The CTA continues to integrate public art into their stops, but how does this art actually get made? Iliana Demas has the story.
[Fade in nat sound of CTA]
I take the CTA at least twice a week. Sometimes to visit my friends at Loyola, sometimes to go climbing, or sometimes just to get away from the suburbia of Evanston. What I always notice, though, are the quick flashes of art at the stops as I pass them on the L or run through them to make my next train. A long, stretching wall full of ceramic tile painted with colorful floating orbs, amorphous shapes and neon pink curlicues at the Howard stop, wooden busts of smiling faces hanging on the outdoor platform of the Davis stop, the intricate, jewel-like glass mosaic detailing the architecture of Chicago at the Granville stop.
I love that I’m able to consume art in my everyday life because of these installations, but I also find myself hyperaware of how they got there because of how they stand in such great contrast to the rest of the architecture and atmosphere of the stops they adorn. So, how does public art become public art? To gain more insight into the process, I spoke to three artists who were commissioned by the CTA to create installations.
David Csicsko is the artist behind a mosaic at the Belmont stop called “We All Ride the Train Together.” It features an anthropomorphized pop-art style train with floating, slightly alien-looking faces inside of it. There are also three mosaic eyes curving around both of the pillars in front of it, with a background of speckled white and gray tile.
5:55 David Csicsko: “When I was selected to be in the final round, I had to propose what I would do with the station…so after a lot of going to the studio and working and trying to figure out inspiration, it wasn’t until I was chosen to be a finalist that I had a preliminary design in my head.”
Csicko was chosen from a large pool of about 100 artists, which was then narrowed down to six artists who were asked to submit designs. These designs were presented to the public, and Csisko said his design garnered support from people of all ages.
Csicsko worked with a mosaic team to bring his vision to life. He also worked with a women’s collective for some of the non-detailed parts of the mosaic. All of the parts of the mosaic were made in the US. The CTA gives a set budget to the artists for all of the materials for the art piece, and the artists are paid with what is left over.
Amy Cheng, the artist behind the painted ceramic tile piece at the Howard stop entitled “Destination: Points Unknown”, was given one of the smallest budgets for any of the public art pieces commissioned by the CTA in 2009. She had to submit the materials required for her piece when she was in the initial pool of artists.
8:47 Amy Cheng: “I mean, let’s talk about the CTA. They decide what the medium is going to be, what the location is going to be, and they give you a budget. I think most artists are like me, where the budget determines what materials you use…(9:28) the budget for this one was not large at all. At all.”
Cheng designed the artwork that was then hand-painted and glazed onto ceramic tiles by a tile artist. She typically designs artwork that is then transferred onto different media and installed by other artists.
The ceramic tiles span an entire hallway, and the budget was initially around 60,000 dollars, which was then expanded as the end of the project drew nearer.
Artist Kyungmi Shin (kyung-me), who created a mosaic of the architecture made of glass tiles at the Granville stop, said she felt her installation needed to reflect the history of the neighborhood it is in. Her piece is simply titled “Granville Avenue Buildings.”
Kyungmi Shin: “So I went up and down the street with a photograph of the buildings and I kind of created a silhouette/cutout of the building and overlaid to create this architectural collage of this location… I thought it would be cool for people to walk into the station and recognize the buildings.”
There is so much planning and care put into the creation of the artwork we pass in our everyday lives.
[Fade in music]
Next time you’re at a CTA stop, I urge you to take a minute to breathe, look around, and appreciate the art.
