New public art project celebrates Earth Day by bringing natural beauty into urban space
The new urban mural is on display in the alley across from the Chicago Theatre next to the ABC7 studio in the Loop
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A new public art project in Chicago, just around the corner from the ABC7 Studio, honors Earth Day.
National Geographic and ABC7 are teaming up to celebrate natural beauty in an urban space.
Over the course of the last three days, Chicago muralist Sentrock has turned the side of our ABC7 studios in the Loop into a beautiful work of art.
"Like Chicago, there's so much going on and we gotta remember the next generation," Sentrock said. "So that's where the little small plant and my signature character to kind of embrace it.
It's all to honor Earth Day, and April as Earth Month, in partnership with National Geographic.
RELATED: Our America: Climate of Hope
"We've teamed up with ABC stations to bring nature to urban spaces through the work of local artists, said Ashley Thomas, NatGeo digital archive director.
If you live in an urban area, you may not have easy access to nature. This mural is working to bring that restorative, inspirational essence to you based on an iconic photo from the National Geographic archive.
"It was a giant forest, giant trees, and you have one little plant growing from the bottom and I was like, man that really speaks to me," Sentrock said.
So next time you're downtown in the Loop right across from the Chicago Theatre, come on down through the alley at Couch Place where you can take a look at this incredible mural and connect with nature in an urban environment.
Three other murals are going up around the country in San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia.
"What we're really trying to achieve with these murals is to make sure that we're inspiring people to care about the wildlife around them, the forests around them, the oceans," Thomas said. "I want them to have a sense of peace or a sense of empowerment, like, that could be me."
"Look at this character that's taking care of that little plant. Even though it's a small gesture, it's something that can mean something in a major way," Sentrock said.
