Press Release
On Thursday, September 24, ComEd will officially debut the new Bronzeville Renaissance wall mural located on Chicago’s south side at 38th and Michigan Ave via a virtual press conference featuring community leaders and members of Chicago’s art community.
Standing at 8 feet high and 120 feet long, the mural is a sizable piece of public art that extends the full length of a once vacant lot. The mural was created in conjunction with ComEd’s Community of the Future (CoF) initiative, a program designed to implement sustainable energy solutions in urban communities and provide access to resources to help communities like Bronzeville become more resilient in the face of environmental challenges.
ComEd partnered with community groups and local artists to bring the mural to life. Participants include students from Little Black Pearl Art & Design Academy who provided the foundational mural design and concepts, Gallery Guichard who served as artistic advisors for the project, visual artists Shawn Michael Warren and Rahmaan ‘Statik’ Barnes who lent their creative talents to execute the design, and Miami-based creative lab Before It’s Too Late who coordinated the technology for the mural’s augmented reality (A/R) experiences.
Encompassing bold and beautiful colors with sharp imagery, the mural tells the story of Bronzeville’s past and potential future through the representation of iconic African American leaders and activists connected to the community, and the STEM field. One of the most unique features of the mural is the interactive A/R experience that can be activated via markers positioned around the mural. Spectators can scan markers on the mural with their mobile device to be directed to a mobile app that takes a deeper exploration into the mural’s content around climate change, clean energy, Bronzeville’s historic legacy, and ComEd’s commitment to the future of the community.
During the upcoming virtual press conference, participants will have a chance to hear more about the vision for the mural from ComEd executives, the artists, community leaders and members of the Bronzeville arts community.