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With In Plain Sight I took to downtown Chicago and highlighted the Chicago Municipal Device with yellow chalk. With each chalked Y I leave a laminated card which explains:
According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, “[the] Y shape is known as the Chicago Municipal Device. It was introduced during the 1893 World’s Fair after the Chicago Tribune held a contest seeking a new symbol to represent our city. It derives its shape from Wolf Point, the place where the Chicago river forks. You’ll find it on the marquee of the Chicago Theater as well as your library card — but it’s all over Chicago. If you keep your eyes open, you’ll start to see it everywhere.”
The Chicago flag enjoys high visibility in the Windy City from artist-made goods, business logos, and tattoos. With this project, aimed to help Chicagoans embrace our other, lesser known civic symbol.