ART ON THE MART’S SUMMER SEASON FEATURES NEW COMMISSIONS BY DESIGN FIRM GENSLER AND THE CHICAGO BLACK DANCE LEGACY PROJECT

Launching on June 8 and July 6 respectively, with returning seasonal projections for Pride and Independence Day

 

ART ON THE MART’S SUMMER SEASON FEATURES NEW COMMISSIONS BY DESIGN FIRM GENSLER AND THE CHICAGO BLACK DANCE LEGACY PROJECT

Launching on June 8 and July 6 respectively, with returning seasonal projections for Pride and Independence Day

CHICAGO, Ill. – ART on THE MART, an innovative digital art project that transforms a Chicago architectural landmark into a larger-than-life canvas, will introduce two new commissions this summer. Building Light, a new projection by Gensler, the largest global design and architecture firm, will kick off the summer season on June 8, followed by a projection featuring new choreography from the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, an organization celebrating and archiving Black Dance, on July 6. Timed to Chicago Pride Fest (June 17 to 18) and the Chicago Pride Parade (June 25), ART on THE MART’s seasonal Pride celebration will return from June 1 to 28, followed by its annual Independence Day projection, which illuminates the building in red, white, and blue, from June 29 to July 5. Projections during the summer season will be on view nightly from 9 to 10 p.m. CT.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Gensler, a world-class design and architecture firm, on a new projection and usher in this bold new chapter for THE MART. It’s also an honor, alongside support from the Walder Foundation, to provide a stage for the remarkable dance companies that constitute the Black Dance Legacy Project. At once celebrating the power of design, dance and their impact on our community, we continue our legacy of commissioning works that uplift the creatives shaping our city,” said Cynthia Noble, executive director of ART on THE MART.

Designed by Anna Nelson and Franklin Guttman of Gensler’s Chicago brand studio, Building Light, on view from June 8 to September 13, explores themes of discovery, urbanism, and change through four abstracted and time-lapsed vignettes. Aimed to evoke optimism and wonder, Building Light speaks to what design can do for our communities and its ability to find creative solutions to society’s biggest challenges. An original soundscape from Gilded Audio, composed by Andy Chugg and Nick Dooley, will accompany the piece. Gensler is also behind the next phase of THE MART’s evolution, reimagining key spaces in one of Chicago’s most iconic architectural buildings. Gensler’s transformation of the building will create a new experience for all who enter, and the projection, planned to align with NeoCon 2023 (June 12 to 14), reinforces THE MART’s role as a true global destination for design.

“Design touches many aspects of the human experience, especially in urban environments,” said Anna Nelson, Senior Brand Designer at Gensler and Building Light organizer. “Our team wanted to celebrate the power of design by depicting how individual discovery can morph into exponential impact. We’re speaking to the city as a future-thinking center of design with an aim to inspire Chicagoans and NeoCon attendees alike.”

Continuing a legacy of spotlighting work by leading Chicago-based artists and collectives, ART on THE MART will also present a newly commissioned work by the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project as part of its summer season from July 6 to September 13. The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, developed through a partnership between the Logan Center for the Arts and the Joyce Foundation’s Culture Program, is a multi-year project that seeks to celebrate and strengthen the impact of Black dance in Chicago and beyond. Created by Princess Mhoon, Director of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, new media artist Liviu Pasare, and artists from 10 diverse dance companies of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, the projection for ART on THE MART, titled The Big Bang: Movement Theory + the Black Dancing Body, will feature original choreography from its latest cohort. Told in three acts, the work takes audiences on a journey through the Black experience in America by way of dance. Juxtaposing forms ranging from ballet, modern, tap, traditional African dance, Chicago-born footwork, and more, the commission will deliver an incomparable demonstration of the depth and breadth of Chicago’s Black dance community.

The dance companies featured in The Big Bang: Movement Theory + the Black Dancing Body include: The Chicago Multicultural Dance Center & Hiplet Ballerinas; Deeply Rooted Dance Theater; The Era Footwork Collective; Forward Momentum Chicago; Joel Hall Dancers & Center; M.A.D.D. Rhythms; Move Me Soul; Muntu Dance Theatre; NAJWA Dance Corps; and Praize Productions. Chicago-based DJ Duane Powell will also collaborate on a new soundtrack for the projection inspired by House music. The work is made possible, in part, by a grant awarded to the ART on THE MART Foundation funded by the Walder Foundation for advancing the performing arts in Chicago.

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.

  

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

This Is Life