buddy
Photos by Curt MacIver
location: Chicago, IL
date: 2020
type: renovation, commercial
role: designer
Buddy is a retail/gallery space permanently located on the ground floor of the the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago. Buddy is a partnership between Public Media Institute and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and it provides a space for Chicago-based artists to sell a wide array of wares, as well as a way for tourists to get a sense of the city's art community outside of downtown. After months of only online sales, the physical retail store of Buddy opened in late spring of 2021. The design upcycled many materials from the most recent Chicago Architectural Bienniale. The faceted arch is meant to recall the iconic stair and lobby at the entry of the building, and the space is meant to be non-directional to make way for the performances, lectures, and other events that now take place there.
