About this Event
Explore the dynamic intersection of public art, memory, and justice on a trolley tour of the imagined Washington Park Public Art Corridor, a new effort to expand the neighborhood’s commemorative landscape.
Hop aboard the trolley at the Arts Block (337 E. Garfield Blvd.), with a first stop at Amanda Williams’ at 51st and S. King Drive. Asking "who is your favorite Washington?," this new work reconsiders the power of names, the complexity of legacy, and the people and stories we choose to memorialize. The piece will launch fully in 2026 as part of the Chicago Monuments Project.
From there, we’ll travel through Washington Park, stopping at key sites where artists, activists, and architects will share the stories behind their works in progress. The tour continues to the future site of , created by Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation. A memorial that examines the historical remnants of police torture and offers reparative space for communities to heal, the structure will include the names and dates of victims tortured by Jon Burge and his Midnight crew as well as natural space for meditation, contemplation and creative writing.
The tour concludes at Arts + Public Life’s Arts Lawn for a preview of Yvette Mayorga’s highly anticipated City Lovers in Paradise, conceived as a striking ensemble of three visually dynamic metal sculptures, each standing over six feet tall. Embodying Mayorga’s signature use of ornamentation, the work reimagines her family’s narrative of labor and care as a tribute to shared history and connection. The inaugural work in the series, Queen of the City, will be installed in summer 2026.
Throughout the evening, join us on the Arts Lawn for:
• printmaking with multi-disciplinary artist William Estrada,
• architectural story-gathering: record a memory about a beloved Chicago site or place-based love story, in connection with Mayorga's piece, and
• support Breath, Form & Freedom by purchasing CTJMF swag.
We’ll conclude the evening on the Arts Lawn with drinks, dessert, and an artist conversation with Candice Washington (Other Washingtons), John Gay and Survivors (Breath, Form & Freedom), and Yvette Mayorga (City Lovers in Paradise) moderated by Sheridan Tucker Anderson.
Presented by Arts + Public Life and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago, in collaboration with the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation, in conjunction with Chicago Exhibition Weekend 2025 and Chicago Architecture Biennial.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Arts Lawn, 337 East Garfield Boulevard, Chicago, United States
USD 0.00
