Chicago Dramatists adopts West Town Blue Line Station January 11, 2010

The playwrights theatre enhances its neighborhood’s Chicago Blue Line Station with the artwork of local artist Peter N. Gray

CHICAGO, IL- Chicago Dramatists, the theatre long known for its history in nurturing accomplished, local artists who make significant contributions to the community, is proud to announce that their Blue Line Art Project has been completed. Through the CTA’s Adopt-A-Station program, Chicago Dramatists adopted the Blue Line Chicago Stop located steps from the theatre’s door at the corner of Chicago, Ogden and Milwaukee Avenues, and install artwork to showcase a local talent. The theatre partnered with the West Town Chamber of Commerce and with Chicago Dramatists board member, Patrice Fletcher, to help fund the project entirely.

Chicago Dramatists describes the Chicago stop as the gateway to West Town and wanted to capture the corner’s unique persona; a vibrant mix of banks and pubs; restaurants and condos; and actors, students, and painters. The organization hired Chicago artist and sculptor Peter N. Gray to design artwork that would reflect its vision. Chicago Dramatists selected Gray as the best fit for the project from a pool of local artists. According to Managing Director Brian Loevner, “Gray’s concept for the space showcases the character of the intersection and its history of immigration, of Polish, Danish and, most recently, of Central American residents. It also pays homage to the area’s arts organizations including the Chicago Academy for the Arts, Intuit, the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, and, of course, Chicago Dramatists.”

Gray’s large, digital images are printed on vinyl, the same material that can be seen on the sides of buses. The artwork is displayed in the lobby area and mounted on three walls and on the old ticket booth. For more information on the Blue Line project or to follow the installation process, visit http://chicagodramatistsbluelineart.org/index.html. More information on Peter N. Gray is also available at www.metal-i-genics.com.

About Chicago Dramatists

In the fall of 1979, four playwrights came together to hear their work read aloud and to hone their craft. Today, Chicago Dramatists’ amazing record of achievement has landed them an invaluable place in the artistic community as a vital source of inspiration to 40 resident playwrights, 160 associate playwrights, 60 associate artists, and thousands of audience members. Led by Artistic Director Russ Tutterow and Managing Director Brian Loevner, Chicago Dramatists has worked with over a thousand playwrights, produced and developed thousands of plays and stayed true to its mission to nurture compelling, challenging and diverse plays that move on to productions, earn awards, and define the American theatre. Through passionate dedication, personal nurture and careful exposure, Chicago Dramatists carries on its thirty-one-year-old mission of developing new plays and playwrights for the next generation of theatre.

Chicago Dramatists is located just minutes from the Loop at 1105 W. Chicago Avenue, at the 24-hour Chicago Avenue stop of the Blue Line subway, and is just off the Ogden and Augusta exits of the Kennedy Expressway. There is street parking available and free reserved parking with ticket purchase. For more information visit www.chicagodramatists.org.

Official Website: http://chicagodramatistsbluelineart.org/index.html