Here at Curbed, it's no secret that we like pretty things. Cut us some slack; Chicago has a whole lot to offer — we dare you to walk around town for an afternoon and not wind up bewitched by an incredible building, unexpected vista, or awesome art installation. That said, part of the beauty of our city is in innovations to the tattered edges of public spaces. Much of the year we live in a tundra, but that doesn't mean the outdoors isn't experienced intensively and creatively. Second City boosterism aside, the thrust of today's map post is to highlight Chicago's use of ubiquitous and inherently unexciting public space — specifically overpasses (highway, El, LSD, etc.) — in capturing some of the best mural art around.

Some of the murals have been around for decades and represent poignant moments of social change, time capsules for Chicago history such as "Black Women Emerging" which depicts big steps for women's rights or "The Wall of Daydreaming" which depicts civil rights events and moments of racial reckoning throughout the 20th century. Others more recently created like "The Heart of Rogers Park" stretching brightly and buoyantly beneath the Morse CTA Red Line, serve to revitalize and galvanize neighborhoods.

We hope this list covers enough of the city to satiate loyal neighborhood diehards. In any event, it should serve as a jump start to get your artsy meanderings in high gear for the season.
·Chicago Public Art Group [Official]

—Arabella Watters