'Map This!' -- New Exhibition at the Chicago Architecture Foundation

[January 05, 2008]  CHICAGO -- "Map This," the new Chicago Architecture Foundation exhibition, is free and open daily Jan. 10-March 21 at 224 S. Michigan, across from the Art Institute.

The exhibition, a part of Chicago's Festival of Maps, portrays Chicago as seen through the eyes of a diverse group of students from the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology and the School of Architecture and Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago, many of whom are living in the U.S. for the first time. The students have been studying the city under the direction of architects Sarah Dunn and Martin Felsen of UrbanLab.

"This new exhibition is a unique opportunity to put fresh perspectives on display," said Gregory Dreicer, vice president of exhibitions and programs. "The Chicago Architecture Foundation provides a platform for exploring how we build and experience our environments."

Some questions and facts explored in the exhibition:

• Chicago's dramatic skyline comes from its height. What would the city look like if the tallest buildings were not there?

• About 80 percent of Chicago's garbage is dumped into landfills -- but there are no active landfills in the city. Garbage is sent to other places, including downstate Illinois.

• In 1982, Chicagoans spent an average of six hours per year stuck in traffic. Over the past 20 years, that number has risen to over 56 hours per year. "Rush hour" is now three times as long.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and related design. The Chicago Architecture Foundation pursues this mission through a comprehensive program of tours, exhibits, special events and lectures. Home to a new permanent exhibition, "You Are Here," the Chicago Architecture Foundation is located in the Santa Fe Building, 224 S. Michigan Ave. at Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604. For further information, visit www.architecture.org or call 312-922-3432.

[Text from file received from Susan Ross, Chicago Architecture Foundation]