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Neon art installations are coming to Edgewater storefronts. Credit: Provided

EDGEWATER — A public art series in Edgewater will bring light-up installations to storefronts that could benefit from added foot traffic during the CTA’s overhaul of the Red and Purple lines on the North Side, according to the local chamber.

The art series, Illuminations: An Edgewater Art Experience, will add more than 10 installations in local storefronts and sidewalks through Oct. 31, according to the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce.

At least four art pieces will be installed this week, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the event scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Chicago Mosaic School, 1127 W. Granville Ave.

Neon art installations are coming to Edgewater as part of a new public art campaign. Credit: Provided

Art pieces will be installed in vacant storefronts or in businesses near the Red Line, which is undergoing a massive modernization project that is impacting local shops.

This year’s theme is centered around light and bringing people and art to spaces “that may otherwise go unnoticed amidst the current CTA construction,” Christina Pfitzinger, executive director of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

Each art piece is neon or illuminated in some way, according to the chamber.

“Highlighting the unique voices of the community and bringing art out of galleries, these storefronts become showcases for amazing artistic talent and light the way for community conversations about the future of our urban landscape,” she said.

The project follows on last year’s Reflections: An Edgewater Art Experience, which preserved and exhibited art painted on boarded-up windows during that summer’s wave of social justice protests. Like this year’s effort, the project sought to bring art and people to businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Storefronts that will have art installations include 1062 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 6419 N. Broadway and 2201 W. Granville Ave. For more information on the project, click here.

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