In the years following its 2017 debut in San Francisco, the interactive museum Color Factory has worked with artists to create eye-catching, kaleidoscopic installations in cities throughout the U.S.— everything from a sky blue ball bit in New York City to a neon sign that illuminates when people hold hands in Houston. Chicagoans will get a chance to check out their own color-themed experience starting next year, when the museum plans to debut its largest-ever exhibit inside of Willis Tower.
Located at Catalog, the skyscraper's multi-level dining and event space, Color Factory's 25,000-square-foot Chicago exhibit will feature a series of multi-sensory art installations inspired by the color wheel and local culture. What does that mean, you ask? While we don't have specific details about each of the rooms included in the Chicago iteration, permanent installations in other cities offer clues: Houston, for instance, features a candy-colored pink room that mimics frosting from a local doughnut shop, as well as a NASA-themed ball pit complete with a star-filled ceiling. Each room is created by artists and designers, and most feature interactive elements (even if that interaction is limited to snapping a few Instagram-worthy pics). The Chicago exhibit will include replicas from past Color Theory exhibits, as well as city-specific rooms created specifically for this show.
“We want every Color Factory to be progressively impactful — in art, in community participation, and in immersive experience,” Color Factory CEO Jeff Lind said in a statement. “The Willis Tower shares our goal of creating beautiful and emotionally impactful places to gather, and we couldn’t imagine a better partner as we prepare to delight the city of Chicago.”
More details about Color Factory's Chicago installations, artists and opening timeline are set to be announced this fall—in the meantime, check out a few of the museum's other rainbow-colored rooms.
