On Saturday, August 7, Art on Track — one of the biggest mobile art galleries in the world — will begin its five-hour evening tour around Chicago. With train cars transformed into exhibition spaces, the event is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the Windy City’s creative life.
Now in its third year, Art on Track accepts submissions from different area artists vying to reimagine one of eight Chicago Transit Authority “L” cars as exhibition spaces. Once the winners have been selected, they set about transforming the cars through any number of different media, ranging from film and fabric to plants and bubble wrap. The end result will be the same, however: a unique showcase designed to promote over 200 local, emerging artists. Well-known Chicagoland artists selected to participate in this year’s event include 3 Blondes & a Bald Guy, the Addington Gallery, Spudnik Press, Renee Robbins, and others. Art on Track’s founder, Tristan Hummel, is also involved, working on this year’s incarnation of the FIJI Water car: a constellation of illuminated, magnetic balls, each carrying a message that can be transferred to other Art on Track cars or taken out into the world for someone else to discover. To get a full sense of how the project works, as well as all its imaginative possibilities, be sure to ride the rails this Saturday.
Artists work to transform the interior of a Chicago CTA car as part of the Art on Track experience.
Guests can purchase their tickets for next Saturday’s event either online or at the CTA’s Wabash and Adams or Wells and Washington stations. From these locations, the train will embark on its turn around the Loop, making four different stops along the way so that guests can switch and experience each car.
An important new fixture on the city’s artistic landscape, Art on Track is produced by SALVO, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing cultural awareness and education through exposure to the fine arts. It provides several free alternative public spaces for arts organizations to showcase their talent to an expanded demographic, and to reach out to those who may otherwise be isolated from the city’s vibrant art culture.
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