Elmhurst opens Umbrella Project to showcase art and its community

CHICAGO (CBS) -- When COVID lockdowns shut down stores and restaurants, Elmhurst leaders expanded their outdoor options to help small businesses in the city center.

Three years later, a new art installation grows upon those ideas while spreading foot traffic across a wider area. CBS 2's Sara Machi was there as they put the finishing touches on a project that's definitely Instagram worthy.

There's not a cloud in the sky for this sunny afternoon in Elmhurst, but everyone's looking for an umbrella -- and finding hundreds open in this corner of the City Center.

"That looks so awesome."

It's the Umbrella Sky art installation.

"To see this canopy of color it's quite amazing."

The brainchild resident Katie Sotor who learned about the project while travelling in Portugal last year. The Umbrella Sky Project has opened in more than 170 international cities but this is only the sixth installation in the US.

'It started out with like 'that is not gonna work. That's crazy.' And then everything just kept giving us the greenlight that this could work," said Christy Sopko, Coordinating Director, Elmhurst City Center.

Now city leaders want this to lead to more than smiles and selfies.

"We are hoping that people come back. They can see all three in the same visit or they can come back, and three separate times and see what's all here," Sopko said.

As part of the project organizers are opening more locations than just this one, trying to increase foot traffic around the City Center including here at North York stage by the Elmhurst Art Museum and Elmhurst Public Library.

They've started promoting the attraction online.

"Our social media has just exploded since we announced this," noted Sopko.

Drawing people like Michelle Shin who brought her six month old Hope Jung here after she saw the posts.

"I wanted her to see it. And enjoy it. It's such a nice day too," Shin said.

Now they're hoping more people will follow Shin's lead.

The umbrellas will be open through mid-September. The project is funded by Elmhurst City Center and various sponsors. Even after the umbrellas come down, some of the structure will stay in place. That way, Elmhurst leaders can use it for holiday decorations and other future installations.

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• Elmhurst