Floating Museum Sails Into Chicago In August
Brittany Karlin
Chicago (CBS) – A floating museum is headed to Chicago and will dock in different areas of the city this month.
The River Assembly Project is turning an industrial barge into a floating museum featuring works by local artists. The barge will start in southeast Chicago and make multiple stops, ending at Navy Pier.
"The goal was to expand access to arts and cultures on the river using industrial barge," co-director Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford tells CBS 2.
Hulsebos-Spofford is collaborating with Faheem Majeed, Andrew Schachman and Avery R. Young as the local artists to build the Floating Museum Organization. This group created the River Assembly Project.
"Floating Museum is a collaborative arts organization that create temporary, site-responsive museum spaces to activate sites of cultural potential throughout Chicago's neighborhoods," according to the Floating Museum's website.
The concept of a mobile museum began as thewunderkabinett, or a cabinet of curiosity, first brought to fruition sometime between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. It evolved from an idea into today's version of a floating museum.
The gallery is free and includes a variety of programs. Offerings include: gallery tours showcasing local artists' work; creative sessions with blues and gospel singers; discussions about the project, and dance parties. At the end of August, there will be a closing event featuring a DJ and a performance by Avery R. Young & De Deacon Board.
This floating mobile art gallery will stop at the Eleanor Park until Aug. 13 and at the Chicago Riverwalk from Aug. 14-28. The tour will end at Navy Pier, where it will remain open until the fall.
More information on the Floating Museum can be found on their website.