Art

Currents create momentum, set events in motion, and propel us to new places. A current is a force with the power to change minds, transport data, move bodies of water, and alter the course of wind. It’s an electrical spark, an explosion of energy and light. Currents move through people, carrying ideas and the exchange of information across time and space. To be current is to be actively unfolding, ever present, and of the moment, and yet already on the way to somewhere else.

The exploration of constant movement drives Currents of Chicago, a moving image work by Perkins&Will, that captures the dynamic and multifaceted flows within the urban context of Chicago—a city renowned for its visionary urban planning, iconic architecture, and deep connection to natural resources like the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

This work illustrates how various streams—natural, human, and technological—converge to create the city’s vibrant pulse. It’s a story of engineered landscapes, industrial innovation, cultural expression, and the relentless momentum of progress. It is also a deliberate exploration of the currents shaping the future—a future where design, technology, and nature intersect to create a more resilient, connected, and human-centered city. Chicago’s energy is not just a by product of history, but a force intentionally directed toward progress, ensuring that as the city evolves, it does so with purpose, adaptability, and a vision for a more sustainable and thriving urban environment.

Photo by Angie McMonigal

Superbloom is about radical beauty in the natural world. In a super bloom, wildflower seeds in the desert bloom in high numbers all at the same time. It doesn’t happen often, and a particular set of conditions must be met for the dormant seeds to thrive—rain, wind, cloud coverage, and temperature in the right measure.

Carrie Hanson, Artistic Director of The Seldoms, notes “A super bloom is demanding and somewhat defiant as it sits outside our attempts to order and harness nature—it is wild in the absolute. Leading up to this project, I was reading The Practice of the Wild by poet and deep ecologist Gary Snyder, in which he writes about wildness and our relationship to nature. Superbloom, which first premiered in 2023 as a multimedia dance performance, continues my/The Seldoms’ interest in our environment. Our body of performance explores how a relationship to all life on earth—and to the earth itself—might be based in sustainability and justice. Superbloom aims for splendor as a mirror of the sublime beauty of the natural world and posits awe as a mode of reconnecting to nature, and to one another.

Superbloom premiered as a work for stage in July 2023 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and will be performed at the Chicago Botanic Garden on July 25-27, 2025.

Choreography & Direction: Carrie Hanson
Visual Design: Jackie Kazarian
Projection Design: Liviu Pasare
Performance & movement development: Gabriela Chavez, Damon D. Green, Haley Marcin, Timothy Tsang, Maggie Vannucci
Music Composition & Performance: Finom (Sima Cunningham & Macie Stewart)
Costumes: Damon D. Green

"ORA The limits of the planet" is a visionary multimedia work created by Francesca Pasquinucci and Davide Giannoni of IMAGINARIUM, with original music composed by Davide Giannoni. The installation explores urgent themes surrounding climate change, the loss of environmental awareness, and the evolving relationship between humanity, nature, and the cosmos. Developed in collaboration with experts in climatology and space science, “ORA” blends poetic storytelling with scientific insight. The work combines traditional felt-tip pen illustrations on paper with digital animation, inviting viewers on a surreal and immersive journey through the concept of the planet’s ecological and existential limits.

This year’s ART on THE MART + All-City Visual Arts collaboration is lighting up the river façade of THE MART with CPS student creativity like never before! For the first time, the entire exhibition is all video, featuring student-made animations, digital art, and footage from across the city. Come out and see what CPS artists are creating when we’re drawn to the light!

“Our Dream Portraits,” Amani W., Avi S., Caeleb S., Camila M., Courtney H., Daniella G., Edith S., Elisabeth A., Everly B., Giovanni M., Grayson G., Greta M., Hannah M., Jack E., Janelli P., Keegan M., Lauren K., Leo D., Lillian B., Luke S., Luca F., Olivia M., Miles K., Nathan M., Orestis C., Osmond R., Owen O., Scott F., Taro F., Valentina M., William B., William J., Zoey F.

“The Life of a Hamburger,” Klaus K.

“Shapes and Voids,” Jose A.

“Moving Desert,” Oscar B., Isabella K., Angel N.

“Solar System,” Rachelle A., Janet B., Jennifer B., Tiyler B., Ilsi C., Chanthavy C., Xiavier C., Anisa D., Nathaniel G., Kayla M., Abdimalik M., Rithysak P., Christian R., Aldo R., Dewon R., Cielo T., Aiden V., Landon W.

“Alien Fight Night,” Abdulsobur A., Benson B., Brian F., Rowen H., Ashley I., Jathan L., Leila N., Valentina O., Aunika R., Haley R., Jibram V., Kamryn M.

"Explorations in Digital Animation,” Zoe D., Eva R., Jeremiah M., Jaydin D., Ramon M., Melanie M., Arlo A., Ari B., Mariah S., Max F., David C., Anthony L., Adrian F., Xavian V., Maeley F., Annabelle C., Sara M., Athen D., Jose L., Noah J., and Frayberth S.

“The Plastic Problem,” Talia S.

“Nightmare Animation,” Ortencia M.

“A Car’s Journey,” Moses L.

“idk why (featuring Hulk Mouse),” Oliver W.

“Enchanted Fraudulence,” Shakira D.

“Real Man,” Georgia P.

“Mask,” Vincent R.