Chicago Weekend Fun!

This is new. The City of Chicago is hosting a Museum of Modern Ice exhibit in Millennium Park this February. The City of Chicago’s Tourism Bureau is always coming up with new cool things to see and do in Chicago in the winter since it’s too cold to just hang out and have fun. We like our city but it is more fun with these extra community events. Most of the time the Mayor’s Office pays for them and they are free to the public. See past work and exhibits pictured in this post. Apparently Painting on Ice is trickier than it looks.

Event Dates: February 1-29, 2008

In February the exhibit will feature a brightly colored Ice Wall that will be the US debut the work of artist Gordon Halloran titled “Paintings Below Zero“. His unique artwork features paint on ice that will be on an Ice Wall that is 12 feet high and 95 feet long. (Yes Millennium Park is one of the few places in Chicago where 95 feet of straight  space is actually available) Apparently they are saying that the “Bean” will get a companion, the “popsicle”, in the news. It is kind of like a popsicle, it is long and frozen and brightly colored.

Gordon Halloran will also embed an abstract painting in the bottom ice of the ice rink at the Millennium Park. (The McCormick-Tribune Ice Rink Officially) If they haven’t resurfaced the ice lately though you probably won’t really be able to see it. It will be best viewed right after the Zamboni (or Olympia) machine clears and resurfaces the ice rink. And skating on the Millennium Park ice rink is always free. So now there is even more reason to drive in from Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and the Suburbs for a weekend in Chicago. (it’s cheaper than you thought)

Chicago has been promoting a Winter Delightsfestival during these dark cold days of blizzards and winter to help promote tourism and people coming downtown in general. It’s tempting to just stay inside and at home when it is -10 degrees out. You will be rewarded though if you do make the post-holiday trip. Most hotel rooms are more than 1/2 off because it’s not the peak season and there is a lot of room availability they want to fill and if you need an extra discount to make it happen, just ask, they might be able to work something out because business is slow and some money is better than no money for a room that goes un-rented. You can get the best rooms and views in hotels in Chicago during the winter and it’s way cheaper than in the summer. You do have to remember to bring a winter coat and hats and gloves because its cold, but that is a small price to pay for a luxury accommodation and close by getaway vacation. 

Anyway stop by the Millennium Park Painting Below Zero Exhibit in Chicago in February to see how this turns out. I am pretty curious as to how the ice wall will look and how they will light it. Ice has a lot of neat transparent possibilities for artistic interpretation and crystal fractal light reflecting freezing patterns if put together right. And bring your warmest coat, because it will be way below Zero in Chicago that time of year.