Suddenly it’s mural time in Evanston.
Beginning Nov. 1, a 95-foot mural by Evanston native Jordan Nickel will be installed on the north wall of the CTA viaduct at Chicago Avenue and Washington Street. The mural was commissioned by the Main-Dempster Mile Merchant Association.
Mr. Nickel, who also goes by the nom d’artiste “POSE,” describes his work as “a pop re-appropriation of everyday life, interpreted as highly layered abstract narratives.” He has exhibited in galleries in Dubai, London, New York and Los Angeles.
The mural will be promoted through a social media campaign encouraging people to “mash up” their own photos of the mural and share them using the hashtag #MDMstreetart.
Another new mural has been painted on the north wall of the abandoned rail viaduct across from Mason Park just east of the Advanced Disposal waste transfer station. Commissioned by Second Ward Alderman Peter Braithwaite, the mural was created by husband-and-wife team Lea Pinsky and Dustin Harris, whose company is Mix Masters Murals. The nearly complete mural is composed of organic shapes that exude feelings of both stillness and fluid movement, including a mandala, and the words, “Follow Your Heart.” Many finishing touches will be added when the basic painting is complete, which will add depth, varying levels of glossiness, etc., with the intent of appealing to passersby. A complementary mural on the north side of Church Street is planned with sharper, more geometric shapes, and a different inspirational message.
And at noon on Nov. 10 there will be a ribbon cutting for the “Electroliner” mural on the brick west wall of the CTA station on Benson Avenue between Davis and Church streets.
The Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, an electric interurban railway, ran between Chicago and Milwaukee between 1916 and 1963. In 1916, the Shore Line was the sole route of the North Shore Line, and the southern terminus was at Church Street and Benson Avenue. The green and red “Electroliners” of the North Shore Line traveled at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Designed by Evanstonian Jack Weiss, the mural celebrates the 100th anniversary of the North Shore Line’s Electroliners.