Supporting Local Artists

The creations of artists are always something that I have been interested in, and I’m constantly amazed at how powerful they are in terms of evoking powerful emotions, creating meaningful dialogue, manifesting civic engagement, encouraging cultural change, and influencing us to see the world around us with new and alternative perspectives.

This is why I am committed to collaborating with diverse artists to design and create significant elements for our buildings since I believe that artwork directly impacts their character, quality, and aesthetic. I find that they not only visually enhance public spaces but also help the project to have cultural meaning in their new location and build lasting relationships with the community through the arts.

When reflecting on the power of our Chapter brand of projects, we have consistently created welcoming and inspiring spaces for people to live and work in. We want our residences to be a home for creatives, doers, thinkers, and dreamers of all kinds, and we also want them to be deeply integrated into their outside communities. Most of all, we want our future residents to feel that they’re able to live better, healthier, and more engaged lives because of the great place they call home. We use our art to create memorable homes for people, and also to introduce them to all of great art’s potential and possibilities.

The central reason why I partner with emerging community artists and professional artists is to bring new and unexpected visions into our buildings.?Artworks engage viewers in a conversation with the artist, and I know it also inspires our residents to engage on a deeper level with their neighbors. I also really want to support artists that are from the regions and communities we build in since they are so important to the area’s history, culture, identity, and ambitions. By featuring local artists and their work, we’re also ensuring that they will continue to flourish in our communities well into the future.

Most recently for our Broadway Chapter, we worked closely with Near Southside and its Art South program to commission an original mural. As part of a competition to find an artist, we offered a $25,000 stipend, along with a $25,000 reward.?After receiving submissions from over 84 artists, Eric ‘Drigo’ Rodriguez was selected by the community as the winner. His vibrant style is just what we wanted for the project and also what Near Southside residents wanted to showcase the neighborhood’s incredible legacy as a creative hub in Forth Worth.?

On other projects, like Upshore Chapter in Chicago, we worked with local artist Brandin Hurley on an original triptych installation that hangs in one of the building’s public spaces that residents pass through every day. We wanted it to bring a sense of calm and tranquility to residents of Upshore as they enter and depart their home at the heart of one of Chicago’s iconic neighborhoods and also create a whole new dimension to the building.

We also loved our collaboration with Mauricio Ramirez on our A.M. 1980 Residence project in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. Located alongside a widely-traveled transit route, the mural features the namesake Logan Square eagle from an entirely new perspective, paying tribute to the neighborhood’s past as well as looking ahead to its future. This project helped jumpstart Mauricio’s career, and he is now working across the country doing other large-scale works.

Establishing and cultivating these kinds of necessary relationships with artists is both an authentic way to invest in local communities and inspire the many creative residents who make the community resilient and unforgettable. Art can uplift the microeconomy of a neighborhood, and I think this outlook sets our Chapter projects apart from others. It’s also what makes them great places to live.?

As we continue to develop and build out more projects in the future, you can be sure that we’re going to partner with even more talented artists that uplift and inspire us through their work.