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Stroll Undercurrent

Undercurrent: An Artistic Gateway to The Magnificent Mile®

Michigan Avenue is known globally for its beautiful architecture, flagship retailers and exclusive experiences. Beneath it lies Lower Michigan Avenue - a vital city artery housing entrances to The Wrigley Building, The Tribune Residences, The InterContinental Chicago, and many other iconic buildings. Lower Michigan Avenue also houses the only entrance to the famous Billy Goat Tavern.

Recently, The Magnificent Mile Association and the City of Chicago aligned to add color, vibrancy and art to Lower Michigan Avenue by commissioning murals across previously bare walls. Three emerging Chicago artists were selected to help in the transformation, and they were given this prompt to spur their creativity:

Mirror Image

Lower Michigan Avenue is a unique space because it sits directly below the iconic Upper Michigan Avenue. If you were to create an exciting "mirror" image of what was above below, how might that look?

The best way to see the murals is by foot, via the stairs from upper Michigan Avenue, at 430 N. Michigan Avenue. Lower Michigan Avenue can also be accessed via the stairway on the east side of the upper Avenue, or by car from Illinois Street, Wacker Drive and other nearby streets. Once below, you can find the works in these three locations:

  • The Realtor Building. Mural by Andy Bellomo, a self-taught artist who began her creative interest as a young teen studying the color, light, shapes, and lines of traditional stained glass in churches.  
  • Grand Avenue. Mural by James Jankowiak, a Chicago-born artist and educator whose current paintings and installations focus on the role of color and familiar form as a means of communication in our day-to-day environment.
  • The Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile. Mural by Brandin Hurley, an artist who creates installations, sculptures, and fine art utilizing clean contemporary lines to honor the beauty and diversity of the natural world.

You can learn more about the artists here:

Artist Andy Bellomo https://www.andybellomo.com/about

Artist James Jankowiak https://www.jamesjankowiak.com/

Artist Brandin Hurley https://brandinhurleystudio.com/

 

Be sure to take a stroll down the Lower Avenue soon, to enjoy and celebrate the work of the artists. 

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