Mayor Byrne's Mile of Sculpture, Navy Pier — Daily Hue for April 23, 2026
Red Grooms · 1982 · Art Institute of Chicago
Hidden color: Pale Muted Cyan (#aed2ce)
About this puzzle
Mayor Byrne’s Mile of Sculpture, Navy Pier (1982) by Red Grooms bursts with the same irrepressible energy that defines much of his work, translating the spectacle of public art into a lively, almost chaotic visual narrative. Rendered as a color lithograph on white wove paper, the piece captures a moment when art spills out of museums and into the streets—transforming Navy Pier into a stage for creativity and public interaction.
Grooms fills the composition with a dense array of figures, sculptures, and architectural fragments, all jostling for attention. The scene feels animated, as if it might shift at any moment—people lean, gesture, and react to the artworks סביב them, while the sculptures themselves seem to possess a kind of personality. This playful distortion blurs the line between viewer and object, suggesting that in a space like this, everyone becomes part of the performance.