In a makeshift art studio located inside of an underground parking garage in Rosemont’s Entertainment District, industrial fans ventilate fumes of varnish. The clear coat serves as the finishing touch on weeks of work put in by local students, including several studying at Triton College. The air also contains a palpable feeling of pride and kinship, where students from different backgrounds bonded over their love of art. “I think it’s amazing that someone will take the time to stop and look at something that someone took so much time to create,” said Zaria Gilmore, a Triton College sophomore. She is one of the artists of the ‘Pop-Up Piano’ project, the latest installment of the Rosemont Mural Initiative. Eight custom painted upright pianos have since moved from the garage to various public spaces throughout the Village of Rosemont. Gilmore and other students worked under the mentorship of internationally recognized, award winning artist Rahmaan Statik. The Rosemont Mural Initiative is a village-sponsored program that beautifies the Rosemont community through a public art initiative providing mentorship to aspiring student artists. The pianos will be on display through Sept. 30. Locations include:
• Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (5555 N. River Road)
• Fashion Outlets of Chicago (5220 Fashion Outlets Way)
• Hyatt Regency O’Hare (9300 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue)
• Parkway Bank Sports Complex (27 Jennie Finch Way)
• Rosemont Senior Center (6336 N. Kirschoff Road)
• Rosemont Village Hall (9501 W Devon Avenue)
• Wintrust Financial Corporation (9801 W. Higgins Road)
• ACL Laboratories (5400 Pearl Street)
For more information on opportunities available through art and other programs contained within Triton College’s Visual, Performing and Communication Arts Department, visit Triton.edu.
Pictured: (L-R) Triton College students Emily Temmer, Diana Carreno and Zaria Gilmore custom painted pianos that will be on display at public locations throughout the Village of Rosemont through Sept. 30. (photos courtesy of the Village of Rosemont)
