Gerber Building Art Reception and Walking Tour of Clifton Murals (Free Cider, Too!)

Mara Baker: Chameleon Blind — Uptown Public Art Opening

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 8, 4pm to 7pm
4620 N. Broadway (the Gerber Building)
Free parking in the lot behind the store. Enter at the far north end of the building along Broadway.

Join Chicago Market and artist Mara Baker for the opening of her art exhibit in the Gerber Building!

Mara Baker is pleased to present a new public art installation titled Chameleon Blind — Uptown. Located in Chicago Market's historic Gerber Building, adjacent to the Wilson Red Line station, the work is housed in 16 windows and is designed to be viewed from the street. This is Baker’s largest work to date, and is generously hosted by Chicago Market and funded by Uptown United.

• 5:30 pm: Artist Talk
• 6:30 pm: Walking tour of Clifton Avenue Street Art Gallery
• Hot cider courtesy of Chicago Market business Owner, Earth First Farms and bites from Owner Kā’lish and Sam & Gertie's.

Chameleon Blind is an ongoing series combining metal, light and fiber processes to create multidimensional "light paintings" for public display in underused and temporarily vacant storefronts throughout the city.

The work will remain on view while the building lies vacant in preparation for the opening of Chicago Market. There will be a reception inside the Gerber Building on Saturday, February 8th from 4pm-7pm, with an artist talk at 5:30pm and a walking tour of the Clifton Avenue Street Art Gallery Murals at 6:30pm. For info and RSVP visit: https://www.chicagomarket.coop/chameleon_blind_uptown_public_art_opening.

Designed to be visible 24 hours a day, the installations light up each night at dusk allowing commuters and pedestrians an opportunity to experience the work as it transforms from day to night. The project collaborates with Chambers of Commerce, local governments, and property owners across the city to site the work in vacant storefronts.

Mission: The overarching goal of the project is to create new opportunities for the community to engage and access contemporary art outside of traditional gallery settings, while fostering connections to support and promote local businesses. In 2020, Baker will install Chameleon Blind in neighborhoods across Chicago including West Town, Six Corners, Humboldt Park, and more.

Mara Baker is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. Combining traditional fiber processes, animation, light and video, Baker’s work draws inspiration from the phenomena of optical illusion and the changing of our eyes perception of light, color and space. Baker received an MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally including Chicago, New York, Santa Fe, Minneapolis, Budapest and Toronto. Baker is Associate Professor of Fine Art at the College of Dupage.

For more information about the project and artist, please visit marabaker.com.