Public Art

The culture of art in Berwyn is rich. Long before our famous Berwyn Spindle made it to the big screen in the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, Berwyn’s artistic character was on full display with the Czech inspired architecture along Cermak Road, once known as Bohemian Wall Street, and our diverse housing styles. It wasn’t until The David Bermant Foundation: Color, Light, Motion was established in 1986 that public art in Berwyn really began to make a place for itself. The art in Cermak Plaza was meant to encourage and advocate experimental visual art which draws its form, content and working materials from late twentieth-century technology. Cermak Plaza Public Art was a wild and creative piece of Berwyn nostalgia that paved the way to Berwyn’s deep roots in public art.

Whether you’re planning to post it on Instagram or not, there’s something special about public art. Berwyn is in the midst of a public art boom, and it’s beautiful. Along the train tracks, you can see the efforts of the Berwyn Public Art Initiative (BPAI) to bring murals and art installations to Berwyn. Dozens of art works make for a great walking tour of our Depot District. The BPAI has more projects, like pop up art projects and spaces, in the works.