Cultural Organizations Come Together to Form Water Tower Arts District

Fifteen organizations, all within walking distance of Chicago’s historic Water Tower, joined forces to launch the Water Tower Arts District. WDCB’s Gary Zidek has more.

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The Water Tower Arts District introduced itself to Chicago. WDCB's Gary Zidek has the story.

“For the first time these organizations are talking to each other, connecting, conspiring and then to the public, these institutions start to come to life. That’s what’s going to happen with the cultural district (Water Tower Arts District), it’s going to help people see what’s always been there.” - DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly talking about the role of the new Water Tower Arts District.

Porchlight Music Theatre artistic director Michael Weber speaking during Water Tower Arts District launch event at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

One of Chicago’s most iconic landmarks was once the center of a thriving bohemia. Today, most people associate the Water Tower with the city’s pre-fire history and shopping on Michigan Avenue.

The new Water Tower Arts District hopes to change that perception.

The Water Tower Arts District members include museums, theater companies, and other cultural institutions.

Full list of the members:

The Arts Club of Chicago
Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower/DCASE
Graham Foundation
International Museum of Surgical Science
Lookingglass Theatre Company
Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA)
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)
The Newberry Library
Poetry Foundation
Porchlight Music Theatre
Richard Gray Gallery
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum*
The Ruth Page Center for the Arts
Society of Architectural Historians

For more information visit watertowerarts.org