In the Making: A Public Art Journey Through Washington Park
About the program
Explore the dynamic intersection of public art, memory, and justice on a trolley tour of the imagined Washington Park Public Art Corridor, a new effort to expand the neighborhood’s commemorative landscape.
Board the trolley at the Arts Block (337 E. Garfield Blvd.), with a first stop at Amanda Williams’s Other Washingtons at 51st and S. King Drive. Asking “Who is your favorite Washington?,” this new work in development reconsiders the power of names, the complexity of legacy, and the people and stories chosen for memorialization.
From there, the route continues through Washington Park, stopping at key sites where artists, activists, and architects will share the stories behind their works in progress. The tour proceeds to the future site of Breath, Form & Freedom, created by the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation.
The tour concludes at Arts + Public Life’s Arts Lawn for a preview of Yvette Mayorga’s highly anticipated City Lovers in Paradise, conceived as a striking ensemble of three visually dynamic metal sculptures, each standing over six feet tall.
Throughout the evening, enjoy activities on the Arts Lawn, including printmaking, architectural story-gathering, and the opportunity to support for Breath, Form & Freedom through the purchase of CTJMF merchandise.
The evening concludes on the Arts Lawn with drinks, dessert, and an artist conversation with Candice Washington (Other Washingtons), John Gay and Survivors (Breath, Form & Freedom), and Yvette Mayorga (City Lovers in Paradise), moderated by Sheridan Tucker Anderson.
Presented by Arts + Public Life and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago, in collaboration with the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation, in conjunction with Chicago Exhibition Weekend 2025 and the Chicago Architecture Biennial.