PaintWorks - Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, IL

Welcome to PaintWorks – Where creativity meets community. Curious about what PaintWorks is all about? It's the artistic heartbeat of the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Improvement Program (SSA #21), dedicated to injecting life and color into our urban landscape. The Lincoln Square Neighborhood Improvement Program is using local tax dollars to turn Lincoln Square into a lively canvas. From the walls to plazas, PaintWorks turns ordinary spots of Lincoln Square into extraordinary sights.

Curious about PaintWorks? Property owners in Lincoln Square looking to host an art project can submit applications at any time. Once the SSA Commissioners grant approval to a host site, the focus shifts to artists through a public Request for Proposal (RFP). An Arts Committee takes on the responsibility of meticulously reviewing artist submissions. Their top choices are then presented to the SSA Commission for the final approval. Once the Commission gives the green light, the selected artist is informed, and they begin working on their masterpiece.

How To Get Involved

Want to host a mural on your property or business? Interested in applying to take part in PaintWorks as an artist? Or are you a community member that just wants to get involved? Learn how below.
For Property Owners
SSA 21 accepts applications to host a mural on a rolling basis.

Murals must be within the SSA District

Murals must face the public way

Murals should remain in place for at least 3 years

Maintenance funding is not guaranteed

$500 participation fee (due at completion)

Site owners are invited to weigh in on artist/design

Property owners can apply via an online application, or mail a paper form to the Chamber of Commerce:

LSRCC
Attn: Ian Tobin
4505 N Lincoln Avenue, Storefront
Chicago, IL 60625
For Artists

Request For Proposals (RFP) are sent to local artists after mural sites are selected. Selected artists are paid $5,000* (unless otherwise noted) for their work. Artists interested in receiving RFPs should enroll in our artist directory.

To view open requests for proposals, click here.

*Artist payment is all-inclusive (labor, supplies, travel, etc.). No exceptions.
For the Community

PaintWorks murals need help from the community - we can't do it alone! All donors giving over $500 get recognized with the mural itself.

PaintWorks is not soliciting donations at this time.

Why Invest In Public Art? Public art isn't just embellishment. The importance of public art lies in its ability to reimagine the urban environment, making it more than just a backdrop to daily life. It elevates the quality of urban living, offering residents and visitors an experience that goes beyond the mundane (like the Hebru Brantley's mural on the Western CTA substation). As cities evolve, public art becomes a crucial element in shaping a distinctive, vibrant identity of its neighborhoods.
Calling All Artists for 2025! As we further emerge from the pandemic, the Neighborhood Improvement Program is on the lookout for talented artists ready to bring fresh energy to Lincoln Square through captivating murals. Your art has the potential to redefine and elevate many bland spaces in Lincoln Square into vibrant destinations. Submit your vision, and let's paint a bright future together in Lincoln Square!
Current Requests for Proposals

4713 N Western Avenue - RFP

2716 W Lawrence Avenue - RFP
Past Projects
"LOVE, LANA (LANA LOVE)"

Artist: Oscar Joyo
Mural Commissioned: 2024
Location: 4879 N Lincoln Avenue

In fall 2024, Lincoln Square welcomed a striking new mural by artist Oscar Joyo, titled LOVE, LANA (LANA LOVE). It is a vibrant tribute to the neighborhood he’s called home for over a decade. Located at 4879 N. Lincoln Avenue, the 24-by-40-foot mural features a serene woman in green headphones, surrounded by lush palm leaves and set against a radiant red backdrop. Inspired by Joyo’s own walks through the community with its diverse culture, music, and evolving arts scene, the mural reflects the peaceful joy of getting lost in a familiar place. Commissioned by the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, Alderperson Andre Vasquez, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the work is part of the growing Lincoln Avenue North Arts (LANA) District, and stands as a visual love letter to the people who make Lincoln Square feel like home.
"Cambodian Color"

Artist: Brandin Hurley
Mural Commissioned: 2017
Location: 2831 W Lawrence Avenue

Brandin Hurley is a Chicago based installation artist with a background in Scenic Design. Although her medium varies, her favorite element is light, and she enjoys experimenting with its flexibility and ethereal wonder in all contexts. Her work, often inspired by the seemingly eternal and awe-inspiring patterns in both nature and mythology, has culminated in installations of delicate glowing crystals, flocks of floating brass molecules, a room of luminous paper honeycomb, and looming papercut faces of mythological demons.

Recently, her work features intricate and ethereal worlds based around historical and mythological women, particularly those with strong connections to the natural world.
"The Announcement"

Artist: Jason Watts
Mural Commissioned: 2018
Location: 5011 N Lincoln Avenue

“We see symbols, logos and icons everyday as part of daily life, from advertising to bar and club signage to the brands that are steeped in local tradition. I think of my paintings as a mashup of the iconography, symbols and local references that are part of our past and present.” - Jason Watts
"Communication Station"

Artist: Christopher Hungerman
Mural Commissioned: 2018
Location: 4647 N Lincoln Avenue

CJ Hungerman is an American artist from Pittsburgh who has his studio in Chicago. He has created many public art projects in Chicago. His most notable piece of public art, funded by the Mayor’s Office and the City of Chicago, is a 500 square foot original artwork he conceived and created for the new Chinatown Library. He creates Visual Riot composed of patterned kinetic color chaos, with layers and shapes that explode into surrealistic landscapes of optic riddles.
"Parade of Abes"

Artist: Various from One River School of Art + Design
Project Commissioned: 2018
Location: Various

Since being replaced by pay-boxes, the City's coin-operated meters have been recommissioned as hitching posts for cyclists. To encourage cycling in the community, we wanted to make these meters pop! Artists from One River School of Art + Design transformed the meters into a "Parade of Abes" up and down Lincoln Avenue.
"Life Raft"

Artist: Rachel Lindsay-Snow
Installation Commissioned: 2019
Location: 4552 N Western Avenue

While grappling with laborious actions of ritual and repetition, much of Lindsay-Snow's recent work engages notions of mortality, cycle, and the temporal through the poetic gesture. Through installation, performance and sculpture; and the use of multiples, process, the surreal, and uncanny: Lindsay-Snow collaborates in moments of pause, re-centering, and questioning. They see the process of making art as a practice of asking questions, research, and wonder.
"All Shapes and Colors"

Artist: Andrea Jablonski
Installation Commissioned: 2020
Location: 4840 N Lincoln Avenue

Andrea Jablonski was commissioned to design the area's first street mural. Created with inspiration from flags, street signs and the Razzle Dazzle camouflage artists of WWII, Jablonski created a grid-like colorful design to encourage spaces for people to gather while still socially distancing during the COVID pandemic. Each geometric shape helps to delineate a space for seating elements that will be fluid to work with for future events planned in the plaza. The palette was decided by colors available through the specialty paint used for asphalt. The design exhibits diversity and community by bringing a variety of colors and shapes into a cohesive design. Public art, in this case, can be walked, skipped, danced on and enjoyed!