Art on the Mart Back on Thursday's For The Summer Season

Merchandise Mart Front Seen From The South Shore of the River.

ART on THE MART is a free public art exhibition that transforms the southern face of the historic Merchandise Mart into what's billed as the world's largest digital projection screen — a seasonally activated canvas spanning two city blocks, brought alive by 34 massive projectors built into the Riverwalk. It was established in 2018 as a public-private partnership between the City of Chicago and Vornado Realty Trust, owner of THE MART.

Projections are best viewed on the Chicago Riverwalk Jetty between Wells and Franklin Streets, where permanently installed speakers broadcast associated audio.

The 2026 programming debuts April 25, 2026. As for the end date, ART on THE MART is open 9 months per year, April through December, Thursdays–Sundays, with evening start times varying seasonally according to sunset times. So you can expect it to run through approximately December 2026, though an exact closing date hasn't been publicly announced yet!

2026 Featured Artists & Projects

The Spring 2026 season spotlights emerging talent from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), guided by faculty artists Jan Tichy and Austen Brown. (ART on THE MART)

Other 2026 works include:

• Colleen Plumb (Chicago artist) — Entwined, a collaborative film animating camera-less prints made by 95 students from Prosser Career Academy and South Shore College Prep, created through the Museum of Contemporary Photography's Art, Activism, Policy, Power program.

  
  

• Alan Medina & Wills Glasspiegel (Chicago filmmakers) — Trazos (Traces), a forthcoming summer 2026 projection expanding upon the living history of public art in Pilsen, a historically Mexican-American neighborhood on the near southwest side.

  
  

• Daria Tsoupikova / UIC Data Visualization Lab — Where Data Becomes Light, turning scientific data into sweeping animations and vivid imagery.

Notable Past Artists

The curatorial program has featured top international artists such as Nick Cave, Derrick Adams, Charles Atlas, Barbara Kruger, and Diana Thater, as well as works produced by Chicago-based emerging and mid-career artists, in partnership with other cultural organizations. Additionally, the Art Institute of Chicago has a close partnership with the program, and the legacies of iconic artists like Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, and Andy Warhol have all been celebrated through it.

Can You Submit Work?

There are a couple of pathways:

If you're a Chicago Public Schools student (grades 9–12): All-City Visual Arts (ACVA) collaborates with ART on THE MART to highlight selected CPS student artwork. The submission window for students runs January through mid-March each year, with exhibitions typically in late May.

For professional/independent artists: There is no open public call for submissions listed on the site. The ART on THE MART website says to "contact us for requests," so reaching out directly via artonthemart.com is your best bet. The program tends to work through curated partnerships with institutions, galleries, and established artists, but direct outreach is worth trying.