This museum is part of the Route 66 Museum Complex on Howard Street, but make sure you also get out…read moreand about downtown in Pontiac and see these awesome murals! They're huge, they're everywhere and they're worth a road trip, so come check out this artistry that sets Pontiac apart!

We stopped in the museum while on our Route 66 trip. One of the first things you will notice in…read morePontiac are the fabulous wall signs and murals throughout the center of town. We were told that the Walldogs had come through the previous year and did 19 murals. The museum has a map with a guide so you can see all of them. The newly opened museum is a great place to learn about this art form and even had an interactive piece going on while I was there. There's also two wonderful galleries with sign artwork for purchase and be sure to check out the "ghost mural" in the back.

I decided to do something rather unique for Veteran's Day this year by taking a quick trip up to…read moreLake County to check out one of Jiffy Lube's most recently completed murals, "Flowers in My Head," a mural that sits on a Jiffy Lube located between the Adam Benjamin VA Clinic and the Gary Area VetCenter in Crown Point, Indiana. The large mural was created by local artist and disabled veteran Ismael Muhammed Nieves, who works under the name ISH. ISH has been a muralist and graffiti writer for over 30 years and is known locally for his work with Eskenazi Hospital, the SubSurface Graffiti Exhibition, and as a founding member of Indiana's first and oldest Latino Artist Collective - Crazy Indiana Style Artists (CISA). He was also an active artist and member for another Jiffy Lube Mural - Three Kings. ISH has dealt with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for 20+ years. He finally decided to get help when he began to realize how disconnected he was with his family. In fact, ISH is a frequent visitor to the VA clinic across the street. According to ISH's description of the mural, "The mural follows a timeline of the internal emotions, actions, and results a soldier with PTSD may travel. Visually, the mural is divided into two parts starting from the top left corner going left-to-right and the bottom half traveling from right-to-left." ISH chose to portray cartoon characters to lighten the viewing experience and flower symbolism to zone out different areas and allow veterans to focus on talking points. "With full artistic license from Jiffy Lube, I was provided a platform to cover PTSD," said ISH. "I had to find a creative way to approach the subject so it would not trigger a stressful or anxious moment." The mural begins with children running through a flower field. They can barely see above the nose-high flowers and slap each other with the flowers they've pulled from the field. The characters high-five each other when they get out of the field. There is a celebration but it's not necessarily tied to national victory but simply getting out alive. In the next section, they are taking off turtle shell helmets and placing them in a pile, a representation of transitioning from a reptilian mind to a civilian. The next scene in the mural represents seeing yourself in the mirror, with your hair undone and flowers in your hair and feeling unsettled. The rake on the character's boots represents the work ahead. It's a matter of clearing the field and dropping new seeds and germinating healthier thoughts. The seeds being dropped from the air represents the awakening that comes from asking/answering the questions. The pink cloud being combed and watering the ground below represents going through the thoughts that will germinate new perspectives. On the bottom half of the mural (from right to left), the first scene shows scissors cutting hair with flowers. It represents that sometimes the only way to move on is to cut it off. The two girls combing through each other's hair represents the therapy process. The therapist (left) is trained to assist and always learn and develop her practice with each new patient. The soldier (right) has her hair covering her face. It represents shame and/or unawareness. It may be hard for soldiers to seek or know they require therapy. Their hair has the colors of the flag to represent one American helping another. The next scene shows the yellow hand throwing the flowers from their hair into a compost. This represents the energy and value in the memories and lessons learned. Tossing the flowers into the compost provides food for the garden you keep. Moving through the process, the young lady is then admiring herself because she has gone through the process and is happy with her appearance. Her hair is neat and organized and decorated with a red bow. The red bow represents the red poppies above her. It shows she has found a way to accentuate and decorate herself. Lastly, standing behind her is a soldier with a shovelful of freshly made compost. It represents that the work never stops. While Jiffy Lube has commissioned many outstanding murals, this mural may very well be my favorite. It's comprehensive yet created with tremendous clarity. It's quite beautiful and incredibly meaningful. As someone who also lives with PTSD, I'm in awe of just how wonderfully ISH has brought the experience to life in an artistic and meaningful way. Is it worth a 2-hour drive to see it? Actually, yes it is. It's also a remarkable and worthy tribute to America's veterans and I'm glad I could check it out on Veteran's Day 2021.

Poop Fountain was everything we expected and more! A special highlight for us was talking to the…read morewonderful lady next door. She was so neighborly, and we spoke for a solid thirty minutes about the artist who made the Fountain, her neighborhood, and other pieces of public art. She made us feel right at home and is a wonderful lady. It seems like some of the other reviews criticizing her behavior may not be telling the whole story. As I understand it, some visitors were disrespecting the public space by coming at odd hours and making large amounts of noise, or posing with the fountain in obscene ways. Calling her a Karen is a total misnomer-- everyone deserves peace and quiet, even if they live next to Shit Fountain. Come here for serenity, come for excellent and warm conversations, come with your heart open.

Exactly what you'd expect: a statue that looks like poop. There was also a super friendly outdoor…read moreorange cat nearby named Mister that made my entire day. He was so cute and so worth the visit to the Shit Fountain. It's also near Kasama, so you can definitely make a trip out of this or take a quick detour if you're in the area.

What a surprise to find this mural in Lombard! I love murals and public art in general, and am a…read morebig fan of Kelsey Montague's #WhatLiftsYou public mural project. I've visited the one she did in Nashville, and have considered taking a trip to visit the one in Indiana as well. So I was delighted when, on the way to an early morning breakfast at Honey Berry Cafe in Yorktown, I found this purely by accident since I took the long way round the mall. It's between what is currently (as of August 2019) a Barre Studio and Amazing Eyelash. It's really the definition of blink-and-you'll-miss-it. I hate to name an anchor store, since it was Carson's and that's a dead brand, but JCPenney is the next closest. I was there at 8:30 on a Monday, so the mall wasn't open and the only people here were people heading to workout at Barre or Orange Theory. So it's possible that people stop here all the time and everyone knows about it, and I just am a city slicker who's out of the loop (um... so to speak). Though it should go without saying, if you do stop here for a photo, be mindful that you're in a mall parking lot, and the place where the mural is happens to be right by a sharp curve where the driver would probably not see someone who wasn't standing on the sidewalk. Exercise great caution! But take a moment to appreciate a really nice bit of public work.

Almost walked past this. Opposite side of The Riverwalk. Great detail. Great background view of…read moreChicago skyline! Worth the stop!

This is an amazing piece of work by Taiwanese Artist and Sculptor Ju Ming. It is located in the…read moreAMA Plaza and outdoor seating is offered for individuals to sit and admire and discuss the sculpture of the eleven men cast in Bronze who are dressed in business suits, trench coats and some with umbrellas...obviously as if they were on their way to work in a modern city environment. Upon a close-up inspection recently, I noticed that the eyes were not pronounced and that they seem to be expressionless as the grayness of their cast figures suggest. Almost as if it was just another day going through the same routine- wake up, go to work, eat, sleep---REPEAT. It reminds me in a way of Andy Warhol's Campbells Soup Can-we live from one meal to the next. About the Artist: Ju Ming (1938-) was originally trained as a woodcarver; however, his work evolved into sculpting in bronze in addition to other materials such as styrofoam, stainless steel as well as other mediums. He became well known in Taiwan during the 1970s and later in 1983 in New York City when he had individual exhibition of Living World Series: A Pair of Classical People at the Max Hutchinson Gallery. This piece in particular, is regarded as one of the most important works among the early production of the Living World Series. Ming's Living World Series appears or suggests that his work may evolve from his perception of the world around him; however, he has been quoted as saying that there is no one interpretation or set interpretation designated in his intention to create his sculptures. There are other parts of The Living World Series including "Imprisonment"which has drawn attention to his style of thought provoking sculpture. FYI-This Public Piece of art was purchased by Eagle Holdings, which is the parent group of the Langham Hospitality Group.

You can find these amazing murals at the underpass of Foster Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, Uptown…read moreChicago. They are pretty colorful and really adds life to the concrete walls! The walk from the lake to the residential area is more enjoyable.

I discovered this other little gem today on my way to Sunshine Cafe…read more And I was, just as for the one on 47th street, thoroughly impressed. And smiling. Turning gloomy underpasses into wonderful works of art is one of the best forms of urban improvement I have seen in years. It might seem pretty insignificant in the great scheme of things but to me it's highly symbolic: to revitalize some of the most disregarded spots of the city - ANY city - is definitely a step in the right direction. Underpasses are not doomed to be dark, smelly and forgotten. And when the art on display celebrate the Native American culture it takes a whole new dimension. The result - "Indian Land Dancing" - is a colorful display that interweaves time and heritage, with both distinct tribal nuances and larger Native American symbolism providing the bulk of the imagery. But no stereotype here: the entire project was in the hands of the Native American community who wanted to do 'something very meaningful' and connected to the present. Among other things: a skateboarder glides down the shimmering black mane of woman who hugs a sphere of seven circles representing responsibility to future generations. The underside of his board says "Apache." Woven into the woman's hair, a poem reads, "With our strong arms, we form a circle, and in that circle, we embrace the world." The 3,200 square inch mosaic grace both walls of the underpass, and is the only public display of Native American art in the city. Don't miss it this summer while walking to the beach. It's breathtaking.

Had a good time at this art museum and gallery. It certainly is a way to know about a local artist…read morewho had a big impact. The Ed Paschke Art Center is the biggest collection of his work. Also it's free. There's a lot of permanent collections, and you can find exhibits by other local artists who come here for training. A few things about him. In 1939 he was born on the North Side. There was early influence by his father who made Disney animation and sketches among other things. After graduating from The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, he got a travel scholarship to Mexico. There he was influenced by the art colors and patterns. He was in the army, making drawings for weapons manuals. Then he started making collages using images from newspapers. He would enlarge and reproduce these using oil on canvas. Then getting his MFA at SAIC, he was influenced by the first museum exhibition held by Andy Warhol. He was getting popular as an artist. Then he also began teaching classes at several universities. Often he would invite students over to his studio, and tell them to grab a brush and start painting on a canvas. The Art Institute Of Chicago had a traveling career retrospective in 1989 that was one of his career highlights. In 2004 he passed away. The city honored him by naming a street after him. A few years later this art center was created by his children and the Rabb Family Foundation. This opened in 2014 and increased the awareness of his work and life. Admission is free. This is because of their commitment to accessibility to the public. In the permanent collection is the Howard Street Studio installation. This reimagines his art studio with unfinished art works, source material, and souvenirs. Basically it's like giving you an idea of how he made art. One can get a sense of his painting techniques, like how he used sponges to get the color and volume. A lot of other stuff in the permanent collection. Vaca Victoria was a part of the 1999 public art project "Cows On Parade." It was one of hundreds of fiberglass cows created by Chicago artists. This used to be on Superior in River North. It was only there a few days. There was controversy about some local gang symbols. It has a head painted like the Bulls logo. The six stars represent the NBA Championship wins. Also there's stuff by other local artists. This has a residency program where they can learn. Getting here is pretty easy without a car. It's located on Higgins by Milwaukee Avenue and the Jefferson Park Metra station. This is easy to get to with public transportation.

I'd love to see more of his exhibits or his artworks. I was awestruck when I come across his art…read moreexhibits at art institute I begged my dad to take me there when I was in high school. There I met Ed Paschke after I grabbed bought art book about him, got his autograph. I treasure this art book with his signature when I greeted him politely and told him my name. ( I wrote it down on note because I'm deaf and too shy to talk. Thank you Ed Paschke. May your colorful spirit in arts live on! I hope or wish to have one of your masterpieces. They are so beautiful and vibrant! I'll post pic once I find my art book.

This is a foundation since 2019 and their first gallery. They have art therapy services,…read morerestoration services and mural installs in Chicago Public Schools, provide art and educational supplies to CPS teachers, and provide opportunities for Chicago artists to work, give back to their community, and engage with our youth.

From the owner: Nestled in the vibrant Logan Square neighborhood, Gallery AOG is a dynamic 3,000sf. space bursting…read morewith natural sunlight, making it the perfect setting for creativity and connection. Opening March 7th, this gallery celebrates the talent of dozens of local Chicago artists, showcasing an eclectic mix of artwork that reflects the city's rich cultural tapestry. Gallery AOG isn't just a gallery—it's a versatile event space available for rent, offering a unique backdrop for gatherings, workshops, and celebrations. Additionally, the gallery features a curated selection of vintage decorative items, sourced by local vendors, blending art and retail to support the community's creative economy. At Gallery AOG, we are dedicated to providing opportunities for local artists, fostering collaboration, and uplifting Chicago's thriving art scene. Whether you're here to explore, shop, or host an event, you'll find inspiration at every corner.