Chicago Fights Global Warming with Art

By Shannon in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 7, 2007 6:15PM

One of our fellow employees, a lifelong Chicagoan, brought a book to work one day. Unaware that taking in external knowledge was allowed at our office, we took a gander. It was a pictorial book about the Cows on Parade exhibits from 1999, before we ourselves became a permanent fixture in the city. While we thought the cows themselves kind of cheesy (no pun intended), we enjoyed the idea of public art on such a large scale.

In the same vein, Chicago will feature an art exhibit on the lakefront this summer entitled “Cool Globes.” From June to September, giant globes created by local artists will feature themes revolving around global warming, including recycling, solar and wind power, and the value of green space. Messages from prominent people, including Jodie Foster and Fmr. Prez Bill Clinton (what – no Al Gore?) will be featured on plaques near each globe. The vast majority of the overgrown spheres will be from Buckingham Fountain to the Field Museum, with a few sprinkled at Navy Pier and possibly at Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park.

The announcement for this environmentally conscious exhibit couldn’t come at a better time for Daley, for whom we saw our first campaign advertisement this morning. A soothing voiceover punched up his commitment to improving the “greenness” of Chicago. In a speech yesterday morning, Daley declared, “We all share responsibility for global warming. We all can be part of the solution.” That’s swell, Dick. Now when exactly are we getting a recycling bin at our apartment complex?

Image courtesy of zedwards.