Federal Property Part of Chicago's 'Color Jam' Canvas
GSA's 202 S. State Street building in downtown Chicago participated as one of the four pillars of Color Jam, a large-scale, multi-colored outdoor art exhibit on display throughout the summer of 2012.
Created from 76,000 square feet of teal, lime green, and burnt orange vinyl and paint, Color Jam covered the surfaces of the four corner buildings of State and Adams as well as the sidewalks and crosswalks of the intersection.
“[Color Jam] provides a moment to knock you off of your regular thinking/feeling track,” said Jessica Stockholder, the sculptor and installation artist commissioned by the Chicago Loop Alliance to create the piece as part of its award-winning Art Loop series.
“There’s a kind of simplicity to it; it’s pleasurable,” Stockholder said, noting that the colors and shadows of the work changed throughout the day, contrasting with the grays, browns, and blacks of the surrounding cityscape and giving passers-by the sensation of "walking through an animated film."
Color Jam also invited the public to participate in "Jams" throughout the city – programs, concerts, and other artistic events around the Loop. Once such event, a lecture by Stockholder in July, was arranged by GSA's Great Lakes Region.
