Merry Christmas from South Loop Connection!

The south facing lion in front of the Art Institute decked out for the holidays

Around the South Loop: 2011 Edition Volume 2

The last two weeks in Chicago were pretty exciting. The Bears bested the Seahawks, the snow came and went and came back again. If you were walking around the city, it was pretty rough going in some places. But that's all part of winter in Chicago, right? It's also part of what makes us start thinking that spring can't come any time too soon. Let's take a walk around the South Loop and see what the last two weeks were like.

Bears fans assemble in the South Loop for Sunday's game.

It wouldn't be Bears game day without cops writing tickets now, would it?

And it wouldn't be Bears game day without tailgating...at 9 a.m.

The number 12 bus stops at Michigan and 16th St.

Traffic blocked at Adams, caused backups on Michigan Ave. this Tuesday.

They finally took the wreaths off the Art Institute lions.

Michigan Ave. looking north to downtown

Everything you need to know on one signpost

Nothing stops the picketers in front of the Congress Hotel.

Happy Cleaners on S. Indiana can't make up their mind who they're supporting for Alderman.

Footprints in the snow at Grant Park

Two birds found my balcony  a great place to rest and catch some rays...when there were some rays to catch.

Free Admission to Art Institute on Weekdays Through February 4, 2011

The Art Institute of Chicago at 111 South Michigan Ave. has instituted free weekday admission during normal museum hours through February 4, 2011. If you work in the Loop, you can actually visit the museum during your lunch hour or on your way home.

You can view Georges Seurat's famous painting for free during weekdays

A Chicago mainstay and real treasure, The Art Institute is one of the best museums of its kind anywhere in the world. Always a world-class museum, the opening of the Modern Wing last spring only burnished its reputation. As cool as the Modern Wing is, I always find myself wandering over to the Impressionist exhibit. It's one of the best in the world and includes major works by Degas, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Cassatt, and many others. One of the most famous, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges-Pierre Seura was once owned by a resident of Prairie Ave. during the late nineteenth century!

Jitish Kallat’s Public Notice 3 is exhibited on the main staircase.

A new exhibit of note is right in plain sight on the steps of the Grand Staircase. Jitish Kallat’s Public Notice 3 is a reproduction of a speech given by Swami Vivekananda on religious tolerance at one of the many world congresses held during the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition. The original Art Institute building housed these special congresses. The words from the speech are spread out on the staircase steps in the colors from the United States’ Department of Homeland Security alert system. This is the first instillation of a work by Kallat, an artist from India, in the United States.

A listing of the World's Fair "congresses" from an 1893 publication

If you enjoy the visual arts, there are some great exhibits in the Modern Wing. Check the short video below for a taste of what's in store. For a complete list of all the exhibits, be sure to check the museum Web site.

We Get Knocked Down, But We Get Up Again!

If you've walked along Michigan Ave. near the Art Institute, you probably noticed the painted trees a bit to the south. The trees died from disease, but rather than throw them away, the park district had them painted and installed as art. There is another group of similar painted trees by the bend on Lake Shore Drive near Randolph St.

Earlier in the week, some of the trees were bent, others were completely out of the ground.

Yesterday, the trees were upright and standing again, with what looked bricks placed around the trunks for extra support.

Gold Coast Art Fair: A Chicago Tradition for over 50 Years!

The 53rd annual Gold Coast Art Fair was held this weekend in Grant Park, at the corner of Monroe St. and Lake Shore Dr., in the shadow of the Art Institute. The weekend art fair had exhibits by over 400 artists and vendors and attracts visitors from all of the world.

Let's Go Blackhawks!

Even the Lions at the Art Institute are pulling for you!