Wabash Arts Crawl paints South Loop as new creative district

By Selena Fragassi | For the Sun-Times

Creating an arts district in Chicago has been no small feat. Wicker Park has attempted to do so, unifying the assembly of galleries along Milwaukee Avenue. And for years Pilsen has hosted the popular Second Friday series with monthly open houses of working studios. Yet with the establishment of the Wabash Arts Corridor (WAC) in 2013 another picture is starting to be painted, one that pits the South Loop as the city’s newest “living urban canvas.”

Unifying the creative resources of eight educational institutions, 19 galleries, 14 performance spaces, 40 restaurants and 5 hotels along Wabash from Van Buren to Roosevelt, “the district is starting to come alive and understood for what it represents,” says Mark Kelly, chair of the WAC and vice president of student success at Columbia College Chicago. The school was the first to spur the initiative and now partners with a long list of supporters from Roosevelt and DePaul Universities to the Hilton Hotel, the Elephant Gallery, Harold Washington Library and the Auditorium Theatre, among others.

The idea comes together in the annual WAC Crawl, now in its third year, a free public event that highlights the various attractions and brings together hundreds of artists — both student and professional — with special programming for one night. Voted as a “Best Event” by the Friends of Downtown in its inaugural year, the WAC Crawl is “gaining momentum,” says Kelly, and “will be bigger and more compelling than even a year ago.”

New this year will be the alley ACTIVATE event sponsored by the Chicago Loop Alliance that offers beer and wine stations and art experiences at the street level as well as guided tours of the 15 (and growing) marquee murals in the district. (Chalk artists Rahmaan Statik and Erik Lundquist will be completing live installations.) Several galleries will also open new exhibits during the Crawl and live music can be heard at Buddy Guys’ Legends and the Jazz Showcase. As well, the Hilton, Brasserie LM, Mercat a la Plaxna and the Joffrey Ballet will be extending special offers. “It will be one giant art party,” promises Kelly.

Here are 10 events not to miss:

4 to 5:30 p.m. — For the Love of the Word!

An open mic for featured authors in the current issues of the “Columbia Poetry Review,” “Hair Trigger” and “Punctuate” magazines. (600 S. Michigan)

4 to 7 p.m. — DIY Scarf Making

Be fashionably prepared for winter by making your own homemade scarf out of T-shirts while sipping on warm cider. (916 S. Wabash)

4 to 10 p.m. — Adams to the South Loop: 1890 to 1977

Students of public history have created a time capsule of the old South Loop district through photography and researched documentation on display. (624 S. Michigan)

4 to 10 p.m. — Capstone Game Display

We’ve come a long way from Pac-Man. Try your hand at this generation’s newest video games, recently created by Columbia students. (916 S. Wabash)

4 to 10 p.m. — In The Eyes of Deaf Artists

Columbia’s American Sign Language department hosts an exhibit of artwork, books and video screenings highlighting the American Deaf community of the 20th and 21st centuries. (33 E. Congress)

5 to 7 p.m. — Public Art Mural Tour

Docents will guide tours of the 15 installations along the Wabash Arts Corridor including works by Shephard Fairey, Ben Eine, Hebru Brantley and more. (Meet in lobby of 623 S. Wabash)

5 to 9 p.m. — Glow-in-the-Dark Papermaking

Just in time for those Halloween decorations, the Mobile Mill—a traveling pop-up paper studio—will guide instruction on making glowing paper using recycled materials. (754 S. Wabash)

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. — Dance at the Crawl

New choreography in hip-hop, African and Contemporary Dance styles will be performed. (618 S. Michigan)

6 to 8 p.m. — Acoustic Kitchen

Chicago artists go unplugged with special acoustic performances in this intimate setting. (623 S. Wabash)

7 to 9 p.m. — Cinema Slapdown (“Mad Max: Fury Road”)

Love it or hate it, both sides will be able to have their say during a refereed debate that follows a screening of the new “Mad Max” remake. (1104 S. Wabash)

Selena Fragassi is a local freelance writer.