If you’ve walked around the University of Chicago’s Main Quad recently, you may have noticed that the walkways are decorated with banners, adding a splash of bright color to the wintery scene.
The banners are one of many manifestations of a student-organized public art project called “100 Views of Lake Michigan,” which showcases photographs and videos taken by members of the campus community. The images are also being displayed on installations in dorms and library vestibules, creating an immersive experience at UChicago. Plans are in place for an outdoor video projection, stickers and even coffee cup sleeves.
“I’ve enjoyed exploring the idea of having art everywhere, even on a coffee cup,” said Esha Deokar, a third-year undergraduate studying art history and economics. “It’s portable, community-based and engagement-based. It’s also a really unique way to show art on campus.”
Deokar is one of six student interns working on the project with Laura Steward, curator of public art at the Smart Museum, and Chicago-based artist and designer Jason Pickleman. The group solicited submissions from the campus community over the past several months, and curated the submissions into a selection for display. Each shows Lake Michigan in a vertical format, with the horizon line bisecting the image, such that most are half lake and half sky.
Included among them are photos of sunsets, ice floes, bonfires and Canada geese. People are also captured, sometimes as the primary subjects of the lens, and at other times as a part of the scenery.
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This story was first published by UChicago News.
