May 06--The CTA is inviting the public to meet next week with the international artist and engineer who will create a piece that will be displayed at the rehabilitated Wilson station serving the Red Line.
The CTA has commissioned Cecil Balmond, a Sri Lanka-born artist known for his large-scale public displays, under a contract valued at up to $204,000. Balmond, who lives in London, designed a tower for the London Summer Olympics and the Weave Bridge at the University of Pennsylvania, among a host of projects.
Uptown residents and business owners are being asked by the CTA to help shape the type of art that will be developed at Wilson by attending a meeting with Balmond from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the BrightviewHealthCare and Rehabilitation Centre, 4538 N. Beacon St., Chicago.
Balmond's plans and renderings will be shared with the public at a later date, CTA officials said.
The art funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration. The CTA has more than 60 works of art at nearly 50 stations along all eight rail lines, officials said.
The $203 million reconstruction of the Wilson station started late last year and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.
The project includes constructing a more spacious and accessible station with three entrances. Train signals and antiquated supporting infrastructure will also be replaced, opening the way for Wilson to become for the first time in many years a transfer station between the Red and Purple/Evanston Express lines, officials said.
jhilkevitch@tribpub.com
