Jim Bachor

Jim Bachor (born c. 1964)[1] is a graphic designer, street and mosaic artist. He is known for his contemporary mosaics produced using ancient techniques. More recently, Bachor has become well known for the mosaic art that he has installed in potholes on the streets of Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Antonio, Nashville, Los Angeles, Carrara, Italy, and Jyväskylä, Finland.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

Raised in suburban Detroit, Bachor pursued a pre-engineering program for two years after high school at Michigan State University. He ultimately transferred to the Center for Creative Studies in downtown Detroit and graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design.[3] In the late 1990s, Bachor traveled to Ravenna, Italy, to study the ancient art of the mosaic.[3]

Career

He worked as an associate creative director at Chicago ad agency Foote, Cone & Belding.

After a visit to Pompeii, Italy, he found mosaics that survived an ancient volcano and in 2013 he decided to begin filling potholes in Chicago with mosaics, with images such as a popsicle, flowers, and the message that it's "not a pothole anymore."[4][5]

In the summer of 2014, Bachor completed "thrive," a 700-square-foot commission for the Chicago Transit Authority that was installed in the city's Thorndale Red Line "L" station.[6] In the fall, Bachor was commissioned to create an in-store 4 by 6 feet (1.2 by 1.8 m) floor mosaic at Nike's flagship store on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago.[7][8]

In 2016, he installed several mosaics in Philadelphia, in collaboration with HAHA Magazine x Paradigm Gallery. One was entitled "Make Your Mark."[1] The same year, he installed a mosaic in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.[3]

In May 2017, he made his first political statement with a pothole mosaic in which the word "LIAR" was placed over an image of the Russian flag. It was installed on Wabash Avenue near Trump Tower in downtown Chicago. It was first made when Trump was sworn into office and was installed during the period when it became known that Trump held a White House meeting with Russian diplomats where he disclosed highly classified information.[5]

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References
  1. Samantha Melamed (August 31, 2016). "One answer to Philly's pothole problem: Fill them with art". philly.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  2. Fallon, Claire (May 25, 2015). "Artist Jim Bachor Fixes Chicago Potholes With Ice Cream Mosaics". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  3. Colleen Kowalewski (May 20, 2016). "Chicago street artist turns Detroit pothole into a work of art". Metro Times. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  4. "Pothole mosaics: Street art that fills a need". CBS News. February 19, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  5. Leonor Vivanco (May 17, 2017). "Pothole artist targets president with new piece near Trump Tower". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  6. Benjamin Woodard (October 9, 2014). "Artist Jim Bachor's Mosaic 'Thrive' Installed at Thorndale 'L' Station". dnainfo.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  7. Leonor Vivanco (February 29, 2016). "Mosaic pothole artist raises money to hit the road". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  8. Pam Grimes; Steve Sanders (April 13, 2015). "Artist will have you smiling at Chicago potholes". Retrieved July 13, 2017.

Further reading


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