Advent calendar window artwork illuminates Chicago's Uptown neighborhood all December

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Wilson Abbey Advent Windows (WAAW) project is now in its eighth year, bringing artwork throughout the Uptown neighborhood and all of Chicago this December.

The windows project has grown from three, to now 24 different artists, each expressing their ideas within a context of hope, peace, joy, and love through large scale artwork displayed in the 24 windows of the Wilson Abbey building.

As the largest advent calendar in Chicago, the artwork serves as a source of delight and creativity for neighbors and is a retelling of the Christmas story in the present day. Each day of December a new piece of art is revealed in a window. To view photos and videos of the artwork, visit here.

The artwork follows the theme "the Soul Felt its Worth" and showcases people groups who may not be seen, or whom we may not want to see because their problems are bigger than us. Some artists have connected to the different agencies that may already work with these groups of people. Other artists are already connected to people or agencies who genuinely understand what it is like for these people "to be seen".

Topics for each day:

1. The Star

2. Autism

3. Immigrants

4. The Angel

5. Black Women, Single Moms

6. Refugees

7. Illiterate

8. Mentally Ill

9. Bipoc/ the Blind

10. LGBTQIA

11. Experiencing Homelessness

12. Migrants

13. Saint Cabrini

14. Innerchild

15. Survivors of Sexual Assault

16. Elderly

17. Palestinian/Arabs

18. Women in Prison

19. Incarcerated

20. Fatherless

21. Shepherds

22. AAPI

23. Mary/Indigenous Women

24. Holy Family