ART ON THE MART KICKS OFF ITS 2023 PROGRAMMING WITH FUNTIME UNICORN: RUBY RIDES THROUGH FOUR SEASONS

 

ART ON THE MART KICKS OFF ITS 2023 PROGRAMMING WITH FUNTIME UNICORN: RUBY RIDES THROUGH FOUR SEASONS  

CHICAGO, Ill. – ART on THE MART, an innovative digital art project that transforms a Chicago architectural landmark into a larger-than-life canvas, will start its 2023 programming with a new commission by internationally renowned artist Derrick Adams and the return of the popular projection of new work by local Chicago Public Schools (CPS) seniors. Adams’ projection will be on view nightly at 8.30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to July 5, 2023. The CPS projection will be on show from April 27 to May 14, 2023, immediately following Adams’. 

“ART on THE MART is thrilled to kick off the 2023 season with work by Derrick Adams and CPS seniors. We are proud that ART on THE MART can showcase projects by internationally renowned artists together with the talent and promise of our local community,” said Cynthia Noble, executive director of ART on THE MART. 

Funtime Unicorn: Ruby Rides Through Four Seasons builds upon Adams’ famed Funtime Unicorn project celebrating Black joy, love and play. The animation – realized in collaboration with a graphic designer, The Channel – unfolds across four seasons and begins with Ruby in a playground before she embarks on adventures through joyful dreamscapes. Ruby’s journeys feature a majestic display of colorful backgrounds and light tunnels across the 2.5 acres of THE MART, while visitors will also watch flowers bloom, leaves fall, and snow drop in the playground as she returns for each season. Viewers will be transported by the narration of a young girl, with background vocals by Cleo Reed, set to an original jazz-trumpet soundscape by Dave Guy from The Roots. Funtime Unicorn first appeared in Adams’ signature Floater series, a collection of vivid portraits of Black people in various states of rest and play as a life-size inflatable pool float before Adams made Funtime Unicorn into a unique and interactive sculpture. 

Funtime Unicorn: Ruby Rides Through Four Seasons coincides with EXPO Chicago’s 10th edition (April 13 to 16, 2023) when Funtime Unicorn will also be part of a new public commission on Chicago’s Navy Pier. Work by Adams will also be on view at the fair as part of Rhona Hoffman Gallery’s booth. 2023 is a significant year for the artist with a new ‘Art at Amtrak’ commission inside New York Penn Station, the Beyond Granite project inviting him to install a temporary work on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and his Last Resort Artist Retreat welcoming its first month-long residence to Baltimore this spring. Adams’ ART on THE MART commission is presented in partnership with Rhona Hoffman Gallery, which is also presenting a solo exhibition of Adams’ work in Chicago until April 1, 2023. 

“Working with THE MART as a canvas is completely unique and outside of the general gallery or museum context,” said Adams. “Through giving viewers a window into my imagination, I hope that they will again feel the magic of their childhood memories.” 

ART on THE MART’s spring season will additionally feature new artwork from soon-to-graduate Chicago Public School (CPS) students, officially titled Select Works from the CPS Class of 2023. CPS will select the final work to be projected on the façade of THE MART from student submissions to the All-City High School Visual Arts Exhibition and the Senior 

Portfolio Showcase. Students’ artwork is selected based on a score given for technical skill, craftsmanship, originality, and student voice. An original score also created by CPS students will accompany the piece. The launch of the ART on THE MART projection will coincide with the inaugural CPS multidisciplinary arts festival for the entire district, RE·VER·BER·ATE. The four-day event will showcase the widest possible representation of CPS student work (Pre-K to 12th grades) across performing and visual arts. 

ART on THE MART is free and can best be experienced from the jetty section of the Chicago Riverwalk on Wacker Drive between Wells Street and Franklin Street, where accompanying audio can also be heard. ART on THE MART is presented in collaboration with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). 

For more information on the 2023 season, please visit artonthemart.com or follow #ARTonTHEMART. 

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