28-Jun-17 – The five Chicago artists whose work will be displayed on the Chicago Riverwalk apparently do not believe that “less is more.”

Several works, some of which the city describes as “large scale,” are being installed on the Riverwalk as part of the Year of Public Art that will blend art with various city departments.

Expect a fiberglass deer between Franklin and Lake Streets, crafted by Tony Tasset in 2015.

“Using familiarity, humor, sentiment, and shock, Tasset makes iconic images about the current cultural moment,” said the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events on Tuesday.

In 2016, Tasset unveiled in Grant Park The Artists Monument, an 80-foot-long work consisting of colorful acrylic panels on two shipping containers, etched with the names of 392,485 artists.

Scott Reeder’s five-foot-tall Real Fake was sculpted in 2013 from fiberglass and metallic paint. It will be displayed through October in the northeast corner of the intersection at Wacker Drive & Wabash Avenue. (Photo by Steven Dahlman.)

Seven banners designed by Candida Alvarez will be displayed along the Riverwalk through December. Four banners will be located east of Michigan Avenue and three will be east of Columbus Drive.

Alvarez teaches painting and drawing at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is displayed at Chicago Cultural Center. Reeder’s artwork was recently exhibited at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. A graffiti work called Vejigante, Mask On, completed this year by south side native Sam Kirk, will be displayed between Franklin and Lake Streets. The city says Kirk “creates artwork to celebrate people and to inspire pride and recognition for under-represented communities.”

Four recently-completed panels by Tyrue “Slang” Jones, called Ballerinas, will also be displayed between Franklin and Lake. The city calls Tyrue’s style “figurative graffiti” and says it “combines flowing shapes and abstracted letterforms with traditional figure painting.”

Artists from all 50 wards will contribute

City departments that will participate in the Year of Public Art include Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Department of Transportation, CTA, Chicago Public Library, and Chicago Park District.

The program includes the 50x50 Neighborhood Arts Project, artists of which were announced on June 22. The city has commissioned them to create new works of art in all 50 wards at a cost of $1 million.

John Adduci is the artist selected for the 42nd Ward. Erik DeBat will represent the 2nd Ward.

“The Year of Public Art is a celebration of the lasting contributions the arts make to communities across Chicago,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “In every neighborhood in Chicago there are talented artists, working across all mediums, who can add to the cultural fabric of their communities.” New artwork completed for the project will be displayed at a citywide public art festival October 1-31. Tony Tasset’s deer sculpture arrives at the Riverwalk on June 26. Photo by Nathan Mason.