Client: CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Location: CHICAGO, IL, United States

Completion date: 2023

Artwork budget: $50,000

Project Team

ARTIST

JEFF ZIMMERMANN

ARTIST

CHRISTOPHE GAUSPARRO

MATERIAL SPONSOR

FLOOR & DECOR

INSTALLATION

John Preus + John Badal

ENGINEER

Dan Roig

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Walter Mitchell

VIDEO

Craig Shimala

Overview

This exterior mural was designed to capture the spirit of the Levy Senior Center, featuring actual members as characters within the artwork. We developed a custom hanging system that is weatherproof, durable, safe, lightweight, and cost-effective. This system provides future access to the building’s structure and ensures the artwork can be protected during any major changes to the building. Using these panels enabled the artists to work off-site for weeks, requiring only a few days for on-site installation.

Goals

Our goals were to showcase the diversity of the community and bring the inside amenities of the Center to the outside world. The result was a vibrant and dynamic public art moment, experienced by thousands of people every day.

Process

The staff of the Levy Center facilitated meetings with the community to listen to their stories and uncover the Center's ethos. We arranged photo shoots to involve as many members as possible, ensuring that the diversity of the community was represented