History
In 1971, a group of artists concerned with the relationship of art to society formed the Chicago Mural Group, renamed Chicago Public Art Group (CPAG) and incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1972. The founding mission was to establish creative partnerships between artists and communities in an effort to transform and enhance the lives of residents in urban Chicago neighborhoods. For more than four decades, what began as a mural-based cooperative broadened to include mosaics, sculpture, landscape design, and the sponsorship of workshops and symposia.
The Wall of Choices, one of Chicago Public Art Group’s earliest murals, by co-founder John Pitman Weber
Chicago Public Art Group's Board of Directors set policy and oversee its implementation. 20 Core Artists form a sub-committee of the Board to guide artistic development and to mentor new artists. The Senior Artist Circle of CPAG advises the Executive Director on decisions regarding program development, project implementation, personnel, and funding.
Chicago Public Art Group has produced public art projects with neighborhood groups, community development organizations, churches, schools, and social service agencies. Co-sponsors have also included the Chicago Transit Authority, the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, and the Chicago Park District.
Chicago Public Art Group has produced hundreds and hundreds of public art projects in Chicago neighborhoods. CPAG projects combine legibility, accessibility, craftsmanship, and artistry to create monuments to local history, identity, values, and concerns. CPAG works responsively with planners, designers, organizers, youth, and adult residents to produce projects that are long-lasting and beautiful. CPAG grounds its planning in the social and spiritual needs of the community, and in the physical world of appropriate materials, ease of maintenance, and functional design.