WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Niala talks with Natalie Moore and Lance Williams about last night's spike in shootings and architect Richard Tomlinson and AIC assistant curator Alison Fisher discuss bringing world class art to Chicago. Then Curious City takes a look in to the history of Dunning Insane Asylum with Robert Louerzel.

 The artists Jeanne-Claude and Christo are best known for The Gates, the billowing, bright orange arches they installed by the thousands in New York’s Central Park in 2005. But in 1969 they were still struggling to make their mark. Their artistic quest led them to Chicago, where they clashed with officials, stunned the public and made art history.

The monstrosity is being taken down Monday and shipped to, hopefully, some carnival grounds somewhere.

Where should Chicago honor its famed names? John Schmidt's suggestion: the pillars of the 'L.'

One of the country’s oldest outdoor murals covers a storefront on Chicago’s Northwest Side. People who care about the 40-year-old painting are finishing a facelift. The mural restoration is doing more than brightening up a gritty stretch of North Avenue.