17-Nov-19 – Brightly colored murals by four Chicago-area artists will be employed on Wabash Avenue to draw attention to available retail spaces and perhaps distract from the fact that they are, for the moment, vacant.

Chicago Loop Alliance says during the first five days of December, the artists will paint murals on four vacant storefront windows on Wabash between Lake Street and Monroe Street. The murals will be painted on the inside of the windows, using paint that can be easily removed once the space is rented.

The goal, says CLA, is to draw attention to the retail spaces so that they can attract new tenants.

“A lot of the economic development work Chicago Loop Alliance does is centered on the idea that if we make the Loop a vibrant destination, business will come,” said Ian Zeitlin, public space manager for Chicago Loop Alliance. “Transforming vacant storefronts into art installations accomplishes multiple goals. It makes the street look more alive and attractive to the public, but it also, in turn, makes these spaces attractive to businesses.”

Carla Bank, Bee Harris, Ponnopozz, and Jennifer Wandro will create the murals in their own styles but use a specific color palette, developed by Michelle Kliman of MK Studio, inspired by The Bauhaus, an influential art school in Germany that operated from 1919 to 1933.

(Right) Carla Bank in front of her painting, Kaleidoscope Eyes. (Click on image to view larger version.)

“Wabash is a quirky street,” said a CLA spokesperson, “sandwiched between two major destinations for workers and tourists – State and Michigan – and situated underneath L tracks, but at CLA we see those quirks as strengths that set Wabash apart and make it a destination all its own, especially for top-notch fast-casual dining.”