When you think of culture in the United States, it's usually New York that springs to mind. With the possible exception of London, few other cities in the world have so successfully absorbed, mixed and reinterpreted all the world's influences and trends. And yet Chicago has also earned its cultural stripes in the North American landscape. It boasts a first-rate symphony orchestra conducted by star conductor Ricardo Muti. Its museums have acquired a reputation that has long extended beyond the city's walls. Start with the Art Institute of Chicago, whose wealth alone makes a visit to the Illinois metropolis worthwhile. Among other things, it boasts the largest collection of French Impressionists after Paris.
In addition to the Art Institute, Chicago has around twenty other institutions. These include the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Industry, the City History Museum and the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum. The only one of its kind in the United States, this museum depicts - in paintings and sculptures - the suffering and atrocities of an event that traumatised an entire generation. A disturbing place that cannot leave you indifferent...
But what sets Chicago apart from the rest of the country - and New York in particular - is the city's involvement in the arts, with an ambitious cultural policy that translates into a substantial annual budget. "This was one of the highlights of outgoing Mayor Richard Daley's term in office. Without him, Chicago would never have acquired such an international reputation in cultural circles", explains Erin Hogan, Director of Public Relations at the Art Institute of Chicago. In particular, the city's policy has made it possible to democratise all forms of artistic expression, including among the underprivileged sections of the population".. For example, through a policy of purchasing public spaces, Galerie 37, supported by the wife of the former mayor, has seen young artists from difficult neighbourhoods exhibit their work.
And the Chicago Cultural Center, formerly the municipal library, has become a meeting place with a programme of events open to all. Inside the building, you can also marvel at the dome created by Tiffany - not Charles, the famous jeweller, but his son Louis, who went down in history for his excellent Art Nouveau glasswork.
The municipality at the service of art
But it's Millennium Park that stands out as the outgoing mayor's true cultural testament," continues Erin Hogan. It's fortunate that such an ambitious project was completed before the economic crisis affected the city's finances. Today, it would be inconceivable".. Launched in 1997, it is the largest municipal project of the last century, and was completed late in 2004, quadrupling in cost from 150 to 475 million dollars (100 to 320 million euros), including more than 200 million paid for by private donors.
Built over the railway tracks running along the southern part of Michigan Avenue, Millenium Park is both a green space and a cultural mecca. Free performances and concerts are held in the Pritzker Pavilion, built by Frank Gehry. Contemporary sculptures surround visitors, including Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate and Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain, a kinetic fountain perfectly representative of the city, with the faces that appear behind a mirror of water paying homage to its communities.
These works of art continue a tradition of public artworks that began in the 1960s. At that time, the development of administrative institutions in the Loop financial district led to the installation of sculptures by Miro, Chagall and Picasso. Dubuffet was added to this prestigious list in 1984. "What city could be proud to display such works of art in the middle of the street?asks Erin Hogan.
However, this ambitious policy could suffer a serious setback with the arrival at the helm of Rahm Emanuel, the new Democratic mayor of Chicago. This former dancer, although an art lover, will certainly find it difficult to continue offering free concerts and events at a time when drastic cuts are being made to all budgets - including culture - in order to reduce an abysmal debt flirting with 700 million dollars, or more than 470 billion euros. "It's probably the end of an era".says Jean-François Rochard, Deputy Cultural Attaché at the Consulate General of France. Unless the private sector takes over.
Under the cobblestones of Chicago, Mexico City
Looking for a change of scenery just 15 minutes from the Loop? Just take the pink line of the aerial metro to 18th Street station. The walls of this quaint station are lined with multicoloured murals celebrating the symbols of Aztec culture.
In a way, it's the official gateway to Chicago's Mexican quarter, in the borough of Pilsen. If the sun is out, you'd think you were in a suburb of Mexico City. Multicoloured frescoes featuring portraits of Frida Kahlo and actress Carmen Miranda can be seen all along 18th Street.
The churches are inspired by exuberant Hispanic architecture, while the cafés, restaurants and supermarkets are topped with signs in Spanish. In any case, don't miss the National Museum of Mexican Arts, the only one of its kind in the United States. Through the fine arts, it traces the tormented history of Mexico, as well as that of the city's Mexican community. It is said that the Mexican community accounts for half of the 1.5 million Latinos living in the American metropolis. Which makes it well worth a museum.
