CHICAGO TRIP 2008!!

Sprinting to first place on the cultural map in a matter of recent years is Illinois' own Chicago. This mecca for the arts is the prototype for any city wishing to create/hone a cultural identity. The midwestern city is now home to over 200 plus pieces of public art that grace almost every corner, serving as a city-wide "sculpture gallery". However, from what I was able to discern from the various art organizations I met with during my visit, it was not always this way. Raising the city's cultural bar has been decades in the making, driven by hardworking art lovers and civic leaders who understand the importance of the arts and culture in their city. Key groups such as Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs have only slowly grown into the thriving non-profit arts group they are today. They seemed to agree that achieving a cultural status like Chicago's takes patience, perserverence, dedication, innovation, and setting high goals. Nowhere are these ideals more prevalent than in Chicago's most recent triumph, Millennium Park. Now one of the most significant locations in Chicago, this project began as a mayor's modest attempt to cover old train tracks and underground garages. After a period of great debate and controversy, it is now home to non-profit performance venue designed by world renown architect, Frank Gehry, filled with contemporary interactive sculptures by many contemporary artists, namely Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate", known more commonly as "The Bean", and still growing with new artists joining the project every year. While in Chicago I also heard about the impressive support systems that have developed for the city's many small black box theaters- systems that provide business and marketing training as well as other practical tools needed to run a successful theater company. These organizations can be credited for the reason Chicago is now known for its thriving theater community. I truly admire the way this city has commit itself to improving every aspect of the arts in order to foster a healthier and more vibrant culture for the people that live there and or anyone who visits it.