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'Post No Bills' Mural in Wicker Park Harkens Back to Violet Hour's Roots

By Alisa Hauser | May 4, 2015 1:44pm

WICKER PARK — On Monday, a speakeasy-style Wicker Park cocktail lounge that camouflages its entry door with artwork introduced a dark blue mural with a simple yet familiar message of "Post No Bills."

A phrase used to deter concert fliers, the latest Violet Hour mural was created by in-house staff rather than an outside artist and was done for the James Beard award weekend festivities, said Jenna Liberman, a spokeswoman for The Violet Hour, at 1520 N. Damen Ave.

"It is an ode to one of our opening murals [Kristin Alexander in 2008], and we thought it would be fun to revisit it," Liberman said.

On Monday evening, the country's top chefs and restaurateurs will learn if they've been honored with a James Beard Award at a gala in the Civic Opera House.

In addition to The Violet Hour's James Beard nomination for Outstanding Bar Program, Donnie Madia, a partner at One Off Hospitality, which owns The Violet Hour as well as neighboring Big Star and Dove's Luncheonette, has received a Best Restaurateur nomination in the awards. 

When asked if the 35-foot-long by 11-foot-tall mural truly intends to deter those seeking to post bills, Liberman replied, "It is completely ironic. We assume it will attract more graffiti by telling people not to 'post bills.' "

On Monday morning, Shelby Kimball and Rick Anderson were taking photos of the mural.

"I liked the background blue color of the mural. I didn't really notice the Post No Bills," Anderson said.

The couple, who live in the Logan Square and Ukrainian Village neighborhoods, had taken the day off work in honor of Kimball's 23rd birthday and had just wrapped up brunch at Dove's Luncheonette, Anderson said.

Rick Anderson and Shelby Kimball, in front of The Violet Hour's "Post No Bills" mural.

Just south of Wicker Park's Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection, the mural has featured many unique facades by rotating artists over the past few years.

Since January, the wall has featured a homage to a graffiti tagger, Nekst, as well as large colorful faces from surfer/artist Rex Flodstrom that brightened up a long winter.

Previous murals have included a piece inspired by Chicago Ideas Week focused on visual brainstorming, a deer inspired similar to Bambi, a cartoonish "Big Drunk Guy," a twilight-hued nightclub scene, as well as geometric 3D patterns and abstract designs that have been the target of taggers.

The most serious of the murals include "Killing Season: Chicago 2010," a visual documentation of sites of Chicago murders by artist Krista Wortendyke and a sleeping homeless man by tattoo artist David Allen.

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