ENVISION CERMAK
2012 ARCHEWORKS, Chicago, IL, USA Client: City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Advisors: Ryan Wilson and Patrick Cunningham Team: Will Cwik, Beth Szurpicki, Cleo Ngiam, Jenni Darby Morris, and Marshelle Samuels Role: Presenter, Fabricated wayfinding signage + Constructed model for exhibition at Chicago Architecture Foundation (now Chicago Architecture Center)
Project Location: Chicago, IL, USA
This project is part of a multi-approach plan to raise awareness for the Cermak Creative Industries District.
Can an isolated manufacturing corridor become a creative industries incubator? Tasked by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to explore the potential for transforming an under utilized historic industrial area on Chicago’s near Southwest side, EnVision Cermak proposes small-scale activities to spark the transformation of an industrial strip into a district for the creative industries. Through physical and digital interventions, this project aims to ease barriers to entry and increase connectivity within the district, while helping the City of Chicago nurture a hub for creative industries. Ultimately, the Cermak Creative Industries District will provide a mix of work spaces, shops, public spaces, and collaborative opportunities for Chicago’s expanding creative industries sector.
The final outcome of EnVision Cermak was an exhibition at the Chicago Architecture Foundation of ideas generated for the district during an open house workshop with various stakeholders.
