This weekend, it was all about public art.
Thousands of people came through Chase Promenade, hour after hour, curious and animated, looking, questioning, pointing and chatting about the thing they'd come to see: The Popsicle.
The crew was out in force, like an assembly line, doing all the things they do to keep the colors visible: torching, scraping, planing and watering, hauling out new pieces and gluing them to the surface.
Here's Julie McKay, her sisters and mother.
They hail from: Detroit, Grand Rapids and Trevor City, Michigan, as well as Jacksonville, Florida. They read about The Popsicle in a travel section, and decided to make Chicago their destination for their annual family get-together.
The cameras were out in force, here's a smattering I got in five minutes.
My own camera failed me - running out of batteries.
so I asked around: could someone take a photo for me?
It was like fishing for Salmon during the fall spawn going upstream.
I stumbled onto a photo club!
Mark Rodda was kind enough to get these for me, and it just demonstrate that our diversity is our strength.
A friend of the Van de Voorde's in Virginia said hello to Gord while I was back at the room getting my replacement batteries, which also failed ...
So I got this photo from Katie Ardner.
Here's Alberta & Jake Thomas who, after viewing the wall, quoted Deepak Chopra, something like: "without passion, there is no spirituality" ... then went onto link the passionate paintings with a spiritual experience.
On Saturday night The Canadian Consulate hosted a reception at the Chicago Cultural Center. Jim Kvedaras from presenting sponsor CN was there with his daughter -- and lots of fans.
Here's the crew with pals from Millennium Park. It was Jaz's last night in Chicago.
Later today: Through the eyes of other photographers on site during the weekend! Lecture at Cassidy Theatre; Jaz departs for the west coast.
The new recruit. An interdisciplinary artist with a passion for art, music and mystery, Ari also has production skills. Fascinated by spirals, fractals and other patterns of growth, Ari loves watching ice crystals form... and of course, lugging around refrigeration plates. He's our guide to Chicago and has managed to fix up a previously mangled bicycle, which he rides everywhere.
Katie has a BA in Fine Art from University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She has passion for creating ceramic sculpture and enjoys oil painting, traveling and yoga, as well as Chicago's "offerings of art & culture." Although she answers whenever anyone calls "Katie" (there are 3 interns names Katie) she's an enthusiastic worker, and a welcome addition to 
Matt is an artist, bicyclist, disc jockey, self-taught keyboardist and photographer who likes to write. This is his first 
Katelyn recently moved to Chicago from Michigan, and works as a paintings assistant for artist Tim Lowly. She has a BFA in Painting, & a BA in Art Education (Western Michigan University). An artist who paints, Katie also plays violin with a number of groups in the Chicago area. She's new to 
Katie Louise Williams really likes ice. She grew up making ice rinks in her yard, playing hockey, staring at frosty grass, and, eventually, driving a Zamboni. The project has been one of her favorite experiences with both ice and Canadians. She rides her bike everywhere. When its warmer she's a vegetable farmer.
Technical crew. Laura is new to 
This is Jaz’s third installation with Paintings Below Zero. Jaz brings a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design from Emily Carr College to the project. A fanatic of typefaces, Jaz designed & produced the artbook on the Italy installation, created the flash web site from scratch: paintingsbelowzero.com, designed a full page ad in Modern Painters (Feb 2008 ) & numerous smaller design projects for 
Raised in Calgary, Winnipeg, Nairobi, and Boston, Erik is an artist and graphic designer, (Bachelor of Design Emily Carr, 2005), who has cultivated a distinct visual art practice informed by design and international travel. Following his studies with voyages to Honduras, Italy, London, England, Toronto, and Harlem, New York, Olson returned to his native Calgary to open IDEAL, a contemporary art space. www.erikolson.ca
River grew up in Northern California and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) from UC Santa Cruz. His wild, youthful days of travel ended abruptly when he fell in love with a dancer. Now he's married, with 3 kids, a house, 2 cars and a dog living in semi-rural British Columbia as a stone mason. He relishes 
Originally from the U.K., Nancy is now based in Toronto. With a background in art education, she first worked with 
Adrian has worked in the Broadcast, Film and Live Production fields for the past 28 years and is presently Lighting Consultant to the CTV Television Network, TSN and Rogers Sportsnet. He also counts amongst his clientele the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, for whom he is the Lighting and Set Designer for their worldwide festivals.
Art spends most of his time continent hopping with Accent Refrigeration in the cool quest to design and install the perfect system. His favorite gig is Paintings Below Zero - and will continue to be until hell freezes over. He calls home Victoria, British Columbia with his wife and 4 daughters.
This is JC’s fourth installation with 
Nancy has worked with Gordon and Caitlin with PBZ since the 2005 Italy installation. She’s the go-to person behind the scenes. Nancy is responsible to have everything in place before the crew hits the location. She brings 21 years of event management experience to this gig, and she is inspired by the work. 
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