Eight miles into my Chicago Loop adventure day and here I was at the steps of the Chicago Cultural Center. Ready for even more steps or more realistically a bench!
I had already visited MindWorks. I had lunch at The Art of Pizza on State Street. Yet, at 1:30 pm I knew I still had much more to discover.
Stepping into the Chicago Cultural Center
Into the unassuming building I went and into architecture’s dream, I fell. Up, up, up, my sore legs walked this beautiful staircase to the second level where I gasped with delight as the room was straight from a fairytale.
The room was light, naturally lit by large windows that looked out into the city, giving a glimpse of Millenium Park. Old-fashioned lights, although beautiful themselves, gave off a yellow glow that contrasted with the white of the room and the natural light that was present. My iPhone photos automatically looked as if I had gone with a terrible Instagram filter.
In the center of the room was the main attraction, a stained-glass dome. People lay on the carpeted floor underneath. An attempt to get the perfect photo of the stunning glass art. Mini light bulbs that reminded me of the theater lights from the 1920’s encompassed the dome. Along with words and phrases. In the center, there hung a chandelier.
The stained glass was the center of attention, and for good reason, but there were so many other details in the room that moved and intrigued me. I loved the clock that was on either side of the room in between the large castle-shaped windows (curved on the top and not just a rectangle!) The walls themselves seemed to be carved or titled in art. There seemed to be something new and exciting no matter where you looked.
Those Images are Fire
The building itself seemed to be the masterpiece, the reason to come explore this free experience. Tucked away in different rooms there were also exhibits. One of the exhibits on the main floor was about the Great Chicago Fire.
The exhibit took a very different approach than the Chicago History Museum. The small exhibit featured photographs of the aftermath of the fire. They were digitally enhanced so that the image could be scaled to a larger size.
As someone who once dabbled in photography, it was neat to see the photos and read about the history it captured. It was also intriguing to learn about how new technology helped enhance the image.
When I was finished exploring the Chicago Cultural Center I wandered out and walked south to meet my sister for some bubble tea!
