Thomas Kane Recommends Art Highlights of Chicago for 2021

Walk Thru Downtown and Look for Murals One of the most exciting ways to enjoy the city’s public art is with a long walk through Chicago’s downtown.

The city is offering a new “hidden art” exhibition with the idea of bringing remote workers back to the city center. There are many murals throughout The Loop, some several stories tall on the sides of buildings, and others located in alleyways and unnoticed side streets.

Called the Loop Mural Walk, this free art tour is organized by the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), which even offers a guide for the tour that can be used on smartphones.

Some of the artworks were commissioned by the Chicago Loop Alliance, which also maintains the outdoor murals to ensure they survive the city’s often brutal weather conditions. The Loop Mural Walk has three different routes and includes both internationally known artists, as well as emerging new talent.

“We took existing murals and just sort of packaged them in a way to invite people back Downtown,” said Jessica Cabe, a spokeswoman for the CLA. “Now that vaccinations are up, COVID cases are down. We wanted to take advantage of the nice weather.”

Chicago Botanic Garden

Another way to enjoy being outside again while enjoying great art is to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden.

This iconic city park holds more than 27 gardens and four natural areas comprising 385 acres of land and six miles of lake shoreline.

This summer, the garden is hosting many events suitable for families, young couples, or friends looking for a fun day out. In the Nature Play Garden, kids and parents can enjoy hands-on activities and games, with log tunnels and grassy hills for safe play.

In the evening on Wednesdays, the garden hosts live music in the beautiful Krasberg Rose Garden. Food is available at the Garden View Café or the Garden Grille. It’s also BYOB, or bring your own blanket, as chairs are not provided.

Roger J. Carter at the Agape Collective

There are always new artists emerging in Chicago, a city known for attracting and inspiring new talent from the city’s diverse people and neighborhoods.

Roger J. Carter’s beautiful and unusual art was recently featured in a piece from ABC7 News, and his unique approach to representing heroes from African-American history is worth checking out.

Carter creates portraits of revolutionary Black heroes using toys, primarily toy soldiers, but also many other toys from across American pop culture, including Star Wars.

He uses toy soldiers to “highlight the battles they've overcome to represent their community,” according to the ABC News piece. Carter said he grew up not seeing himself in the art around him, and wanted to create art that reflected him and his community.

"Every artist gets bored and wants to do something different but right now I'm liking it. I think it';s evolving a little bit and so I'm not done yet," he said.

To see Carter’s work, as well as the work of other talented local Chicagoans, visit the Agape Collective website.