PBS station) is available on your television.

Thanks for Painting the Town with Us!

Thank you to all who were involved in making Paint the Town such a success! Whether you attended, bought a sponsorship or ticket, invited friends, donated a work of art, or volunteered, we are grateful for your support and were delighted to celebrate with you!

Photos of the Event are available on CPAG's facebook page. (Be sure to "like" our page on facebook if you don't already).

Thank you so much to Honorees Alderman Mary Ann Smith and Indian Land Dancing, and Paint the Town Sponsors: All-Bry Construction, Ald. Mary Ann Smith, Art Chicago + NEXT, Chicago Youth Centers, Libby Lai-Bun Chiu, Civiltech, Columbia College Chicago, Donna Del Principe, Bourbon Tile & Marble, Marsha Dowd, Richard & Mary Gray, Walter Gude and Camille Romero, Holsten Real Estate Development Corp., Lakota Group, Landon Bone Baker Architects, t2 Arts, and Segal Company.

This Saturday and Next Saturday- Meet our Artists and our Playgrounds! And Congrats to Jon Pounds!

Artful Play Playground Tours

As part of Chicago Artists Month, Chicago Public Art Group will have artists available at the following playgrounds at the corresponding times to discuss their process and explain why public art makes a great addition to playgrounds. Bring the kids to play on some of our fabulous creations- like Slimely the Snake pictured here (from Commerical Club Park).

Margate Park (4921 N. Marine Dr) Sat. oct 9, noon-4pm with Jim Brenner and Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Corinne Peterson.

Mt. Greenwood Playground (3724 W. 111th St) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Todd Osborne, and Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Jim Brenner.

Commercial Club Park (1845 W. Rice) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Phil Schuster, and Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Jon Pounds.

Palmer Square Playlot (3100 W. Palmer) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Roman Villareal.

Jesse Owens Playground (8800 S. Clyde) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Julia Sowles-Barlow.

Skinner Park Playground (1331 W. Adams) Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Phil Schuster.

Jon Pounds honored by Illinois State University CPAG Executive Director Jon Pounds will be recognized by his alma mater, Illinois State University this fall. The ISU College of Fine Arts, from which Pounds received his undergraduate and graduate degrees, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Jon will be the keynote speaker at the alumni luncheon on October 15, 2010. Congrats, Jon!

And don't forget... Paint the Town is Oct. 21!

It's going to be a great event with live and silent art auctions, food, drink and great company! If you haven't already, buy your tickets now, and we'll see you at 1314 W. Randolph at 6pm on Thursday, Oct. 21!

Don't miss out on our fundraiser, Hyde Park tour & featured artists!

Don't miss out! Our annual Fundraiser "Paint the Town" is fast approaching- Oct. 21- and discounted tickets are available only until Oct. 1! Click here to get your ticket now!

This year we will be honoring Alderman Mary Ann Smith and the project Indian Land Dancing (check it out above!)

Contact CPAG staff with any questions or call (312) 427-2724 x 14 to order your tickets or for information about sponsorships! ________________________________________________________________
In other news, if you are looking for something to do this Saturday, October 2nd come join us for a Hyde Park Public Art Tour at 2pm!


The tour will begin and end at 5226 S. Harper. Jon Pounds, CPAG's executive director, will be leading the tour that includes works from Margaret Burroughs, Terry Evans, John Himmelfarb and Calvin Holmes.

_______________________________________________________________ And finally...
October means it's Chicago Artists' Month! Congratulations to CPAG artists Bernard Williams and Rahmaan Barnes!


CPAG is also participating in CAM through numerous meet-and-greets taking place at various playgrounds throughout the city where CPAG has contributed to public art. Check out the following playgrounds on these days and times (drop in on one or more!):


Margate Park (4921 N. Marine Dr) Sat. oct 9, noon-4pm with Jim Brenner and Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Corinne Peterson.

Mt. Greenwood Playground (3724 W. 111th St) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Todd Osborne, and Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Jim Brenner.


Commercial Club Park (1845 W. Rice) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Phil Schuster, and Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Jon Pounds.



Palmer Square Playlot (3100 W. Palmer) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Roman Villareal.


Jesse Owens Playground (8800 S. Clyde) Sat. Oct 9, noon-4pm with Julia Sowles0-Barlow.


Skinner Park Playground (1331 W. Adams) Sat. Oct 16, noon-4pm with Phil Schuster.

FREE DANCE PREFORMANCE AT SKINNER PARK!!

DanceWorks Chicago will present excerpts from their repertoire as part of Chicago Performs! Sponsored by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, presented in partnership with the Chicago Park District's Performances in the Park series.

Inspired by Chicago Public Art Group's Vegetable Dragon by Phil Schuster

DanceWorks Chicago on the scene in the West Loop!!

Tuesday, September 28th at 2:45pm
Skinner Park, 1331 W Adams

FREE Dance Preformance!

DanceWorks Chicago is dedicated to creating an
environment conducive to nurturing experiences of significance for everyone
from artist to audience.

With inspiring artists and dances, DanceWorks Chicago is always moving.

Paint the Town 2010!

Chicago Public Arts Group's annual benefit, Paint the Town, is coming up on Thursday, October 21st! Come enjoy silent and live auctions, food, drinks and fun while observing some of Chicago's finest artists. Paint the Town will be honoring Alderman Mary Ann Smith and Indian Land Dancing, which is pictured above (read on for more information about the CPAG's honored work!)

Tickets for Paint the Town are now available for $85 if purchased by October 1st and $100 thereafter. Please click here to purchase tickets. Or call/email Nora with questions or more information.

For Indian Land Dancing, CPAG artists Tracy Van Duinen, Todd Osborne, and Cynthia Weiss worked closely with several American Indian tribes to create a shared vision that celebrates the importance of family, community, and the value of knowing one's culture and history in our contemporary world. None of this would have been possible without the leadership of Alderman Smith, who initiated the project and was a dynamic force in making this vision a reality. Take a look under Lake Shore Drive at Foster Avenue to see how an ordinary underpass has become an inspirational drive-through gallery.

Update! Bloomingdale Trail Mural Dedication! New time and location!

Please note that the dedication event for the Bloomingdale Trail Mural will now be held at

4:30- 5:30pm at the Humboldt Park Public Library (North Ave. and Troy St.) on Thursday, Sept. 9.

Note the new location and time.

See you there!

Spotlight on Two Fabulous CPAG projects, and Join Us For a Dedication

Chicago Public Art Group has been working around Chicago this summer to create public art projects that are lasting testaments to the abilities and power of the communities that developed and fabrication each project. Check out two specific project from this year: Arc of Nature, located at the Bartlett Ravine in Fort Sheridan (part of the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve), and Bloomgindale Mural, The Intro, located at Bloomingdale Ave. between Albany and Whipple Aves.
Arc of Nature, Bartlett Ravine, Fort Sheridan, part of the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve.

Funded by Openlands, CPAG artists Ginny Sykes and Augustina Droze designed Arc of Nature as a multimedia mural that speaks to the particular ecosystem within the ravine environment and the ongoing restoration work of the ravine. Meant to inspire and engage visitors as they walk down the ravine towards the lake, the poetic, symbolic, and multilayered mural suggests real and metaphoric connections between the variety of human experiences with nature. This 32 feet by 50 feet mural, consisting of aluminum, mosaic glass tile, and painted surfaces, is an absolute beauty!

Congratulations to all involved: Ginny Symes, Augustina Droze, Julia Sowles-Barlow, Bart Conklin, Joann Li, and Kelley Leung! And special thanks to Openlands for being such a supportive partner and letting CPAG be a part of their overall Lakeshore Preserve Project! Be on the look out for information about the dedication of the entire Lakeshore Preserve Project.

Bloomingdale Mural, The Intro Bloomingdale Ave. between Albany and Whipple Aves. in the Logan Square neighborhood

Through a partnership with Logan Square Neighborhood Association, CPAG lead artist Juan Carlos Perez worked with youth apprentices, neighborhood residents, and volunteers to create this bright and optimistic mural, which brings a renewed sense of community to Logan Square. On August 21, volunteers from the Chicago Foundation for Women helped complete the mural.

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 9th at the mural site, 5pm-7pm to dedicate this mural and to honor all who were involved!

Special thanks to this project's funders and supporters: The Field Foundation of Illinois, the Chicago Foundation for Women, Friends of Bloomingdale Trail, The Trust for Public Land, Illinois Department of Human Services, and Put Illinois to Work.

Assistant Artists: William Nicholson and Patricia Sotarello.

Paint the Town 2010!

Join CPAG, its artists, board, partners, and friends for a night of celebration and art!

Save the Date! Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, 6:30pm, at Prairie Production (1314 W. Randpolph St.)

Sponsorships are available. Email Nora (nora@cpag.net) for more information.

Buy your tickets now and save! Tickets are $85 each now through Oct. 1st. Tickets will be $100 each at the door. Click here to buy your tickets now.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Help CPAG Artists install a NEW mural

this JULY!!

Location: BUTLER RAVINE - Ft. Sheridan, IL

DATES: July 14, 15, 16, 19, 20

Anytime from 9:00am to 5:00pm

If you can spare an hour or two, or more, please help support us! We need folks to help with on-site tasks to get this mural on the wall! No experience necessary, just a couple hours of your time!

For more information please contact Ginny Sykes at ginny@ginnysykes.com

Tracy and Todd's winning project in Grand Rapids, MI

The Chicago Reader has a wonderful article about Tracy and Todd's entry into ArtPrize in Grand Rapid's MI last year.

CPAG in Chicagoist

Chicagoist is running a series of articles about public art in Chicago. They started the series with Olivia's mural in Hyde Park! Can't wait to see what's next.

CPAG Public Art Challenge 2010

We are up to the challenge!!!

Our ambitious goal is to raise $40,000 by March 31, 2010, and we need you to help us!. These funds will allow CPAG to operate from a stable financial base at a time when public art and a sense of community are most needed and yet most threatened—a time of economic and social stress.

You and I love Chicago! We love the complexity and diversity of the neighborhoods. We love turning a corner and seeing unexpected public art projects in surprising places. We love that some ugly surfaces are made not just beautiful, but meaningful. We love that beautiful places are made even more unique.

Our reach is significant. CPAG has produced hundreds, of public art projects throughout the city. Some are well known, others not so. I am sure if you take a look at the public art map at www.cpag.net , you know you will know some of them.

Chicago Public Art Group needs your financial support. Please make a gift today in appreciation of CPAG’s stewardship, creativity, and cultural contribution to our city.

CPAG Fundraiser at Crocodile Lounge

Artist Rahmaan "Statik" is hosting a fundraiser for CPAG at Crocodile Lounge! Rahmaan will be producing a piece live at the event that will be auctioned off. All proceeds from the auction and 15% of what the Crocodile Lounge brings in that evening goes to CPAG to support our community arts programs. Please join us!! March 17th for a different kind of party on St. Patrick's Day!

March 17th 10PM - 2AM
Crocodile Lounge
1540 N. Milwaukee

A new Workshop!

We have a great new workshop coming up in March We hope you can join us!

2010 workshops

Wow!!! we had a great turn out for the mosaic workshop. It was wonderful to see and hear all the teachers in our back studio space nipping away at tile. Because this was such a great success we are planning more this year. Not only mosaics, but mural painting and other community art building workshops. More info to come soon!

Sweet Tooth

If you are making plans for the Valentine's Day weekend get started on February 11th with Sweet Tooth: A Charity Bake Sale + Art Exihibition. Proceeds will go to a few non-profits...and we are included! Hope you can make it.

When: February 11th 6:00pm - 10:00PM

Where:2003 South Halsted Street in the Pilsen Chicago Arts District!

Happy New Year

Chicago Public Art Group wishes everyone a Happy New Year! 2010 is already starting to look like a busy year. We look forward to updating everyone on our new and exciting projects. In the meantime you should check out the new exhibit at the Noyes Arts Center in Evanston…CPAG's friend and artist Carolyn Elaine (she co-led the 47^th Street project last year) is the curator of “A Call To Action”…Enjoy!