Sunday, January 15, 2012

CTA Arts-in-Transit: Western Station [Ice Cream Dream - by Hector Duarte]



Ice Cream Dream
By Hector Duarte
2004 / Mixed media mosaic
Location: CTA Station: Western [Pink Line]
Under the CTA Arts-in-Transit program,
where CTA stands for Chicago Transit Authority..


At the center of this mosaic is a large heart with several buildings featuring the neighborhood’s unique architectural characteristics and facades. Surrounding the heart are the Willis Tower and John Hancock Center, signifying the neighborhood’s place in the city. Monarch butterflies are the predominant theme throughout the mural; like many people who pass through this station daily, monarchs are migrants. Every year the monarch travels thousands of miles from Mexico to the Midwest. The butterflies emerge in the mural as a wave of energy, a reflection of magical realism that has marked Latin American literature..

At the center of this mosaic is a large heart with several buildings featuring the neighborhood. Surrounding the heart are the Willis Tower and John Hancock Center, signifying the neighborhood’s place in the city..




RELATED LINKS..
CTA Public Art..

2 comments:

Greg said...

And, the 1935 Art Deco/Moderne lettering from the entrance was preserved as part of the artwork. Only 4 stations on the 'L' received that lettering.

Unknown said...

This artwork popped into my mind randomly and I looked it up and found your post. In a galaxy far away, I managed the program for the CTA that installed the artwork on the Pink Line when it was renovated and this was one of my favorites. I personally saw to it that the Art Deco lettering was preserved and integrated as “art” instead of landfilled as planned. Great to see that it appears to remain in tact. As I no longer live there, I can’t see for myself!