Public Art Murals in Lakeview Chicago
Lakeview is one of Chicago’s most creative neighborhoods. Home to a growing collection of public art, locals and visitors alike enjoy the neighborhood’s iconic murals and sculptures, cultural events, and other artistic offerings. Take a stroll to explore our recent art installations!
Lakeview Low-Line: Connecting & Beautifying Lakeview
Currently under construction, the Lakeview Low-Line re-envisions the half-mile space beneath the CTA elevated tracks between the Southport and Paulina stations as an exciting Chicago art destination and a fun and dynamic path connecting Lakeview. Mural walls along the walkway will play host to rotating art exhibits, creating a larger-than-life outdoor gallery. An interactive light installation along the length of the path will playfully celebrate the ‘L’ structure, creating a quintessentially Chicago experience. And new greenspace and plazas will beautify the neighborhood and provide opportunities for programming.
Plazas with art and seating have been completed at the Southport and Paulina CTA stations and in 2020, organizers expect to finish a new urban park at Marshfield Avenue. Learn more and donate to support the project at www.LakeviewLowLine.com. Thanks to our sponsors: AARP, JAB Real Estate, Chicago Association of REALTORS, Mark Cozzi and James Goeke, Seminary Properties and Management, Ltd, and the Donna & Harry McDonald Family Foundation.
This Is Lakeview by Lauren Asta (2018), 3411 N. Paulina St.
“Creating public artwork allows me to visually stimulate an audience and inspire them with my cast of characters doing what they do best: being humorous about the human experience.” Lauren Asta is a traveling muralist and artist who left her home base of San Francisco in 2016 to follow her paintbrush. She specializes in illustration, doodle art, street art and murals. Her murals are all hand painted without any aid of a sketch, projector, or traced outline. She works completely freehand.
“I wanted the community to be proud of something positive that belongs to them. To have it be a constant reminder to be bold, to flex the hustle, and to hopefully have the desire to create something – big or small.” Funded by SSA 27 as part of the Lakeview Low-Line.
Flight Patterns by Chris Silva and Yollocalli Arts Reach (2018), 3411 N. Paulina St.
Chris Silva’s creative pursuits are firmly rooted in Chicago’s street art scene, and his artistic journey began right here in the neighborhood of Lakeview. Chris was an innovative figure in Chicago’s early graffiti and skateboarding scenes and from that foundation he proceeded to play a significant role in the development of what is now commonly referred to as “street art.”
Yollocalli Arts Reach is the youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art. For over 20 years, Yollocalli Arts Reach has made informal learning spaces available to thousands of teens and young adults in Chicago, winning numerous awards for innovative, youth-centered arts programming. Funded by SSA 27 as part of the Lakeview Low-Line.
Urbs in Horto by Louise “Ouizi” Jones (2019), 3637 N. Southport Ave.
Located just blocks from Wrigley Field in the heart of the Southport Corridor, Urbs in Horto is a bold new mural that incorporates colorful flowers found throughout the Midwest in its design. Created by renowned Detroit-based artist Louise “Ouizi” Jones, the artwork borrows its name from the City of Chicago’s official motto, which means “City in a Garden.”
Ouizi says depicting Chicago’s motto in plain view and using specific blooms will honor the city’s close relationship with nature: “Chrysanthemums are Chicago’s official flower, so they are featured most prominently in the mural. Roses are universally recognizable and loved, but they were also Anne Hewlett Fuller’s favorite, and the bloom that the famous Chicagoan architect and designer Buckminster Fuller gave her in courtship. Echinacea and prairie grasses are both found growing wild in Chicago, a nod to the abundance of beautiful wild foliage in Illinois.” Funded by SSA 27 and Southport Neighbors Association.
Lake View by Anthony Lewellen (2017), 3241 N. Lincoln Ave.
This iconic 4,000 square-foot mural celebrates Lakeview at an intersection that has historically served as the geographical center of the neighborhood. Artist Anthony Lewellen was raised in Lakeview, went to Lake View High School and has been a prominent figure in the Chicago art scene for decades, drawing inspiration for his design from the place he once called home. Lewellen says the central female figure in Lake View personifies the neighborhood itself: “Her hair, flowing like waves, towers above the surrounding trees and buildings and in her reflected gaze, we see the horizon clear, blue, open and full of possibilities.” Funded by SSA 27.