Art on theMART: Year of Chicago Music Launch

Art on theMART, the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, presented The Year Of Chicago Music launch on July 6, 2021, honoring Chicago-based musicians.
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Art on theMART launched in 2018 in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). According to  Executive Director Cynthia Noble, the purpose of the collaboration is “to provide free public access to compelling, innovative artwork that amplifies expressions of the broadest range of artists from Chicago and beyond.” DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly described Art on theMART as being “solely dedicated to public art. It’s deep and powerful art that helps our city understand who we are.”    

There was much excitement among the crowd along the Chicago Riverwalk while we listened to the sounds of DJ Spinn and eagerly awaited the celebration. We were about to witness an incredible display of artistry projected onto the Merchandise Mart. The screen projections, a result of collaborations between musicians, composers, and visual artists, included the following:

• Woven, hand-animated projections created by visual artist Selina Trepp and musician Dan Britney. “Our music and animation are the thread that creates the fabric,” said Trepp. Sounds are woven together to create a composition. The music weaves together the sounds and genres from Chicago's rich musical history in homage to the beauty and creativity cultivated here.”
• the light of the dark, created by ensemble Eighth Blackbird and filmmaker Xuan with music by Michael Gordon. The projection featured art hand-drawn with gouache and then animated.
• Footnotes, animated work focused on Chicago footwork produced by Wills Glasspiegel and Brandon K. Calhoun, featuring DJ Spinn, the Chicago Bucket Boys, and others. “Footwork is about coming together from different parts of the city and sharing the energy,” said Calhoun.
• Animated images of Barack and Michelle Obama based on portraits from the Art Institute of Chicago.
• An animation designed by Chicago artist George Berlin based on the Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art. The projection included several of Kahlo’s most recognizable works set to an orchestral score by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez and recorded by the New Philharmonic.

It was an honor to meet John Bryant, Co-Founder of the Bucket Boys. These gentlemen were percussionists for Footnotes and performed just before the screen projections began. The group has taken the art of percussion on buckets from the streets to the mainstream, and rightfully so.

This was a great night for the arts, and I look forward to experiencing The Year Of Chicago Music in the coming months.