EDGEWATER — An artists group known to fill empty Far North storefronts with local works of art is channeling the 1950s to give all Edgewater guys and dolls a chance to revel in the golden days of the diner.
To Marcy Anderson, the artist behind the installation, a 50s diner represents the "good ol' days when the community came together to grab a milkshake with their neighbors and loved ones and dance to the top records on the juke box."
Edgewater Artists in Motion, a community-based group that aims to beautify the neighborhood's vacant storefronts into mini-window galleries, said it now wants to turn an empty store along Bryn Mawr Avenue into a retro 50s diner with the help of the community.
In a vacant property adjacent to the Bryn Mawr CTA Red Line station, 1116 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., the group is calling on artists to send submissions that would fit the concept: items depicting food, atmosphere, people, gadgets — anything.
Anderson started a GoFundMe page to raise $2,500 toward the installation she hopes to have complete by Thanksgiving, she said. If all goes as planned, the installation will stay in place during the winter holidays and "light up" Bryn Mawr, she said.
"The CTA has several vacant spaces in this area that won't be renovated for two years, and they are an eyesore on a street that has a lot of potential," Anderson said. As of Wednesday night, she'd raised $125.
Anderson said she hopes the storefront art piece can give passersby a small jolt of happiness when they walk past it.
There is no fee for artists to participate, and the items used in the installation will be for sale.
Interested artists can reach out to Marcy Kennedy at mkennedyanderson@gmail.com.
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