Myth of the Organic City
@ 6018North
6018 N Kenmore Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
Opening Sunday, September 22nd, from 3PM - 7PM
On view through Sunday, February 23rd
Myth of the Organic City presents an historical and contemporary overview of Chicago’s design and land use, from its indigenous roots through 20th century infrastructure projects to present-day developments. The exhibition includes maps, landscape designs, installations, wall drawings, sculptures, and multimedia works by more than 25 artists.
The exhibition features artwork by Giovanni Aloi and Jenny Kendler, Alexandra Antoine, Rebecca Beachy, Jeremy Bolen and Brian Holmes, Jennifer Buyck, Eugenia Cheng, Shane DuBay and Carl Fudner, Candace Hunter, Nance Klehm, Haerim Lee, JeeYeun Lee, Nathan Lewis, Jenny McBride, Meida Teresa McNeal, Vince Phan, Melissa Potter, Emilio Rojas, Pierre-Alexandre Savracouty, Katrin Schnabl and Tria Smith, Deborah Stratman, Aleksandra Walaszek, Rhonda Wheatley, Amanda Williams, JI Yang, Sangwoo Yoo, and others.
Myth of the Organic City draws from Chicago’s seal which proclaims “Urbs In Horto” or “City in a Garden” as a projection of environmental custodianship. However, Chicago has been designed and constructed in often inequitable and unsustainable ways, with cycles of dispossession and dislocation of nature and people. The exhibition pairs a broad historical overview with contemporary artworks that reimagine our complicated relationship with the City and nature.
The exhibition’s first floor and basement – Land Usage: From Sediment to Settlement – presents an historical overview of pre-settlement Indigenous land use to settlement land and water usage. Works in the staircase highlight changes in water transportation, roads, and the railroad over time. The second floor – Inequitable Land Use and Accompanying Mess – visualizes spatial inequality and resulting disparities, such as historical cholera maps, contemporary pollution surveys, and accumulated detritus. The third floor – Regeneration – offers hope. While the exhibition cannot offer a silver bullet for our looming climate crisis, it points to the power of connections and positive change.
The exhibition is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 – 5:00 pm.
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Tags: 6018NORTH, Aleksandra Walaszek, Alexandra Antoine, Amanda Williams, Candace Hunter, Chicago, Deborah Stratman, Edgewater, Emilio Rojas, Eugenia Cheng, Giovanni Aloi, Haerim Lee, JeeYeun Lee, Jennifer Buyck, Jenny Kendler, Jenny McBride, Jeremy Bolen and Brian Holmes, Ji Yang, Katrin Schnabl and Tria Smith, Meida Teresa McNeal, Melissa Potter, Myth of the Organic City, Nance Klehm, Nathan Lewis, Pierre-Alexandre Savracouty, Rebecca Beachy, Rhonda Wheatley, Sangwoo Yoo, Shane DuBay and Carl Fudner, Vince Phan
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