This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

A Glimpse Back at Chicago's Communities and Neighborhoods

YOUR MESSAGE HERE: Public Art from the West Loop

West Side

The area known as Fulton-Randolph Market District in West Loop was home to the Randolph Street Gallery 1979-1998. The Chicago cooperative, gallery, and performance space had a particular interest in social and political issues of its time and a deep commitment to community engagement.‌ The Gallery hosted showcases of Chicago artists, created outdoor installations around the City, and worked with community organizations to teach art to Chicago’s youth.

The Randolph Street Gallery Archives features photographs, videos, event calendars, programs, posters, and a wide variety of other materials from throughout the gallery’s twenty-five year history.

In 1990, the Randolph Street Gallery and the artist collective Group Material sponsored a public art project called YOUR MESSAGE HERE. For a three-month period, starting in late January, about 40 street-level billboards were posted throughout the city, featuring art and design created in collaboration between local artists and community organizations. The project sought to offer participants the opportunity to develop public messages that spoke to the surrounding community. Billboards were posted in neighborhoods on the South Side, West Side, Near Southwest Side, and Near Northwest Side.

Examples seen here celebrate Chicago's lesbian community, draw attention to the rights of the Latinx community and all immigrants, and address the growing problem of residents being priced out of their own neighborhoods.

The Randolph Street Gallery Archives at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago features photographs, videos, event calendars, programs, posters, and a wide variety of other materials from throughout the gallery’s twenty-five year history.

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:

This page has tags:

This page references:

Your Message Here : Ningún Humano Es Ilegal, public art billboard, James Liebner, 1990 Billboard designed by artist James Liebner for the public art project YOUR MESSAGE HERE. Created in collaboration with the Catholic Parishes of Pilsen, the billboard sought to draw attention to the humanity and rights of all immigrants in a heavily Latinx community. YOUR MESSAGE HERE was a public art project in 1990 sponsored by the Randolph Street Gallery and the artist collective Group Material. For a three-month period, starting in late January, about 40 street-level billboards were posted throughout the city, featuring art and design created in collaboration between local artists and community organizations. The project sought to offer participants the opportunity to develop public messages that spoke to the surrounding community. Billboards were posted in neighborhoods on the South Side, West Side, Near Southwest Side, and Near Northwest Side.
Your Message Here : Come Out, Come Out, Come Out, Debbie Gould, 1990 Billboard designed by artist Debbie Gould for the public art project YOUR MESSAGE HERE. The billboard sought to celebrate Chicago’s lesbian community. YOUR MESSAGE HERE was a public art project in 1990 sponsored by the Randolph Street Gallery and the artist collective Group Material. For a three-month period, starting in late January, about 40 street-level billboards were posted throughout the city, featuring art and design created in collaboration between local artists and community organizations. The project sought to offer participants the opportunity to develop public messages that spoke to the surrounding community. Billboards were posted in neighborhoods on the South Side, West Side, Near Southwest Side, and Near Northwest Side.
Your Message Here : Are you LOCKED out of affordable housing?, public billboard, Cathy Sharley, 1990 Billboard designed by artist Cathy Sharley for the public art project YOUR MESSAGE HERE. Created in collaboration with the Community Services Network, “Are you LOCKED out …” was designed to draw attention to the growing problem of residents being priced out of their own neighborhoods. YOUR MESSAGE HERE was a public art project in 1990 sponsored by the Randolph Street Gallery and the artist collective Group Material. For a three-month period, starting in late January, about 40 street-level billboards were posted throughout the city, featuring art and design created in collaboration between local artists and community organizations. The project sought to offer participants the opportunity to develop public messages that spoke to the surrounding community. Billboards were posted in neighborhoods on the South Side, West Side, Near Southwest Side, and Near Northwest Side.