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Home › Articles › Go Green › Art with a Purpose

Art with a Purpose

Chicago's Global Warming Globes

By Charlene Torkelson

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Exploring the Globes
What can you expect to see at this art exhibit? One clever globe titled "Turn Down The Thermostat" wears a sweater. Another includes autographed shoes by such athletes as Magic Johnson and touts a "Use Your Feet" theme. A globe covered with old junk reminds viewers to recycle. "Leave No Child Indoors" depicts children in outside activities. There are globes with themes involving solar power, wind power, rooftop gardens, conserving water, improving air quality and energy-efficient light bulbs. The Francis W. Parker School created a globe involving non-electric play.

Chicago included their local education system in this project by awarding eight local schools with prizes for their winning globe entries in the "Cool Globes for Cool Kids" contest involving smaller paper mache spheres suggesting solutions for the global warming problem. Corporate sponsors for the larger globes include NBC5, Exelon, Tecta Roofing, Sony, Starbucks, Medline Industries and Pepsi, as well as many other companies.

Other events include children's create your own globe art projects as well as 45-minute tours available to tourists on weekdays. (For a schedule contact tours@coolglobes.com or call 847-831-4745.) Unlike the cow exhibit, the globes will remain in close proximity to one another, making this truly an "exhibit with a purpose" rather than just an around-the-city experience.

Why Tourism Promotions?
What do these art pieces really do – besides promote education on global warming? Just ask some of the other cities who have also stepped up to include giant statues in their tourism promotions. There have been lizards in Orlando, moose in Toronto, horses in Lexington and flamingoes in Miami. Even New York City used the cow theme.

Chicago's cow summer seemedto correspond historically to the famed fire of 1871 reportedly started by the now infamous Mrs. O'Leary's cow. But actually the cow theme came from Zurich, Switzerland. In 1998 a Chicago businessman saw a similar cow display in Switzerland and was so intrigued with the idea that he brought the plan back to Chicago.


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