A truck show of the non-monster variety

“In a truck populated by young scholars from the University of Chicago-sponsored Washington Park Art Incubator, a project of Theaster Gates, the focus was on ideas, not objects. A group of high school students, along with university mentors, is planning to transform a vacant lot into a community space, and they want your ideas. The truck was stocked with markers and paper. Below a sign reading “What makes a community great?” answers were densely scribbled in different hands. I asked a high school junior named Marcus Pelt if he'd gleaned any insights. He pointed to a note that said “loving neighbors,” and I thought that it wasn't a bad idea for either a South Side neighborhood or a makeshift, temporary, ragtag caravan of designers.”

I supplied a few photos along with the Crain’s piece, and was surprised that a selfie made it into print.

Published in Crain’s Chicago Business, my review of the annual design event Guerrilla Truck Show is a walk through a maze of movers and makers. For a few days each year, Chicago’s Fulton Market transforms into a showcase of emerging artists, designers, and makers all of whom display their work inside box trucks. From handcrafted furniture to 3D-printed facades, from student projects to precious objects, the Truck Show has something for everyone.

My story offers a curated list of exhibitors, as well as context for this event. It begins as a breezy wander but ends up in wonder at the contents of one truck, where high school students, mostly young people of color, are developing ideas for a vacant lot in their neighborhood. Unlike other trucks, they aren’t showing off things — they are soliciting ideas. More than any other single truck, this one really delivered on the promise of design.

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I’m grateful to Norman Teague, who mentored this group of creative young people, and who invited me to witness their process.

Read the full story. (Paywall)