The Best Murals, Street Art, and Graffiti Chicago Has to Offer
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As my more loyal readers may know, one of my best travel companions is my French bulldog, brindle sensation, and IVDD survivor, Miss Madelyn Pew. Maddie comes with me on many of my domestic travels and loves striking a pose in front of graffiti walls and mural art. Since our previous post about Los Angeles graffiti, murals, and other urban art was such a hit, my little Frenchie pup and I packed our bags and flew to Chicago in search of cool graffiti art by artists such as Jeff Zimmerman, Eduardo Kobra, Rich Alapack, Vivian Maier, Collin Van, Cesar Perez, and more.
I recommend planning at least a 2 day Chicago itinerary when visiting the windy city. Beyond being a hub for street artists, Chicago offers exciting activities, restaurants, and culture. It remains one of my favorite cities and I hope you’ll fall in love with it as well.
I’ll walk you through all the best neighborhoods for finding street art, but if you’d like to take a professional tour, I recommend The Offbeat Street Art Tour of Chicago.
My very well trained French bulldog, Maddie, in front of Kanye by Jason M Peterson.
Where to Stay in Chicago
If you’re visiting from out of town you may be wondering where to stay in Chicago. I recommend the Loop, West Loop, Lincoln Park, Magnificent Mile, and Wicker Park neighborhoods. These are safer neighborhoods which will put you near tons of attractions and give you ample choices when it comes to hotels.
Chicago Street Art and Where to Find It
From the north side area of Logan Square, Chicago, to Fulton Market and the Fulton River district, from abstract murals to big, famous street art, we were out to view all the best graffiti Chicago had to offer. We packed plenty of treats, grabbed a bottle of water, strapped on some comfortable walking shoes, and we were on our way.
To see the most murals in Chicago in one day, it’s best to stick to three neighborhoods: Pilsen, The South Loop, and Milwaukee Ave (from Wicker Park Street to Logan Square.) This arts corridor is where you’ll find the bulk of Chicago’s large art murals and some of the more famous street art, like Greetings Tour’s Greetings From Chicago mural, on Milwaukee Ave in Bucktown.
Wabash Arts Corridor
A great place to start your Chicago murals search is the Wabash Arts Corridor. Founded by Columbia College Chicago in 2013, this South Loop attraction holds the largest street art and public art collection of women artists and artists of color. Containing some of the best murals in Chicago, You’re sure to encounter a wide variety of art and epic photo opportunities in this Chicago street art gallery.
Graffiti, Murals, and Street Art in the West Loop
Continuing on our quest for city murals, we came upon was a massive piece by Chicago street artist, Don’t Fret. Located next to the Morgan L Station, this mural is a nod to the area’s history as the old meatpacking district. The scrumptious display of meat also made Maddie’s mouth water.
Maddie in front of a mural by Chicago Street Artist, Don’t Fret.
From there we wandered around Fulton Market with our eyes open for murals and graffiti. We found a plethora of murals from local Chicago street artists like Rich Alapack, Lauren Asta, Cesar Perez, Bird Milk, and Jason Botkin, as well as works by internationally famous mural artists like Portuguese street artist, Vhils.
We also found these amazing wings (below) by artist Jenny Vyas at Federales bar and restaurant. They were a little too high for Maddie, but she didn’t seem to mind.
This is where we took a break for some delicious nachos and a fresh bowl of water for our model. Federales is super dog-friendly and a great spot for tacos, tequila, people-watching, and art appreciation.
To buy prints and paintings by Jenny Vyas check out her site.
Wings by Artist Jenny Vyas
The Northside of Chicago/ Logan Square
Full of nachos, but hungry for more street art in Chicago, we headed up to Chicago’s North Side starting in Logan Square. Right away we hit a wide variety of murals, graffiti, and stencil art. It’s at this point in our Chicago street art tour that we came across Project Logan, a community project helmed by Chicago graffiti artist and hip-hop documentarian, Flash ABC. This 4 sided permission wall surrounds a 3,300-square-foot area of land between Medill and Fullerton Avenues just west of Milwaukee Avenue. One of the most heavily concentrated graffiti spots in Chicago, hundreds of Chicago graffiti artists have come here to showcase their art over the last 10 years.
The East Facing Wall of Project Logan’s street art murals
Project Logan also works to clean up Chicago streets in the area surrounding the mural wall, inspire children through art, pay tribute to important hip-hop artists, and beautify the neighborhood. Many of the murals here are able to be seen from the blue line between the Logan Square and California stops. Walking the perimeter you can see one of the highest concentrations of graffiti in Chicago. It’s a beautiful, ever-evolving collection of art.
A little further away we found this incredible wall mural by Sam Kirk and Sandra Antongiorgi, with assistance by Jenny Q. It’s part of the 2017 DCASE Year of Public Art in Chicago supported by Alderman Rosa. This effort to support artists in Chicago and bring art directly into city neighborhoods resulted in some incredible murals which still stand today.
Mural by @IAMSAMKIRK and @SANTONGIORGI with assistance by @QUIRKLYN
We Love Chicago!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to street art, Chicago. We hope to return soon and take a little more time to explore Chicago’s vibrant public art scene. Until then, I have a message from my little brindle Frenchie love, Miss Madelyn Pew, taken in the Wicker Park neighborhood…
#StreetArtChicago
