Colorful Bear Art Installation Invades the Downtown Pedway

A series of colorful sculpted bears will be roaming Chicago’s Pedway this winter as part of the “Massimals in the Loop” art installation under the Daley Center, Macy’s and other locations.

The Massimals are 1:1 design objects that examine how physical form can engage the public. The abstract animal forms were built in the manner of study models produced in an architectural design practice and are part of Chicago Loop Alliance’s efforts to draw attention to the Pedway. “Massimals in the Loop” is by artist Jason Scroggin/Scroggin Studio and was curated by Space p11, an art gallery at 55 E. Randolph Street in the Pedway.

“Chicago Loop Alliance’s mission is to make the Loop as vibrant as it can be through various programs areas and initiatives and the Pedway is a part of the Loop that can certainly use a little attention,” said Chicago Loop Alliance Director of Planning Kalindi Parikh. “It’s been a blast to see how the Massimals are brightening people’s commutes. Folks have been doing a lot of double takes.”

“While I enjoy presenting the Massimals in a museum or gallery context, they really want to mingle with people in the public realm,” Scroggin said. “I think the Pedway is a great place for them to bring a little color and playfulness to people moving through the underground spaces during the colder months in Chicago.”

Scroggin is an associate professor of architecture at the University of Kentucky College of Design and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture and advanced architectural design from the University of Kentucky and Columbia University, respectively. Scroggin Studio is an architectural research practice he leads that focuses on the design and realization of projects that present new ways to interact with the built form, from the scale of the city to interior environments.

Space p11 is an independent gallery for off-grid art, architecture and culture directed by David Hays and Jonathan Solomon. The gallery explores divergent futures and brings people and ideas together through exhibitions, performances, talks and reading groups. Chicago Loop Alliance also partnered with Space p11 in December 2018 on “Short-Cuts,” a series of Pedway pop-up art activations.

The Thompson Center

Photo by Eric Masi for the Chicago Loop Alliance

"Massimals in the Loop" installation in the pedway by Macy's

Photo by Eric Masi for the Chicago Loop Alliance

-Suzanne Hanney, from prepared materials