It is the largest digital art canvas in the city and it costs nothing: 2.5 acres of building facade across the river, lit for half an hour after dark. This fall's pairing is unusually good, with Argonne National Laboratory and the Electronic Visualization Laboratory turning machine-learning studies of zeolite structures into architecture at building scale, and the Adler Planetarium taking on how people have drawn the universe. Because the show runs Thursday through Sunday, it fits into any eveni
What to expect
A half-hour program from 7:30 to 8 p.m. projected across the river facade of THE MART, watched from the Chicago Riverwalk. The jetty between Wells and Franklin is the intended viewing spot and carries the sound; Marshall's Landing and River Park inside THE MART also look out on the facade.
Good to know
- The fall slot is 7:30 to 8 p.m., a half hour per night, Thursdays through Sundays.
- ART on THE MART's About page states the platform is free and open to the public.
- Projections are best viewed from the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells and Franklin Streets, where speakers carry the audio.
- The CTA Brown and Purple lines stop at Merchandise Mart; the Clark/Lake and Lake stops are a short walk.
- An ADA compliant ramp reaches the Riverwalk on the west side of Franklin Street.
Common questions
Does it cost anything?
No. ART on THE MART describes the platform as free and open to the public.
What is showing this fall?
Work from Argonne National Laboratory with the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, and a program from the Adler Planetarium, through November 15.