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The Fashion Outlets of Chicago Demand Global Attention With Art

By Jared Hatch
An installation from<strong><a href="http://friendswithyou.com/"> Friends With You</a></strong> via <strong><a href="http://theartsinitiative.com/">The Arts Initiative</a></strong>
An installation from Friends With You via The Arts Initiative

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The Fashion Outlets of Chicago, Chicagoland's largest, most ambitious retail project in the last decade just got even bigger.

Today, we bring you the news—impressive news—of more than ten renowned contemporary artists – including Daniel Arsham, Jen Stark and Jim Drain – who are forming a new contemporary art collective, named The Arts Initiative, specifically for The Fashion Outlets of Chicago.


An installation from Jen Stark via The Arts Initiative


The artists boast highly interactive sprawling installation work in landmark cultural institutions ranging from The Smithsonian, the Whitney and galleries reaching as far as Paris and Hong Kong. And just before August 1, when The Fashion Outlets of Chicago opens to the public, the contemporary installation works, which are curated by acclaimed Miami-based gallery Primary Projects, will be born.


An installation from Bhakti Baxter via The Arts Initiative


The installation will include work from the likes of the aforementioned artists as well as Friends With You, Bert Rodriguez, Bhakti Baxter, Cody Hudson, Alvaro Ilizarbe, Andrew Nigon, Kenton Parker, and Austyn Weiner. These artists are posing this partnership as the future of highly interactive visual art in public venues: artist-driven ideas actively integrated into the architectural framework and viewing space itself.


An installation fromDaniel Arsham via The Arts Initiative


Think: the stuff you'd see at internationally recognized public spaces, art fairs, and amazing museums from around the world. That kind of art, only mere steps away from a star roster of outlet stores like Prada, Gucci, Helzberg Diamonds, Ports 1961, Barneys New York, Samsonite, Elie Tahari, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Swarovski, and Herve Leger. The future of retail has arrived.
· The Fashion Outlets of Chicago [Official Site]
·The Arts Initiative [Official Site]
· All Fashion Outlets of Chicago Coverage [Racked]